There are a number of myths and misconceptions about disability…
List of Disabilities
Addison’s Disease
ADHD
AIDS/HIV
Alcoholism
Allergies
Alzheimer’s Disease
Amputation
ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease
Anosmia
Antisocial
Anxiety Disorders
Arachnoiditis
Arthritis
Asperger Syndrome
Asthma
Ataxia
Attention Deficit Disorder
Auditory Processing Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Avoidant
Back Impairments
Bipolar Disorder
Bladder Impairments
Bleeding Disorders
Blurred Vision
Body Odor
Borderline
Brain Injuries
Burn Injuries
Cancer
Cataplexy
Cataracts
Cerebral Palsy
Chemical Sensitivity
Chronic Dizziness
Chronic Fatigue
Chronic Illness
Chronic Migraines
Chronic Pain
Coeliac Disease
Cognitive Impairment
Color Blindness
Communication Disorder
Crohn’s Disease
Cumulative Trauma
Communication Disorder
Crohn’s Disease
Cumulative Trauma Disorders
Deafness
Degenerative Disc Disease
Dementia
Depression
Developmental Disabilities
Diabetes
Drug Addiction
Dysgraphia
Dyslexia
Eating Disorders
Emphysema
Epilepsy
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Food Allergies
Fructose Malabsorption
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Graves’ Disease
Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Headaches
Hearing Loss
Heart Conditions
Heart Disease
Hemophilia
Hepatitis
Histrionic
Huntington’s Disease
Hypertension
Hypoglycemia
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Interstitial Cystitis
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Kidney Disease
Lactose Intolerance
Latex Allergies
Learning Disabilities
Little Person
Liver Diseases
Lung Disease
Lupus
Lyme Disease
Marian Syndrome
Mental Health Impairments
Metabolic Syndrome
Migraine Headaches
Multiple Sclerosis
Muscular Dystrophy
Obesity
Obsessive-Compulsive
Panic Disorder
Paranoid
Paraplegia
Parkinson’s Disease
Personality Disorders
Phobias (heights, dark, etc.)
Photosensitivity
Post-Polio Syndrome
PTSD
Pregnancy
Primary Immunodeficiency
Psychiatric Disabilities
Quadriplegia
Raynaud’s Phenomenon
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)
Renal Disease
Repetitive stress injuries
Respiratory Disorders
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sarcoidosis
Schizophrenia
Scleroderma
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Shingles
Sickle Cell Disease
Skin Disorders
Sleep Disorders
Somatosensory Deficit
Speech-Language Impairments
Spina Bifida
Spinal Cord Injury
Stress
Stroke
Stuttering
Thyroid Disorders
Tourette Syndrome
Traumatic Brain Injury
Ulcerative Colitis
Vertigo
Vision Impairments
There are corresponding accommodations available for every item listed above. Please visit askjan.org to learn more.
Disability Conversation Guide
- Refer to a person’s disability only when it is related to what you are talking about. For example, don’t ask, “What’s wrong with you?” Don’t refer to people in general or generic terms such as “the girl in the wheelchair.”
- When talking about places with accommodations for people with disabilities, use the term“accessible” rather than “disabled” or“handicapped.” For example, refer to an “accessible” parking space rather than a “disabled” or “handicapped” parking space or “an accessible bathroom stall” rather than “a handicapped bathroom stall.”
- Use the term “disability,” and take the following terms out of your vocabulary when talking about or talking to people with disabilities. Don’t use the terms “handicapped,” “differently abled,” “cripple,” “crippled,” “victim,”“retarded,” “stricken,” “poor,”“unfortunate,” or “special needs.”
- Just because someone has a disability, it doesn’t mean he/she is “courageous,” “brave,” “special,” or “superhuman.” People with disabilities are the same as everyone else. It is not unusual for someone with a disability to have talents, skills, and abilities.
- It is okay to use words or phrases such as “disabled,” “disability,” or “people with disabilities” when talking about disability issues. Ask the people you are with which term they prefer if they have a disability.
- When talking about people without disabilities, it is okay to say “people without disabilities.” But do not refer to them as “normal” or “healthy.” These terms can make people with disabilities feel as though there is something wrong with them and that they are “abnormal.”