When I was a technical writer, questions came up all the time about how to write about people

with medical conditions.

So today, guest writer Bonnie Trango will educate us.

When tackling how to refer to people who have disabilities or who suffer from illnesses,

the bottom line is that we need to be sensitive to the feelings of others.

I'm glad to report that times have changed.

It's no longer acceptable to say a sentence such as, hey, I saw a deaf and dumb cripple

today.

That would be extremely offensive.

Here's a list of words you need to wipe from your vocabulary, unless you're writing

a character who likes to be offensive, crippled, mute, deaf, mute, and deaf and dumb.

On the other end of the spectrum, some people have been too eager to create euphemisms

for diseases or conditions in an effort to make such conditions seem less of a big

deal.

But euphemisms such as differently abled and handy-capable are now considered condescending.

There's no reason to try to be too nice about it.

So how do people who can't walk or people who can't hear wish to be referred to?

The preferred terms to use these days are disability and disabled.

These words have replaced handicap and handicapped.

It's no longer okay to call someone handicapped, but it is acceptable to use handicapped in common

phrases such as handicapped parking.

I guess those are grandfathered in.

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