Wikipedia:WikiProject Disability/Style advice

This is an essay on style. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more WikiProjects on how to format and present article content within their area of interest. This information is not a formal Wikipedia policy or guideline, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community.

This page in a nutshell: Refer to disabilities using language that does not imply judgment. A person's disability may not be notable, even if the person is notable. Give due weight to both the medical model and the social model. Avoid in-group slang. Use plain English. Use people-first language in most cases, but there are exceptions. Make a distinction between disability and impairment. Avoid deprecated, offensive words. Never expose a person's unknown invisible disability.

This style guide is intended as advice for Wikipedia editors writing about subjects involving disability and related topics. People with disabilities are a diverse set of people; there are therefore many different facets and perspectives to consider.

As members of a minority group, disabled people are subject to discrimination. This often takes the form of language, via general attitudes as well as specific word usage. This style guide explores respectful language, the use of which helps to maintain a neutral point of view. Although Wikipedia:Avoiding harm is not an official policy of Wikipedia, many forms of harmful language are also factually inaccurate.

When writing about a person who has a disability, first consider whether their impairment is actually relevant to their notability. If it is not, it may be best not to mention the disability at all, since mentioning it would give it undue weight. If the disability is significant and discussing it is necessary to fully understand the significance of the subject, or you are writing about a topic directly related to disability, please read on.