Editing Disability (section)

=== Identity-first language ===
Identity-first language describes the person as "disabled". Some people prefer this and argue that this fits the social model of disability better than people-first language, as it emphasizes that the person is disabled not by their body, but by a world that does not accommodate them.<ref name=":12">{{cite journal |last1=Dunn |first1=D. S. |last2=Andrews |first2=E. E. |year=2015 |title=Person-first and identity-first language: Developing psychologists' cultural competence using disability language |journal=The American Psychologist |volume=70 |issue=3 |pages=255–64 |doi=10.1037/a0038636 |pmid=25642702}}</ref>

This is especially true in the UK, where it is argued under the [[Social model of disability|social model]] that while someone's impairment (for example, having a [[spinal cord injury]]) is an individual property, "disability" is something created by external societal factors such as a lack of accessibility.<ref>Davis, Ken. (January 3, 2009]. [http://www.gcil.org.uk/FileAccess.aspx?id=59 The Social Model of Disability] Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103084307/http://www.gcil.org.uk/FileAccess.aspx?id=59|date=January 3, 2009}}</ref> This distinction between the individual property of impairment and the social property of disability is central to the [[Social model of disability|social model]]. The term "disabled people" as a political construction is also widely used by international organizations of disabled people, such as [[Disabled Peoples' International]].

Using the identity-first language also parallels how people talk about other aspects of identity and diversity. For example:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haller |first=Beth |title=Journalists should learn to carefully traverse a variety of disability terminology {{!}} National Center on Disability and Journalism |url=https://ncdj.org/2016/01/journalists-should-learn-to-carefully-traverse-a-variety-of-disability-terminology/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324053851/http://ncdj.org/2016/01/journalists-should-learn-to-carefully-traverse-a-variety-of-disability-terminology/ |archive-date=March 24, 2016 |access-date=April 27, 2019 |location=Arizona State University |language=en-US |department=Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication}}</ref>

{{blockquote|In the autism community, many self-advocates and their allies prefer terminology such as 'Autistic,' 'Autistic person,' or 'Autistic individual' because we understand autism as an inherent part of an individual's identity – the same way one refers to 'Muslims,' 'African-Americans,' 'Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer,' 'Chinese,' 'gifted,' 'athletic,' or 'Jewish.'}}

Similarly, [[Deaf culture|Deaf communities]] in the US reject people-first language in favor of identity-first language.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lum |first1=Doman |title=Culturally Competent Practice: A Framework for Understanding |date=2010 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-0-8400-3443-4 |page=441 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aMqGhHCxXUYC&pg=PA441 }}</ref>

In 2021, the US [[Association on Higher Education and Disability]] (AHEAD) announced their decision to use identity-first language in their materials, explaining:
"Identity-first language challenges negative connotations by claiming disability directly. Identity-first language references the variety that exists in how our bodies and brains work with a myriad of conditions that exist, and the role of inaccessible or oppressive systems, structures, or environments in making someone disabled."<ref>{{Cite web |title=AHEAD Statement on Language {{!}} Association on Higher Education and Disability |url=https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/accommodations/statement-on-language |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209172026/https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/accommodations/statement-on-language |archive-date=February 9, 2021 |access-date=February 9, 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref>