Glossary List

An individual's ability to obtain appropriate health care services. Barriers can be financial, geographic, organizational, and sociological.

Removal of barriers that would hinder a person with a disability from entering, functioning, and working within a facility, as required by ADA.

Brain damage that is caused by something that happens to a person after birth, not by another disorder.

Basic personal activities including bathing, eating, dressing, mobility, transferring from bed to chair, and using the toilet. Used to measure dependence.

An excessive or unhealthy emotional or behavioral reaction to a stressful event or change in a person's life.

A progressive, irreversible brain disorder characterized by degeneration of brain cells and severe memory loss.

Landmark civil rights law signed in 1990 and amended in 2010, ensuring equal access and prohibiting discrimination based on disability.

Mental health conditions expressed as worry, anxiety, or fear, which can interfere with everyday functioning.

Any item, piece of equipment, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

A condition that affects a person’s ability to focus, stay still, or think before acting.

A developmental disability that affects how people experience the world, interact with others, communicate, and learn.

Devices and services that enable effective communication for people with disabilities (e.g., sign language interpreters, Braille).

A chronic illness characterized by recurring episodes of mania and depression.

Preferred terms for individuals with no or very limited sight.

A person who provides support and assistance with various activities to a family member, friend, or neighbor.

A group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and to maintain balance and posture, due to a non-progressive brain abnormality.

Refers to health problems of a long-term and continuing nature, often permanent, requiring ongoing supervision or care.

A type of disability that impacts attention, memory, judgment, reasoning/problem-solving, decision-making, comprehension, and language production/processing.

Offensive and dehumanizing terms for a person with a physical disability.

Assistance with activities of daily living, self-administration of medications, and preparing special diets, typically not requiring specialized training.

Preferred terms for individuals with severe hearing impairment.

Hearing and visual impairments occurring at the same time, causing severe communication and developmental needs.

A diagnosis where a person experiences a decline in memory and other thinking skills.

A common mental disorder characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration.

A severe, chronic disability originating before age 18 (or 22, per DD Act), impacting daily life activities and requiring support.

Euphemistic term for a person with a disability.

Identity-first term used by some individuals to claim disability as a core part of their identity.

A genetic condition in which a person is born with an extra chromosome, which may cause delays in mental and physical development.

A core principle of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), stating that every student, regardless of disability, has a right to a free education tailored to their special needs.

A neurological condition where the brain processes signals from the body dysfunctionally, leading to various neurological symptoms without identifiable physical cause.

Outdated and offensive term for a person with a disability.

Preferred terms for individuals with hearing loss that is not severe enough to be considered deafness.

Any care or services provided in a patient's place of residence or in a noninstitutional setting located in the immediate community, often aimed at avoiding institutionalization.

Any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical function; a physiological difference in one's body or brain.

A written plan for a student receiving special education services, outlining their current academic progress, educational goals, and the specific supports and services the school will provide.

A federal law that mandates what public schools must provide for students with disabilities, ensuring they receive special education and related services.

A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and to learn and apply new skills, with a reduced ability to cope independently, which started before adulthood.

A disorder in one or more basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, in individuals with normal intelligence.

The principle that, whenever possible, a person with a disability should learn, live, and work in a setting that is most similar to that of people without disabilities.

A range of medical and/or social services designed to help people with disabilities or chronic care needs, provided for short or long periods in various settings.

A state of well-being in which an individual can realize their own potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and make a contribution to the community.

Refers to a state where a person's mental health is out of balance due to their experiences with mood, thinking, and/or behavior.

Outdated, pejorative, and offensive terms for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

A chronic, often progressive disease of the brain and spinal cord that causes problems with muscle control, balance, vision, and other bodily functions.

A group of genetic diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass.

A diagnosis where someone has unwanted thoughts, feelings, or ideas (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that drive them to perform rituals repeatedly.

Person-first term emphasizing the individual before their condition.

An umbrella term describing a class of disorders characterized by impairments in social interaction, imaginative activity, verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and a limited number of interests and activities that tend to be repetitive.

Arises as a delayed or protracted response to a stressful event or situation of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature.

Characterized by distortions of thinking and perception, as well as inappropriate or narrowed range of emotions. May include hallucinations and delusions.

A modification or adjustment to a job, work environment, or usual practices that enables a qualified individual with a disability to have an equal employment opportunity.

The combined and coordinated use of medical, social, educational, and vocational measures for training or retraining individuals disabled by disease or injury to achieve the highest possible level of functional ability.

A service where trained professionals or volunteers provide short-term care for an older person or a person with mental illness, allowing primary caregivers time away from their role.

A severe mental disorder characterized by profound disruptions in thinking, affecting language, perception, and the sense of self.

A federal law that prohibits discrimination based on disability in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.

A federal program providing payments to eligible workers (and their families) who are unable to continue working due to a disability.

Condescending and euphemistic term for disability.

Damage to the spinal cord resulting in a loss of function, mobility, or sensation below the level of the injury.

A federal program of support for low-income aged, blind, and disabled persons, providing financial assistance regardless of work history.

An injury to the brain caused by an external force that results in possible impairments to cognition, language, memory, attention, reasoning, abstract thinking, judgment, problem-solving, speech, etc.

A legal defense under the ADA, referring to a significant difficulty or expense that may exempt an entity from providing certain accommodations or modifications.

The design of products, environments, programs, and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

Term for individuals with vision loss; "blind" or "low vision" may be preferred.

Preferred terms for individuals who use mobility devices.