Inclusive Language Matters

How USAID promotes the use of empowering language and respectful representation of persons with disabilities as a critical component of inclusive development

Prisca, 28, lives in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, with her family. When she was very young, an improperly administered injection affected the functioning of her right leg. Some years later, as a result of an accident, her leg was further injured. But, that didn’t stop her from studying. “My family provided education opportunities and always supported my projects. It wasn’t always easy, especially climbing stairs to my classroom and the way other students often made me feel quite discouraged, but I decided I would one day become a doctor and was determined to do whatever it took to achieve my goal. In the DRC, there is a saying that goes, ‘If life sends you down, it’s up to you whether to get up or not.’ I’ve made this saying my personal motto. As a result of pursuing my goal, I was admitted to the Orthotics Technician Training organized by Handicap International through USAID’s Training, Economic Empowerment, Assistive Technology and Medical and Physical Rehabilitation (TEAM) project. Additionally, I received a quality orthosis and I can really see the difference. In the future, I will be able to do the same for other people and I am very proud of that. In this way, I hope to make a contribution to the development of my country and show what women with disabilities are capable of.” / © Rosalie Colfs/HI

In honor of our 60th Anniversary this year, USAID reflects on the themes of diversity and inclusion as enduring tenets that guide our work around the world.

USAID communicators Brianna Beiler and Sandy Jenkins sat down with Katherine Guernsey, USAID’s Agency Disability Rights Coordinator, to discuss the importance of disability-inclusive language, and the Agency’s approach to upholding the principles of respect, empowerment, and inclusion in our communications as an organization.

Why is the use of disability-inclusive language in USAID communications so important?

As one of the first bilateral development agencies to adopt a formal policy on disability-inclusive development, USAID has a long-standing commitment to supporting the empowerment of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations. That commitment endures, and is reflected in our continued aim to support development assistance that not only recognizes and respects persons with disabilities as beneficiaries on an equal basis with others, but as true partners in the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects that impact the lives of the world’s one billion persons with disabilities.

Left: Two Leaders Advancing Democracy (LEAD) Mongolia Fellows participate in the 2017 Hope and Possibility Marathon in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The marathon was sponsored by Achilles Mongolia, an NGO that supports people with disabilities. During its five-year implementation period, the USAID-funded LEAD program trained and supported 246 young Mongolian professionals to be the next generation of democracy advocates. Center: A teacher in Bokhtar, Tajikistan, uses USAID-donated braille books and books with large print to help her students learn to read. The Read with Me project improves the reading skills of primary grade students in targeted schools throughout Tajikistan by increasing the availability of quality reading materials; providing in-service training for teachers; creating innovations and partnerships that support literacy outcomes; and increasing government support for reading. Right: A man practices voting in a mock election in Nepal. USAID funds the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) along with the Nepal Disabled Women Association and the National Federation of the Disabled Nepal to support political access and inclusion of people with disabilities in political processes. IFES has also trained disabled persons organizations on how to conduct election access observations across the country, which resulted in concrete recommendations to the election commission. / World Learning Mongolia; USAID Read with Me Project in Tajikistan; International Foundation for Electoral Systems

We know we have farther to go, and that upholding that commitment requires us to learn from our local partners with humility; continuously re-evaluate our work; and ensure that our colleagues and implementing partners have the knowledge, skills, and capacity to effect these interventions, measure impact, and adapt as necessary.

At the same time, we also know that how we talk with the communities we support, and how we talk about the work we support, has a significant role to play. We cannot be effective allies in combatting disability stigma and discrimination if we use language and framings that perpetuate or fail to challenge stereotypes.

What does work? Creating space where persons with disabilities have the opportunity to tell their own truth in their own voices.

We do acknowledge that some people may feel uncomfortable even broaching conversations with disability rights advocates for fear of saying the wrong thing. We are trying to address all of these issues in our approach to communications at USAID.

How has language changed over time?

As societies change, language necessarily shifts and evolves, and this has been just as true in the disability context as for other historically marginalized and underrepresented groups. Discrimination has a habit of pursuing language, so that even terms originally adopted to avoid the use of derogatory phrases, can themselves become taboo over time.

At the same time, some disability rights advocates have sought to reclaim language, with the “Mad Pride” movement, “#Crip the Vote” campaign, and other such initiatives being notable examples of the phenomenon of an oppressed group seeking to reappropriate and repurpose language to its own ends.

There have also been increasing efforts to find ways to acknowledge the often heightened risks experienced by persons with disabilities in humanitarian emergencies and other contexts, whilst avoiding framings that may imply that vulnerability is an inherent quality of persons with disabilities — it isn’t. As noted by renowned disability rights advocate Baroness Jane Campbell in an interview about the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons with disabilities, “I mean we are not vulnerable people. We are in vulnerable situations. I absolutely hate the word ‘vulnerable person.’ Because I’m anything but.”

Left: In the 2018 Tolerance Cup Championship, which was organized by USAID, youth from the USAID Promoting Integration, Tolerance and Awareness (PITA) Youth Center in Gori, Georgia, and the local Gori amputee soccer team played a soccer match to celebrate diversity, inclusion, and equality. Through the PITA Program, USAID partnered with the Government of Georgia and civil society organizations to ensure that all Georgians, regardless of background, have opportunities to contribute to and benefit from the country’s overall development. Right: Members of Fight for Right, a Ukrainian disabled person’s organization focused on the rights of women and young people with disabilities, participated in the 2020 International Women’s Day march in Kyiv. The focus of the march was to encourage the Parliament to ratify the Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. / Maka Japaridze, USAID/Caucasus Mission; Andriy Pavlenko for International Foundation for Electoral Systems

Referring to persons with disabilities as being “in vulnerable situations,” rather than a “vulnerable group,” is one example of efforts to avoid undercutting the power and agency of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes and other contexts, and to focus attention on addressing the societal barriers that create those situations of vulnerability.

Of course who is using language is as important as the language used. The disability community is not a monolith, and it includes individuals whose identities intersect with every other group in society.

What approach is USAID taking?

With respect to specific terminology, our starting point is the language reflected in relevant international standards, such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sustainable Development Goals, which were developed with unprecedented engagement by the international disability rights community.

Acknowledging that language preferences amongst persons with disabilities are not universal, and that we will need to adapt as language continues to evolve, we have prepared a Disability Communications TIPS resource to help USAID staff and implementing partners promote empowering and respectful representation of persons with disabilities in USAID communications materials.

Left: Abigail, 11, lives in El Salvador with her mother, Mirna, and her little sister, Aceli. Abigail received a specialized pediatric wheelchair that had been fitted for her specific physical needs by a trained physiotherapist and wheelchair technician from the USAID-funded Consolidating Logistics for Assistive Technology Supply and Provision (CLASP) program. The custom-fitted wheelchair will support Abigail to grow safely and follow her dreams. Center: Using technology, especially videos, can be very helpful to support teaching and learning for deaf students. This allows them to learn new vocabulary and see fluent Cambodian Sign Language modeled by Deaf adults. During bridge classes, students learned Cambodian Sign Language with the assistance of volunteers using tablets with Cambodian Sign Language video stories. Right: Simon, a shoemaker, is a beneficiary of a project that aims to enable persons with disabilities living in Kinshasa and Kananga, Democratic Republic of Congo, achieve and maintain their independence and participate in all aspects of life. / Momentum Wheels for Humanity; Chheng Sambo, RTI International; USAID

The TIPS resource encourages the development of communications in accessible formats that are inclusive of persons with disabilities in all their diversity — whether those communications products are disability-focused or not.

We encourage colleagues and others to work with local disability rights advocates to understand what is appropriately empowering language in those contexts. Consistent with broader commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, we also hope that colleagues will exercise allyship by supporting persons with disabilities as the authentic authors of the stories that are rightly theirs to tell.

About the Expert

Katherine Guernsey is USAID’s Agency Disability Rights Coordinator. Located in the Inclusive Development Hub, Bureau for Democracy, Development, and Innovation, she is responsible for advising the Agency on disability inclusion at both the program and policy levels, and manages the Agency’s Disability Program Fund.