Stop Calling People “Impaired”

Google “impair,” and we get: “weaken or damage something (especially a human faculty or function).” I am not advocating for removing emotionally-destructive barbarous words from the vocabulary entirely, but really, summon every ounce of ethics and morality within yourself and ask — is this how we want to describe people? The “damaged” ones?

As a person with a disability, every time I hear terms like “visually impaired,” “hearing impaired,” or “motor impaired,” I am reminded of how much this society still operates under the dichotomy of people who are “normal” and those who are “broken.” The word… just… hits you, you know? Like yeah, you’re one of those people. The “unfortunate” ones. The ones historically excluded from being fully part of our society.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) deplored using the term “visually impaired” to describe blind and low-vision folks in their 1993’s convention resolution. That was 29 years ago. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) mentions “hearing impaired” as an unacceptable term in their FAQ section. And yet these terms continue to be prevalent in academic publications, even those published at top-tier venues. And in the mission statements of organizations. And basically, everywhere.

The disability community has been speaking up. But are we listening?