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Ableist Language Series Disability Advocacy

Ableist Language To Avoid And Acceptable Alternatives – “Dumb” Edition

Definition of “Dumb”

1a: lacking intelligence: STUPID

1b: showing a lack of intelligence

1c: requiring no intelligence

2a: lacking the human power of speech

2b of a person, dated, offensive, lacking the ability to speak: MUTE

3: temporarily unable to speak (as from shock or astonishment)

4: not expressed in uttered words

5: SILENT

*All definitions are from the Merriam Webster Dictionary

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Ableist Language Series Disability Advocacy

Ableist Language To Avoid And Acceptable Alternatives – “Differently-Abled” Edition

How Is “Differently-Abled” Ableist?

To understand the answer to this question, we must first examine the reason WHY people use “differently-abled” as their go-to term to describe someone with a disability.

The simple answer is this: they believe “differently-abled” is less offensive than the disabled person’s actual identity (disabled).