AAACN Inclusive Publication Guidelines

Category

Don't Use

Use Instead

Ability and Disability

Every person is a whole person, and
regardless of their condition, that
doesn’t impact their interaction with
the world. Use factual information and
avoid making assumptions about the
impact of the condition.

• Disabled
• Handicapped
• Afflicted with
• Confined to
• Bed bound
• Crazy
• Dumb
• Lame
• “Blind spot”
• “Stands for”
• “Stand up to”

• Has “condition”
• Has below the knee amputation
• Mobilizes with wheelchair/other device
• Diagnosed with schizophrenia

Age

Anything presenting age should be
numbers and fact- based. Avoid using
anything age-related, unless relevant
to the information being presented.

• Can’t teach an old dog new tricks
• So easy your grandma could do it
• Looks good for age
• Mature for age

• People aged 13-26 stated…
• Recommended for ages 0-2 years
• Those over 65 years old…

Gender

Gender-fair terminology should be
used to avoid inferring a binary
gender.

• He/she
• Him/hers
• Feminine
• Masculine
• “You guys/girls/ladies/ men”

• They/them (singular or plural)
• People
• Group

Sexuality

Provide an open and inclusive
environment for people to feel
comfortable in their sexuality and
sexual relationships. Never assume
sexuality, sexual partners, or family
relationships of people who are
together.

• Husband/wife
• Mother/father
• Assumption of hetero or homosexuality
• Related to current partner

• Partner
• Parent
• Sexual partners

Nationality

Want to provide an open forum for
people to provide their own
nationality as they define it.

• Citizen/alien
• Illegal/legal immigrant
• Mobilizes with wheelchair/other device
• American/American public

• People
• The public
• Population
• Group of people/patients

Race/ Ethnicity

Allow people to define their own
race/ethnicity as they identify. Avoid
assumptions or stereotypes.

• Religious groups
• (Muslim, Islam, Hindi, etc.)
• Skin colors

• Arabic, Middle Eastern, North African, etc.

Appearance

Avoid stigmatizing terminology that
shames or disconnects from the
population.

• Fat
• Midget
• Giant
• Skin and bones
• Disheveled/disgusting/malodorous

• People with obesity
• People of short stature
• People of tall stature
• People with anorexia/bulimia/thyroid condition, etc.
• People with poor hygiene or people with excessive secretions

Classism/Social Status

Avoid defining others by their use of
language or their educational status.

• Sounds smart or classy
• Sounds stupid or slow
• Appears poor/impoverished
• Unable to understand
• Doesn’t speak English
• Low class
• High class

• Speaks or writes at a higher educational level
• Speaks or writes at a lower educational level
• Define the characteristic (hygiene, torn clothing, no shoes, lack of resources/without a home)
• Has a lower literacy level, has low health literacy, requires a lower level of written/spoken material
• English is not primary languag

Empowerment

Avoid using terminology that
contributes to disempowering
communities or people.

• Marginalized
• Minority
• Disenfranchised

• Communities/people who have been marginalized
• Define the percentage of the population related to specific population
• Communities where resources have been taken, communities with less access to services, etc.