Politically correct?

[nico1agreen]

What sort of phrases should we be using to decribe people of different abilities/origins/ages/sexual orieentation?

It's hard to know what people will take offence to. But with legislation in place to protect these groups, couldn't businesses see themselves in court if they fail to issue politically correct guidelines to their employees?

[bernardo]

What sort of phrases should we be using to decribe people of different abilities/

Disabled

origins/

Black, Asian, Mixed, Martian, etc.

ages/

babies, toddlers, children, teenagers, young people, middle aged people, old people

sexual orientation?

heterosexual

[ukberni]

I think the term "politically correct" is entirely unhelpful now, thanks to poor media coverage.  :~(

For me, the essence of diversity is about looking at the individual as an individual above everything else.  So for example I would say I am not 'disabled' - I am a person with a hearing impairment, a hearing loss, a sight impairment, total sight loss or I am a wheelchair user.  I am not an eplieptic - I am a person with epilepsy.  I am ME first - I am not defined by any one aspect of me.  ANY labels are unhelpful if they prevent one person from seeing that there are MANY aspects to a person's character and whichever "difference" we are talking about is just one aspect - not the whole person.

If I get stuck, I ask myself how would I like to be described??   I think black, Asian, Irish - all those are OK.  Many of these groups have identified for themselves how they would like to be known.

Words really are so important.  That ole phrase "sticks and stones" is such a lie.  Think of all the people with learning disabilities and how they are treated all their lives......

You are right - it IS hard to know what people will take offence to but I really admire you for taking the time to give the matter some serious thought!  :~)