Following on from highly successful launch of our Disabled Supporters Group, our friends at Level Playing Field have sent us some guidance on the appropriate use of language around disability.
Clearly everyone here at FC works hard to ensure that our Club is, and remains, an inclusive community for all to enjoy and as such we’d ask supporters to take a few minutes out and read the guidelines below.
At FC we pride ourselves on doing things differently, but also on doing things right.
Avoid | Use |
---|
Person with a disability, cripple, invalid, handicapped | Disabled person |
Able-bodied / Normal | Non-disabled person |
Confined to a wheelchair, wheelchair-bound, a wheelchair (when referring to the person who uses it) | A wheelchair user |
Afflicted by, suffers from, victim of | Has [name of condition or disability] |
Mentally handicapped, Mentally defective, Retarded, Subnormal, simple | learning (or intellectually) disabled person |
An Epileptic, Diabetic, Depressive, etc. | A person with epilepsy or someone who has epilepsy, diabetes, depression, etc. |
Spastic | A person with cerebral palsy |
Mental patient, Insane, Mad | A person with a mental health condition |
The deaf, Deaf and dumb; Deaf mute | A person who is Deaf and / or hard of hearing |
The blind, visually impaired | A blind person and / or partially sighted person |
Midget | A person with restricted growth or short stature |
Fits, Spells, Attacks | A person who has seizures |
Disabled toilet / entrance / parking | Accessible toilet / entrance / parking |