Rights-based terminology

The terms used to address or refer to persons with disabilities can diminish or empower them. Below are some key terms tobe aware of:

Vulnerable/vulnerability. Persons with disabilities are not inherently vulnerable. Rather, vulnerability is imposed on them, including by barriersand lack of support. Rights-based language usually uses vulnerability with a qualifier. For example, ‘girls with disabilitiesare more vulnerable to sexual violence when they are separated from family members and caregivers’ or ‘boys with disabilitiesare more vulnerable to bullying than boys without disabilities’.

Carer/caregiver. A carer or caregiver is commonly defined as a person (a family member or paid helper) who regularly looks after a child,a sick person, an older person, or a person with a disability. Rightsbased actors tend to prefer the term ‘support’, ratherthan ‘care’, when speaking of adults with disabilities (for example, personal assistance, peer support, support person).

Specific needs. Human needs (for food, shelter, health services, etc.) are universal. Persons with disabilities share those needs with allother human beings. Persons with disabilities may require action to meet needs that are specific to them (accessibility, communication,personal assistance, etc.). Rightsbased actors usually replace the term ‘specific needs’ with the term ‘specific requirements’,because this places the emphasis on realizing their rights.

Additional considerations on terminology: