What’s In A Label? In Special Ed, Words Matter

Reporting on disability can be akin to walking through a minefield, carefully avoiding certain terms but inadvertently using others that backfire. As part of a running segment on special education, NPR’s Steve Drummond spoke with NCDJ director Kristin Gilger about how journalists should refer to students with disabilities and to the disabilities themselves. Gilger referenced the NCDJ’s style guide, which gives recommendations but also admits that there’s little uniform terminology when referencing people with disabilities. Gilger said, “our advice to journalists it to ask the person you’re interviewing.”

The NCDJ style guide is currently undergoing an update. We hope to have it up by the end of this year. Read more.