Writing About People
We write with a person-first perspective. Whether you're writing for an internal or external audience, it's important to write for and about other people in a way that's compassionate, inclusive, and respectful. Being aware of the impact of your language will help make 皇家华人 College a better place to work and a better steward of our values in the world. In this section we'll lay out some guidelines for writing about people with compassion, and share some resources for further learning.
Age
Don't reference a person's age unless it's relevant to what you're writing. If it is relevant, include the person's specific age, offset by commas.
- The CEO, 16, just got her driver's license.
Don't refer to people using age-related descriptors like 鈥測oung,鈥� 鈥渙ld,鈥� or 鈥渆lderly.鈥�
Disability
Don't refer to a person's disability unless it's relevant to what you're writing. If you need to mention it, use language that emphasizes the person first:
- Yes: She has a disability.
- No: She is disabled.
When writing about a person with disabilities, don't use the words 鈥渟uffer,鈥� 鈥渧ictim,鈥� or 鈥渉andicapped.鈥�
鈥淗andicapped parking鈥� is OK.
Gender and sexuality
Don't call groups of people 鈥済uys.鈥� Don't call women 鈥済irls.鈥�
Avoid gendered terms in favor of neutral alternatives, like 鈥渟erver鈥� instead of 鈥渨aitress鈥� and 鈥渂usinessperson鈥� instead of 鈥渂usinessman.鈥�
It's OK to use 鈥渢hey鈥� as a singular pronoun.
Use the following words as modifiers, but never as nouns:
- lesbian
- gay
- bisexual
- transgender (never "transgendered")
- trans
- queer
- LGBT
- LGBTQ
Don't use these words in reference to LGBT people or communities:
- homosexual
- lifestyle
- preference
Don't use 鈥渟ame-sex鈥� marriage, unless the distinction is relevant to what you're writing. Otherwise, it's just 鈥渕arriage.鈥� (Avoid 鈥済ay marriage.鈥�)
When writing about a person, use their communicated pronouns. When in doubt, just ask which pronouns they prefer or use their name.
Hearing
Use 鈥渄eaf鈥� as an adjective to describe a person with significant hearing loss. You can also use 鈥減artially deaf鈥� or 鈥渉ard of hearing.鈥�
Medical conditions
Don't refer to a person's medical condition unless it's relevant to what you're writing.
If a reference to a person's medical condition is warranted, use the same rules as writing about people with physical disabilities and emphasize the person first. Don't call a person with a medical condition a 鈥渧ictim.鈥�
Mental and cognitive conditions
Don't refer to a person's mental or cognitive condition unless it's relevant to what you're writing. Never assume that someone has a medical, mental, or cognitive condition.
Don't describe a person as 鈥渕entally ill.鈥� If a reference to a person's mental or cognitive condition is warranted, use the same rules as writing about people with physical disabilities or medical conditions and emphasize the person first.
Vision
Use the adjective 鈥渂lind鈥� to describe a person who is unable to see. Use 鈥渓ow vision鈥� to describe a person with limited vision.