We’re horrified about it now, but at one time people would say “deaf and dumb” when they meant someone who could not hear or speak.
Language evolves, and we’ve come a long way. What was once said without thinking we now recognize as offensive. And just as we need to choose gender-neutral words (“firefighter” rather than “fireman”), we need to be aware of wording related to disabilities.
The August issue of my newsletter, Wordnerdery, shares seven tips for inclusive language, including questioning whether you even need to refer to a disability in your story.
Read all seven tips in the newsletter. And please share any other tips you might have in the comments.
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