Additional Terms

Disability Confidence – The concept of disability confidence encourages employers to be fully confident – going beyond compliance and legal requirements – in all areas pertaining to disability to enhance accessibility and inclusivity. Disability confidence is a thoughtful approach that encourages businesses to make progress on their disability inclusive journey.

Intersectionality – The interconnected nature of social categories including, but not limited to: disability, race, gender, sex, class, sexual orientation which overlap and create interconnected experiences of disadvantage.

I would say the best English term to describe us is not “special needs” or “differently abled” − it is disabled. We should say that loudly and proudly, because there is no shame in it. My needs are nothing special. Everyone has different needs. The idea is that the more we proudly use the word disabled, the less shame and fear there is attached to it. – Maysoon Zayid

*Please note that in Canada, “person with a disability” may be more widely accepted than “disabled” at the time of writing this guide.