Language Use
Words Matter
Words can open doors but they can also create barriers or stereotypes. Many people think that political correctness (or PC) has gone too far and that some people are overly sensitive. However, if it means that one person will not be hurt by a negative word or phrase then I’m willing to go as far as necessary.
The main guideline is that people should not be defined by their conditions, so we refer to a person with an intellectual disability and not an intellectually disabled person. Some other guidelines from Special Olympics literature can be found below.
There is no consensus on the proper term to use as a general term to describe the athletes in question. Disabilities are either intellectual, physical, or in some individuals, both. See the table below for a longer list of acceptable and not acceptable terms. Given the wide variety of acceptable terms it should be possible to find a description that we can agree on.
Appropriate Terminology
| Use | Obsolete |
| person with an intellectual disability | retarded, slow, mentally retarded, mentally challenged, mentally handicapped, developmentally delayed |
| person with a physical challenge, physical disability, physical handicap | crippled, lame, deformed |
| has a seizure disorder or epilepsy | epileptic, fit |
| person that is visually impaired, blind | sight impaired person |
| person that is hearing impaired, deaf, deaf mute | deaf person, deaf mute |
| person that has Down syndrome | mongoloid, Down’s Syndrome, Down Syndrome |
| wheelchair user | confined, bound, restricted or dependent on a wheelchair |
| able-bodied, non-disabled | normal, average, non-challenged |
| person with Cerebral Palsy | spastic (as a noun) |
It is not appropriate to use the word kids when referring to Special Olympics athletes. Adult athletes are an integral part of the program.
It is also not appropriate to use the word the in front of Special Olympics unless describing a specific Special Olympics event, e.g. the 2005 Regional Summer Games Competition.