We recognize that language has profound political power and material consequences in people’s everyday lives. We also understand that language and its impacts change in different times and spaces.
We listen to and respect discussions within the disability and other marginalized communities regarding the benefits and impacts of person-first, identity-first, and political/relational language choices. We honor individual preferences and work with communities to select the most representative and justice-oriented language for each context. We also rely on trusted language justice activists and sources, including the National Center on Disability and Journalism and APA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Inclusive Language guidelines, which distinguish between individual qualities and systemic inequities. When speaking demographically, we currently use the terms disabled people, Latinx, and marginalized or equity-deserving, and capitalize Black and lowercase white.
Share Your Thoughts
Please share your thoughts or questions about our language choices with us at [click-for-email] or 215-204-7177.
Language Access
If you require information or resources in another language, please email [click-for-email] or call 215-204-1356.
To ensure accessibility, research findings are published as academic journal articles as well as plain language reports and videos on relevant project pages.
Spanish Language Outreach
As a member of the Office of Developmental Programs' Information Sharing Advisory Committee (ISAC) Racial Equity Subcommittee, the Institute on Disabilities collaborated on the design of a Spanish-language survey and resources to collect data on service disparities experienced by racially and ethnically marginalized communities.
Supported by Philly Counts, the Institute on Disabilities designed Spanish-language resources to increase Census participation among the historically undercounted Latinx and disability communities as well as provide crucial information about COVID-19.
