People’s preferences for how they identify vary greatly, and some choose to reject labels altogether, so there isn’t one way of identifying people with disabilities on which everyone agrees. Still, most prefer to be recognized first as a person, not defined primarily by their disability.
Sometimes people without disabilities may default to feeling badly for people with disabilities; however, many people with disabilities do not feel badly for themselves and do not think of their disability as inherently bad, and many consider the uniqueness of their disability to be a strength. Most people don’t feel they have a lower quality of life because of a disability, or that they’re necessarily brave or heroic for living with a disability.
The inaccessibility of physical and digital spaces can make tasks difficult or impossible for some people to complete independently, including with any assistive technology they may use (like wheelchairs or screen readers). Still, accessibility shouldn’t be written about in a way that implies people with disabilities are being helped, provided for, or taken care of because of it; instead, accessibility in many areas should be expected as a right.
There are so many types of disabilities, they can vary in permanence and severity, and they impact everyone differently. So, it’s important not to generalize or make assumptions about how people feel, what they do, or how they do it. Unless a statement is always true, it should be softened or qualified. Accuracy in all writing is important, but because of the sensitivity of writing about specific groups of people, including groups of people who have been marginalized and misunderstood historically, it is perhaps even more important in this context.
Our mission is to create objective and trustworthy information and resources to become a catalyst for equal access to the physical and digital worlds.
Business owners and others who need or want to learn about accessibility, reasonable accommodations, legal requirements regarding accessibility or disability rights, and how to meet related expectations are our primary audience.
Anyone may find interest and value in our content.
Complete accuracy of information is more important than anything else.
All writers know that anything published should be accurate. Considering that the subject matter will often be legal, sensitive, or both, 100% accuracy is the bare-minimum expectation.
If there can be instances in which what is being presented may not always be true, please use conditional words like "may" or "could." If there is doubt to the accuracy of information presented or reliability of sources, please share that information with the editorial team.
Writing about disability and people with disabilities requires inherent sensitivity to and respect for the individual differences that make us collectively human.
For specific examples of our expectations when writing about accessibility and disability, please review the Do and Don't List.
Strive to create content that is:
Some of the topics may create strong personal opinion or call to mind personal or anecdotal references. If you have personal points to include that would strengthen the purpose of the content for the reader, please bring that information to the editorial team for discussion. Unless previously discussed or specifically assigned as such, most content should remain factual, free of personal bias, and free of personal reference.
As the writer, you have discretion to present information in the way that will best serve the purpose of the piece. To improve readability, accessibility, and SEO, consider:
Elements like tables, graphics, or other visuals have special accessibility considerations. If you plan to incorporate content types other than text, please discuss it with the editorial team first.