ableist language

[ ey-buhl-ist lang-gwij ]

noun

1. words and phrases that devalue disabled people by using disability language or historical descriptions of disabilities as an insult:

   You can make many small changes to minimize ableist language in your vocabulary, like saying a trend is “uncool” rather than calling it “lame.”

2. language that treats disability as something to be pitied or disabled people as inspirational when overcoming a disability:

   Ableist language frames people who have a disability as “afflicted with” or “suffering from” it, but they are simply people “with” a condition or illness that nondisabled people don’t have.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ableist language¹

First recorded in 1990–95