Also written: Disabled, Disabled people, Disabled person
| Source | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|
| SEIU | 2020 | Avoid |
| Global Center for Journalism & Trauma | 2021 | Use with care |
| National Center on Disability and Journalism | 2021 | Use |
“disabled Correct: people with disabilities”
SEIU's 2020 stylebook prescribes the people-first "people with disabilities" in place of the bare adjective "disabled." This reflects the people-first default common in earlier guides; the more recent disability-led sources have since moved toward accepting identity-first "disabled" alongside it, governed by self-identification.
“Eschew outmoded terms that perpetuate negative stereotypes or evoke pity. … Instead, give precise references to specific conditions. People-first language will help avoid defining a person by their disability … Be mindful, however, that some people with disabilities, such as members of the Deaf community, prefer identity-first language.”
GCJT pairs a people-first default with an explicit identity-first exception: avoid pity-laden framing and prefer precise references to specific conditions, but recognize that some communities (the Deaf community among them) prefer identity-first language. The teaching is to check with the source for the preferred form.
“While it is usually acceptable to use these terms, keep in mind that disability and people who have disabilities are not monolithic. Avoid referring to "the disabled" … When describing individuals, do not reference disabilities unless it is clearly pertinent to the story.”
NCDJ — the chapter's anchor — calls "disabled" usually acceptable while cautioning against the collective "the disabled" and against referencing a disability unless pertinent. NCDJ no longer offers a people-first default: its companion entry notes "disabled people" is identity-first language widely embraced by U.S. and British disability activists and the Deaf and autistic communities, and directs writers to ask the person their preferred terminology.
The corpus has moved from a person-first default to “ask.” Both “disabled person” and “person with a disability” are valid, and self-identification governs. NCDJ is the anchor and the clearest marker of the shift: it no longer offers a person-first default, because “many people with disabilities take issue with that advice,” and instead urges confirming “how people would like to be described” case by case, while noting that identity-first “disabled people” is “widely embraced.” GCJT lands at use-with-care, steering away from pity-laden or outmoded terms toward “precise references to specific conditions.” SEIU still prescribes the person-first “people with disabilities” in place of the bare adjective “disabled.” NCDJ separately flags the collective noun “the disabled” as the form to avoid.
Two points stay stable through the person-first/identity-first debate: avoid “the disabled” as a collective noun, which erases individuality, and don’t treat disabled people as monolithic. The default is what changed. The older blanket person-first rule has given way to “ask first,” with identity-first “disabled” now an embraced option rather than an error. The same shift is visible on autism.