Related resources

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• New work
• Assistive devices and technologies
• Writing for accessibility
• Fonts and typefaces
• Formatting tables
• Podcasts
• Videos
• Emails
• Infographics
• Posters
• Emoji and emoticons
• Hashtags
• Keyboard accessibility
• Markup languages and Accessible Rich Internen Applications (ARIA) attributes
• Auditing and Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)

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Call Me Latine. https://callmelatine.wordpress.com/.

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Wang, Hansi Lo. “1 In 7 People Are 'Some Other Race' on the U.S. Census. That's a Big Data Problem.” NPR, Sept. 30, 2021.

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Note: This section is undergoing revision to better align with recent updates and expansions to the Inclusivity Style Guide.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Ethical Photography and Videography.” Global Public Health Equity Guiding Principles for Communication. Last reviewed Aug. 8, 2022.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Guiding Principles for Visual Products.” Global Public Health Equity Guiding Principles for Communication. Last reviewed Aug. 8, 2022.

Warrington, Siobhan, and Wouter Fransen. Ethical Content Guidelines: Upholding the Rights of the People in the Pictures in Content Gathering, Management and Use. Oxfam International, January 2020.

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Communicators should be aware of and avoid outdated and offensive terms to refer to LGBTQ+ people. For example, the terms “homosexual,” “transvestite,” and “hermaphrodite” are considered obsolete or offensive.

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Also be aware of outdated or offensive terms. Consult a glossary to ensure you are using the most respectful and accurate terminology.

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Inclusive language, also referred to as conscious, equity, or bias-free language, is language that avoids excluding or alienating people because of race, gender identity, disability, education level, socioeconomic status, or any other factor.

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Please note that the guide will include examples of harmful terms, frames, and narratives. We do this to make everyone aware of what to avoid, but we recognize that these terms can be upsetting. Please engage with the content in a way that prioritizes your self-care.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication. Last modified Aug. 2, 2022.

Frey, Tracy, and Roxanne K. Young. “Inclusive Language.” Section 11.12 in AMA Manual of Style, 11th ed., edited by AMA Manual of Style Committee. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020.

Kapitan, Alex. “The Power of Everyday Language to Cause Harm.” Radical Copyeditor (blog). Feb. 23, 2022.

Nee, Julia, and Genevieve Macfarlane Smith. Understanding Inclusive Language: A Framework. Center for Equity, Gender, and Leadership, University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business.

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One way that labels appear is with “the” plus an adjective, as in “the poor.” Another form of label is a plural adjective, as in “diabetics.”

A third way that labels appear is in the use of abbreviations for people. In the book The Power of Talk: How Words Change Our Lives, professors Felecia Briscoe, Gilberto Arriaza, and Rosemary C. Henze argue that abbreviations for people add abstraction and distance between communicator and subject and turn people into objects. “The abstraction achieved through using acronyms both normalizes and seems to simplify a complex issue,” they write. Similarly, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Global Public Health Equity Guiding Principles for Communication says, “Referring to people only as acronyms can be dehumanizing in that ‘IDPs’ or ‘MARPs’ or ‘PLHIV’ become viewed as objects instead of people.” Another problem with abbreviations is that they can homogenize a diverse group. For example, the acronym “AAPI” “seeks to include and represent an outsized group of people hailing from or having roots in the largest continent on Earth, a region that includes nearly 50 countries,” reporter Yi-Jin Yu says in a 2021 Today article. See also “BIPOC, BAME, and POC” and “Be appropriately specific.”

In addition, Oxfam’s Inclusive Language Guide points out that the abbreviation “VAWG” for “violence against women and girls” is problematic “because reducing the problem to an acronym can be considered to be trivializing a serious and traumatic issue.”

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Also, whenever possible, spell out terms for groups of people instead of using abbreviations.

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Many terms in English were made from a Europe- or US-centric viewpoint, such as “Near East,” “Middle East,” and “Far East.” In addition to the actual words used, the format of the words can indicate the communicator's viewpoint.

Many style books for English communicators recommend italicizing words that are not in an English-language dictionary so that readers don't think the words are typos. But for a couple of decades, some fiction authors have intentionally ignored that guidance, saying that italicizing non-English words can ostracize cultures by designating some words but not others as foreign. In a 2018 article in Quartz, writer Thu-Huong Ha says some authors think italicization doesn’t aid reader understanding much, can alienate readers who speak the other language, or can distance the author from those readers, whom the author often identifies with. Some authors say italics don’t reflect how people talk.

More recently, food writers have questioned whether to italicize non-English terms in articles and recipes. In 2020, the Los Angeles Times Food team decided to stop italicizing non-English food names, in part because that special formatting seemed to exoticize other cultures rather than aid comprehension and because much of its readership speaks languages other than English.

Yet other writers say italicizing makes English-speaking readers aware of other languages. In a 2012 survey of fiction authors in the literary journal Ploughshares, Ru Freeman says, “I choose to italicize the Sinhala words in my writing precisely because I want to draw attention to them. . . . I have chosen to write in the English language, thereby addressing a primarily English-speaking audience, one less familiar or entirely unfamiliar with Sinhala.”

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When considering whether to italicize a non-English word, ask, Are you italicizing any other words in your text, and why? Who is your audience? Would that audience be confused if a term weren’t italicized? If you do not suspect there would be confusion, omit the italics. If the term seems uncommon in English and you think your audience won’t recognize it, consider briefly defining it in the text rather than italicizing it. See also “Recognize frames and narratives that uphold inequities," “Avoid problematic frames and narratives,” and “Consider what information to include.”

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Use:
autistic children (also see “People-first language and identity-first language”)

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Most guides recommend being as concise as possible, as overly long alt text may burden users.

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Health and fitness professional, researcher, and fat activist Ragen Chastain offers several guides on how to evaluate weight science and spot organizations that purport to help higher-weight people but actually promote antifat beliefs.

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Age Scotland. Making Ageism Old News: Reporting on Older People Guide. Edinburgh: Age Scotland, 2020.

Centre for Ageing Better. Challenging Ageism: A Guide to Talking about Ageing and Older Age. Centre for Ageing Better, 2021.

Changing the Narrative. Guidelines for Age-Inclusive Communication. 2022.

Reframing Aging Initiative. Communication Best Practices: Reframing Aging Initiative Guide to Telling a More Complete Story of Aging. 2022.

Senz, Kristen. “6 Tips for Improving News Coverage of Older People.” The Journalist’s Resource, Nov. 15, 2022.

Sweetland, Julie, Andrew Volmert, and Moira O’Neil. Finding the Frame: An Empirical Approach to Reframing Aging and Ageism. Washington, DC: FrameWorks Institute, 2017.

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Abrahams, Jessica. “Is It Time to Retire the Term ‘Developing Country’?” Prospect, Dec. 5, 2019.

Whelan, Kerri. “Did You Know: Saying ‘Developing Countries’ Is More Controversial Than You Think.” Insights (blog). Plan International, Feb. 9, 2021.

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Comm/Unity. Reporting at the Intersection of Immigration, Policing, and Incarceration. 3rd ed. March 2022.

Comm/Unity. Language for Liberation: A Playbook for Inclusive Immigration Messaging. 2019.

JAMA Network. “Inclusive Language for Reporting Demographic and Clinical Characteristics.”

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Sometimes culturally appropriated words are terms of religious reverence in other cultures, such as “guru,” or they corrupt or mock important traditions or beliefs when used casually in English, such as “powwow,” “spirit animal,” and phrases like “low on the totem pole” (which is also inaccurate when intended to mean "low seniority"). As Erin Magner explains in an April 2022 Well+Good article, "Even though 'spirit animal’ isn't a term widely used in Indigenous cultures—if at all—it takes the concept of their sacred connection with and reverence for nature and twists it into a catchphrase and a commodity. This makes it a damaging form of cultural appropriation."

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Cultural appropriation and misinterpretation in language

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The English language borrows words or concepts from other cultures constantly, and this practice can enrich the language when it respects the original intent and context of the word and when the borrowing culture respects the originating one. This practice becomes cultural appropriation when people in a socially dominant group use borrowed words or concepts in a way that doesn’t respect the culture they're taken from.

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When deciding whether to use words borrowed from another language or associated with another culture, consider whether the word holds cultural significance in its original language or derives from an important tradition or belief.

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Wise, Hannah. Disability Matters: A Toolkit for Newsrooms to Better Serve the Disability Community. Last modified Sept. 22, 2022.

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Use: “It’s a problem so complex, so fraught with stigma and treatment complications, that innovation has crept forward slowly even as a crisis escalates: suicide prevention” (Stat, July 27, 2022).
Avoid: limped along slowly

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In contrast to the use of disability-related terms for negative things, many metaphors for positive things refer to physical abilities, such as the ability to see (“eye opening”), stand (“stand up for what you believe in”), or hear (“make our voices heard”). These phrases may imply that a lack of these abilities is bad. The combination of such terms may accumulate to enforce a view that nondisabled people are inherently better. Writer and disability rights advocate Amanda Leduc says in a 2021 Toronto Star article, “Nothing is ever just something that people say—the words we use all have power, and ableist language is powerful precisely because it hides its harm beneath a veneer of innocuous mundanity, behind the smokescreen of it’s just a figure of speech.” She also warns against “putting the power of metaphor above the power of harm.”  

On the other hand, organizations advocating for blind people have recommended not avoiding using “see” neutrally. The American Foundation for the Blind’s “Resources for Reporters Writing about Blindness and Vision Loss” says, “It is perfectly fine to use ‘visual’ words and phrases in conversation, e.g. ‘Nice to see you,’ ‘See you later.’” Similarly, the Courtesy Rules of Blindness from the US-based National Federation of the Blind says, “It’s ok to still use words such as see and look. I will talk with you like everyone else, although I may not be able to make direct eye contact.”

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When considering whether to use positive metaphors based on physical abilities, consider whether the metaphor is the most apt for the situation and whether there is an alternative that does not equate physical ability with success. While it’s not necessary to avoid every physical ability–based metaphor, avoid defaulting to using physical terms for positive things. Instead, consider your content’s purpose, audience, and context. Using words like “see” neutrally, as in “see page 5,” is generally acceptable, but respect the wishes of any disabled people who ask you to use other terms (such as “refer to page 5”).

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Use: “It is important that we gain an understanding of how and when to use certain tactics to address our oppressors, but also to address each other” (National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance Community Voices Blog, May 31, 2021).
Avoid: open our eyes to how and when

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If you cannot determine someone’s preference, generally use the language that most people with the condition prefer. For example, consult official organizations that represent and are led by people with a condition. Be aware that some organizations purporting to represent a group of people may speak for only a subset of a group. If you can’t determine a preference, use people-first language by saying "people with [condition]."

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People-first language, also called person-first language, puts the person first, with wording like “person with” (e.g., “person with autism”), while identity-first language puts the condition first (e.g., “autistic person”).

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Similarly, people who identify as part of Deaf-Blind or DeafBlind culture capitalize “D” and “B.” Some people and organizations use a hyphen in the term. Others, including most organizations outside the US, omit the hyphen as a way to signal that deafblindness is more than the sum of vision loss and hearing loss.

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Similarly, capitalize “Deaf-Blind” or “DeafBlind” when referring to people who identify as part of the culture or community, and use the lowercase versions when referring to the general condition or people who do not identify with the culture. Ask people whether they want to use the hyphen. If it’s not possible to ask, generally omit the hyphen. See also “Ask people how they want to be described, and respect that language.”

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Because language is constantly evolving, the guide will be updated frequently. For this reason, we do not provide a downloadable option. The top tips for most topics are available as downloadable tip sheets.

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Introduction and FAQ

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Accessible Social.

Caron, Mark. “Don’t Use ‘Click Here.’ ” Medium, Aug. 4, 2017.

Evans, Meryl. “Why and How to Create Accessible Social Media and Website Content.” Feb. 2, 2021.

Kaspar, Felix, and Fabio Crameri. “Coloring Chemistry—How Mindful Color Choices Improve Chemical Communication.” Angew Chem., Int. Ed. 61 (2022): e202114910. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202114910.

Katsnelson, Alla. “Colour Me Better: Fixing Figures for Colour Blindness.” Nature 598 (2021): 224–25. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02696-z.  

Office of Disability Employment Policy, Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, and Social Media Accessibility Working Group. “Federal Social Media Accessibility Toolkit Hackpad.” Last updated Oct. 13, 2022.

Routledge. “Accessible Content in Chemistry.”

Web Accessibility in Mind. “WebAIM’s WCAG 2 Checklist.” Last modified Feb. 26, 2021.

World Wide Web Consortium. “How People with Disabilities Use the Web.” Web Accessibility Initiative. Last modified May 15, 2017.

World Wide Web Consortium. “Tips for Getting Started.” Web Accessibility Initiative. Last modified July 7, 2016.

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Color to convey meaning
Background:
For people with color vision deficiency (also called color blindness) and low vision, differentiating between certain colors and shades can be difficult, if not impossible. If information is conveyed by color alone, some people may not be able to access the information. For that reason, one of the success criteria of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines is “Color is not used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.” Additional ways of conveying information include text, shapes or symbols, and patterns. Conveying information in multiple ways and choosing colors differentiable by people with color vision deficiency are also important ways to ensure print products are accessible.

When color is used to convey information, such as in a heat map or fluorescent image, it is important to choose accessible palettes. For example, palettes that use a perceptually uniform scale instead of a rainbow scale are more accessible.

Recommendation:
Avoid using color as the only means of conveying information. For example, also use symbols or text to communicate the information, such as by directly labeling parts of a graphic.

When differentiating between colors in text or visual elements is important, ensure the colors can be distinguished by people with color vision deficiency. Strategies to check whether colors are appropriate include printing in grayscale and using online or downloadable tools, like Color Oracle, Coblis, or the Colorblindly extension for Chrome.

Example
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Taylor, Jessica, Daniel Ginsberg, and Aly W. Corey. “Higher Ed Data Should Be Trans Inclusive.” Inside Higher Ed, Dec. 7, 2022.

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“Queer” was once a pejorative term for gay people.

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When reporting results of a study that included only two genders, consider noting the study’s limitation.

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Use: "One study found that women were 16 times more likely than men to experience weight-based discrimination at work. (Although gender is neither binary nor fixed, the study tracked only these two identities.)" (Nature 2022, DOI: 10.1038/d41586-022-01536-y).

Avoid: women were 16 times more likely than men (By not explaining the limitations of the study, this statement could reinforce the idea that there are only two genders.)

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Briggs, Ray, and B. R. George. “Words for Every Body.” Aeon, March 26, 2019.

GLAAD. “Media Guide: Abortion as an LGBTQ Issue.” July 6, 2022.

Tordoff, Diana M., Brian Minalga, Bennie Beck Gross, Aleks Martin, Billy Caracciolo, Lindley A Barbee, Jennifer E Balkus, Christine M Khosropour. “Erasure and Health Equity Implications of Using Binary Male/Female Categories in Sexual Health Research and Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Sexually Transmitted Infection Surveillance: Recommendations for Transgender-Inclusive Data Collection and Reporting.”  Sex. Transm. Dis. 49, no. 2 (2022): e45-e49. https://doi.org/10.1097/olq.0000000000001533.

Trans Journalists Association. “TJA Best Practices for Trans-Inclusive Language in Abortion Coverage.”

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Inclusive Images.” Gateway to Health Communication. Last reviewed Aug. 2, 2022.

FrameWorks Institute and AARP. Reframing Aging through Images: Recommendations from Research. Washington, DC: FrameWorks Institute and AARP, 2022.

Shutterstock and American Society on Aging. Telling Age-Inclusive Stories. 2022.

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General
•    Humaaans: A mix-and-match tool for creating diverse images with different skin tones, hair, clothes, and disabilities (free)
•    Thenounproject.com: Icon and stock photos that celebrate diversity (free)

Age
•    Centre for Ageing Better’s photo library: Images of people over 50 (free)
•    Changing the Narrative and NextFifty Initiative’s image bank: Images of people over 50 (free)
•    Getty Images’ Disrupt Aging Collection: Photos intended to combat age stereotypes
•    Unsplash’s Reframing Aging Collection: Images of older adults (free)

Body size
•    AllGo’s plus-size stock photos: Stock photos of plus-size people (free)
•    Body Liberation Stock: Stock images of larger-bodied people

Disability
•    Disabled and Here: Photos and illustrations celebrating people of color with disabilities (free)
•    Getty Images’ Disability Collection: Images of people with disabilities
•    PUSHLiving: Stock images of people with disabilities
•    SocietyPix’s disability collection: Photos of people with disabilities (free for editorial purposes)

Gender
•    Gender Spectrum Collection: Stock photo library featuring images of trans and nonbinary models (free)
•    Getty Images’ Project #ShowUs: Stock images of women and nonbinary people

Race and ethnicity
•    Blackillustrations.com: Photo library of illustrations of Black people
•    CreateHER: Stock images featuring Black women
•    Despora: Images of South Asian people (free)
•    Diversify.photo: Photographers of color
•    Jopwell Collection: Stock photography featuring Black, Latino, and Native American professionals (free)
•    Nappy.co: High-resolution photos of Black and Brown people (free)
•    Pocstock: Stock images of people of color
•    TONL: Culturally diverse stock photos

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Characteristics to think about varying in images include race and ethnicity, skin tone, gender identity and expression, age, disability status, body size, and hair texture.

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In addition, involve a diverse group of people in the process of choosing, creating, and editing images for your content (see “Involve a diverse group of people in the creative process”).

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But use caution when choosing the organization to use as a source; avoid choosing ones that aren’t led by people they aim to serve.

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Sometimes, as when talking about groups in general rather than specific individuals, it’s not possible to ask people how they want to be described. The National Center on Disability and Journalism’s Disability Language Style Guide recommends, “If the source is not available or unable to communicate, ask a trusted family member, advocate, medical professional or relevant organization that represents people with disabilities.” But it’s essential to ensure the organization truly advocates for the people you’re writing about. The Center for Disability Rights’ Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines explains, “Just because an organization claims to represent disabled people, that does not mean disabled people are actually included.” In addition, “Just because an organization is run by disabled people does not mean that accurately represents the Disability Community, either.” A similar problem occurs in language on body size. Organizations predicated on preventing or treating “obesity,” a medicalized term for higher-weight people, advocate for person-first language using the term “obesity” or “overweight.” But fat activists oppose this wording. And studies on preferred language of higher-weight people often involve people who view their weight as a problem, so the results of the studies are not generalizable.  

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When it is necessary to discuss a large group, it is important to use language that recognizes the diversity within the group. Using the word “community” for people who aren’t personally connected but share an identity could imply that they are monolithic or like minded. For example, saying that “the Latin American community stands with the Democratic Party” hides differences in that group that greatly depend on people’s geographic location and country of origin. On the other hand, referring to a group as a community can be unifying and highlight common struggles that many group members face, like “We want to make classrooms that are accessible to the Deaf community.” In a 2015 Stanford Social Innovation Review article, David M. Chavis and Kien Lee of the equity-centered research and development firm Community Science write, “Members of a community have a sense of trust, belonging, safety, and caring for each other. They have an individual and collective sense that they can, as part of that community, influence their environments and each other.”

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Notice whether words that group people together, like “community,” erase individual differences and imply homogeneity or whether they highlight common issues faced by members of a group. Generally, it’s better to use a plural noun for large groups in which the individuals do not have personal connections to one another. See also “Recognize the diversity of Indigenous peoples.”

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Use: “Xenophobic rhetoric and scapegoating of Asian communities, including Muslim and Sikh communities, can make us more vulnerable to gun violence” (Everytown for Gun Safety, May 28, 2021).
Avoid: the Asian community can

Use: "The majority of Latino voters believe women should have the right to make their own decisions about having a[n] abortion" (NBC News, Feb. 29, 2016).
Avoid: The Latino community believes

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Involve a diverse group of people in the creative process

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American Medical Association. Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts. 2021.

Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications. Guidelines on Inclusive Language and Images in Scholarly Communication. Oct. 20, 2022.

Mac, Tatiana. Self-Defined.

Vox Media. Language, Please. 2022.

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Additionally, the use of phrases like “will be expected to juggle tasks” can be misinterpreted by not only neurodivergent candidates, such as those on the autism spectrum, but also some people who have learned English as an additional language.

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Examples of websites that focus on increasing the representation of marginalized groups in photos and illustrations include the following

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A mix-and-match tool for creating images with different skin tones, hair, clothes, and ability

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Icon and stock photos that celebrate diversity

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Editing photos to artificially show more diversity (such as by using Photoshop to include more people of color in a photo) can also be inauthentic and treat diversity like a marketing tactic instead of a true value and is not condoned by the American Chemical Society.

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In discussions of working-class and middle-class people in particular, aim to include the names of races and ethnicities beyond White to avoid perpetuating a perception that those classes are White only.

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"The problems that people associate with the “inner city” in the US

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If you use "poverty line," note which kind, because countries define country-level poverty thresholds, while the World Bank defines a global poverty line. [after "Consider including contextual details about net worth or measuring income relative to the poverty line, a benchmark that may serve as a recognizable and quantifiable standard, though it has been critiqued as a flawed and outdated measure of poverty."]

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Similarly, the term “food desert” portrays access to food as a naturally occurring situation, whereas other terms, like “food apartheid,” aim to emphasize the racial discrimination and structural barriers that cause unequal food access in US society.

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"This title will be most useful to the synthetic chemist who wishes to browse the literature for new reactions or run a quick check on the feasibility of a required transformation" (J. Nat. Prod. 2004, DOI: 10.1021/np030729w).

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Another example is the word “master,” which is often associated with slavery and has definitions based on male dominance (“a male teacher” and “the male head of a household” in Merriam-Webster). To be more inclusive, many people and organizations have moved away from the use of “master” when possible, including in real estate, sommelier titles, and academic titles.

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Ask the individual or group you’re communicating about for the most appropriate and accurate terminology to use

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Avoid words, such as “discovered” in reference to places, that ignore the history of Indigenous people

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Background: Organizations and individuals define disability differently. For example, the ADA National Network, an organization providing guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), explains, “It is important to remember that in the context of the ADA, ‘disability’ is a legal term rather than a medical one. Because it has a legal definition, the ADA’s definition of disability is different from how disability is defined under some other laws, such as for Social Security Disability related benefits.” And many people who might fall under a definition of “disability”—such as deaf people, autistic people, and people with a mental illness—may not consider themselves disabled. So when asking about whether users have a disability, it’s important to define your terms and the purpose of asking for the information. An example is Form CC-305, which is used by US federal organizations to invite job applicants to self-identify as disabled. The form starts by explaining why it is asking for self-identification and then defines what it considers to be a “disability” and lists common examples.

Recommendation: Explain the purpose of asking for disability identification—for example, is it to track progress in encouraging people with disabilities to apply for or participate in a program? Is it to help track the diversity of participants? Is it to enable the organization to offer accommodations? Then define what you mean by “disability,” and consider giving examples. If your goal is simply to ensure all users can access your program or service, ask what accommodations users need instead of asking about disability status. Ensure questions about disability do not violate any nondiscrimination laws, and tell users that providing the information is voluntary. Employers who want to ask applicants or employees about disability should contact their human resources departments for more guidance on specific wording to use.

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Providing only “man” and “woman”

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[Tip box near the question about disabilities] As with other questions, explicitly state why the data are being collected—for example, to keep track of participant diversity or progress in an organization’s ability to recruit people with disabilities. If inquiring about accommodations will meet the needs of your form, use only that question instead.

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The American Chemical Society does not discriminate on the basis of disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” For examples of disabilities, see Form CC-305.
Do you have any disabilities?
Yes
No
Prefer not to say

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The American Chemical Society does not discriminate on the basis of disability.

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Please select your gender:
Woman
Man
Nonbinary
Self-describe_____
Prefer not to say

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Ke, Mei. "An (Updated) LGBTQ+ Friendly Survey Template: A Step by Step Template, and Recommendations for Usage," Feb. 22, 2022.

Royal Society of Chemistry. "Diversity Data Collection in Scholarly Publishing." 2022.

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Betancourt, Acacia. “How to Choose Diverse and Inclusive Photos.” Forum One, 2019, revised Oct. 20, 2021.

Ma, Christine. “Picture Book Images and Unconscious Bias,” Conscious Style Guide, April 13, 2022.

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https://gspp.berkeley.edu/assets/uploads/research/pdf/Jost%2C_Rudman%2C_Blair%2C_Carney%2C_Dasgupta%2C_Claser%2C__Hardin_%282009%29.pdf on “We all have unconscious biases”

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0957926503014002277 on “biases can appear in writing”

https://www.opportunityagenda.org/explore/resources-publications/media-representations-impact-black-men/media-portrayals on “images”

https://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/2017-implicit-bias-review.pdf on “awareness of those biases and purposeful work to overcome them”

https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884211016529 on “When people feel respected”

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/understanding-organizational-barriers-to-a-more-inclusive-workplace on “more likely to engage”

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American Psychological Association. Inclusive Language Guidelines.

Maggio, Rosalie. Unspinning the Spin: The Women’s Media Center Guide to Fair and Accurate Language. Oct. 13, 2021.

Simon Fraser University. “Inclusive and Antiracist Writing.” Student Learning Commons. Last modified Jan. 19, 2022.

The Micropedia. Think Tank for Inclusion and Equity. “#WriteInclusion Factsheets.”

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When writing about someone’s race, ethnicity, gender identity, health, age, or other characteristic, ask how they would like to be described. Then use that language. When it’s not possible to ask an individual or group, use the language recommended by organizations that advocate for the identity you’re trying to describe. For example, if you are unable to determine the language that a group of people with a specific disability wants to use, look at the language that organizations representing people with that disability use. Although preferences within groups vary, using terms that advocacy organizations promote is acceptable when individual preferences can’t be ascertained.

Terms that this guide says to avoid can be retained in official names of organizations and programs. When they appear in a quote, consider whether the quote is necessary and the benefit versus harm of keeping that term in your content. If retaining the wording would cause more harm, then paraphrase.

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GLAAD. GLAAD Media Reference Guide, 11th ed.

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There is no one correct pronoun for any gender identity.

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Background: Some people use the pronoun “they.” Using someone’s correct pronoun shows respect for that person. The singular “they” for a person has become common practice; it doesn’t need to be explained in the text. Furthermore, explaining someone’s pronoun can make that person feel excluded or that they are unusual. But for reader understanding, a brief explanation of someone’s use of a more uncommon pronoun, like “xe” and “ze,” may be necessary.

Note that the singular “they” is different than using no pronouns—using “they” in those cases would be using the wrong pronoun.

Recommendation: Use the singular “they” for people who use that pronoun. Conjugate it with a plural verb: “They are.” Do not explain its use; just use it. Do not use awkward constructions like repeating the person’s name in every sentence to avoid using their correct pronoun. Just as with any good writing, the meaning of the pronoun should be clear, so make sure that the use of “they” for a single person is unambiguous. If a reflexive pronoun is needed, ask the person if they use “themself” or “themselves.” If you cannot determine what a person uses, use “themself.” If someone uses a more uncommon pronoun, briefly explain it, using the word “use.” If someone uses no pronoun, repeat the name or use a noun, like “my friend.” Also see “Discussing pronouns.”

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[In the question “Do you require any of the following accommodations to fully participate in this event or program?," added the following option under “Foods that meet dietary restrictions (Please list.) _____”]
Human assistant or human aid to navigate the event

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For example, all users can provide information on nationality, and Indigenous users can provide the name of a specific Indigenous people.

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Latina/Latine (Latinx)/Latino

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Alaska Native

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(e.g., MA, MEd, MS)

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Although AP style uses lowercase “deaf” for individuals, the National Center on Disability and Journalism recommends differentiating between “deaf” and “Deaf.”

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For the word “deaf,” capitalize it when referring to Deaf culture, the Deaf community, or people who identify as Deaf with a capital “D.” Lowercase when referring to people who use lowercase “deaf” or when referring to the audiological condition.

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Phrases like “suffers from,” “is afflicted with,” “is a victim of,” and “is stricken with” in reference to people with disabilities, diseases, or disorders connote pity and helplessness and imply a person has a reduced quality of life. In addition to the connotation of helplessness with “victim,” the word is problematic because it’s unclear whether the person died. When phrases like these are used to describe disability, they create an ableist narrative—one that assumes people with disabilities are worth less than nondisabled people. (See also “Avoid euphemisms related to disability,” “Avoid casual uses of disability-related terms,” and “Avoid using disability-related terms to describe something negative.”)

Militaristic terms like “battle” in reference to health imply that if someone fights hard enough, they can overcome a health condition, and those that died, or “lost their battle,” weren’t strong enough to survive. Individuals have different preferences regarding the term “survivor.” Some people feel that it is empowering, whereas others do not identify with the term and find it offensive or misleading. The term is also imprecise. For example, the National Cancer Institute says, “In cancer, a person is considered to be a survivor from the time of diagnosis until the end of life.” But many people tend to use the term to refer to people who have completed treatment.

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Andrews, Erin. E., Anjali J. Forber-Pratt, Linda R. Mona, Emily M. Lund, Carrie R. Pilarski, and Rochelle Balter. “#SaytheWord: A Disability Culture Commentary on the Erasure of ‘Disability.’ ” Rehabil. Psychol. 62, no. 2 (2019): 111–18. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rep0000258.

Brown, Lydia X. Z. “Ableism/Language.” Autistic Hoya (blog). Last modified Nov. 16, 2021.

Maggio, Rosalie. “Mental Illness.” Unspinning the Spin: The Women’s Media Center Guide to Fair and Accurate Language.

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The human brain is capable of change, and with awareness of those biases and purposeful work to overcome them, we can create environments that are truly inclusive of everyone.¹    

1. There is much peer-reviewed research, resources, and trainings on the topic of implicit bias. We recommend the National Institutes of Health Sociocultural Factors webpage, the Ohio State University 2017 State of the Science Implicit Bias Review, and a summary of studies on the existence of implicit bias for more information.

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University of British Columbia. Indigenous Peoples: Language Guidelines. Version 3.0. (University of British Columbia, 2021).

Australian Government. “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.” Style Manual. Last modified Sept. 6, 2021.

Australians Together. Language and Terminology Guide. Version 1.3. (April 2020).

Dastagir, Alia E. “Microaggressions Don’t Just ‘Hurt Your Feelings.’ ” USA Today, Feb. 28, 2018.

Foreman, P. Gabrielle, et al. “Writing about Slavery/Teaching About Slavery: This Might Help.” Community-sourced document.

Indigenous Corporate Training. Indigenous Peoples: A Guide to Terminology—Usage Tips and Definitions. (Indigenous Corporate Training, 2021).

Indigenous Foundations. “Terminology.” First Nations and Indigenous Studies, the University of British Columbia.

Japanese American Citizens League. Power of Words Handbook: A Guide to Language about Japanese Americans in World War II. (San Francisco: Japanese American Citizens League, 2013, rev. 2020).

Journalists for Human Rights. Style Guide for Reporting on Indigenous People. (Toronto: Journalists for Human Rights, 2017).

Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education. “Terminology Guide.”

National Park Service. “Language of Slavery.” Underground Railroad. Last modified Jan. 28, 2022.

Native Governance Center. “How to Talk about Native Nations: A Guide.” May 27, 2021.

Underground Railroad History Project. “The Vocabulary of Freedom.”

University of New South Wales. “Indigenous Terminology.” Teaching. Last modified August 2019. Adapted from "Using the Right Words: Appropriate Terminology for Indigenous Australian Studies." In Teaching the Teachers: Indigenous Australian Studies for Primary Pre-Service Teacher Education, School of Teacher Education, University of New South Wales, 1996.

Younging, Gregory. Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing by and about Indigenous Peoples. (Canada: Brush Education, 2018).

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[Added example] Use: “The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the Food and Drug Administration, a nonprofit that works with the FDA, has conducted listening sessions with essential workers and Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous people to hear their concerns about the vaccines and ultimately address them in future FDA messaging” (C&EN, Jan. 25, 2021).
Avoid: essential workers and underrepresented people (It’s unclear what larger group the people were underrepresented in and whether they are underrepresented because of race, socioeconomic status, or another factor. It’s clearer to state the specific group names.)

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[Removed link. Added new sentence to the end of the “Recommendation” section.] For a walk-through of when to use "diverse," see this flowchart from Radical Copyeditor.

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[For the pronoun question] Note: Why select all that apply? Some people use multiple pronouns (e.g., he/they or she/they)

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[For the race and ethnicity question] This question and the answer options were selected to best accommodate a global audience from a US lens. Bear in mind who your respondents are likely to be and how this question might be interpreted in that context.

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African descent or Black

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Unknown or unsure

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For example, several organizations have image banks that avoid stigma around body size.

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In an article on body size