Language plays a critical role in shaping and reflecting our thoughts, beliefs and feelings. It should come as no surprise, then, that the way in which we refer to people affects the way they are seen by others and, indeed, the way in which they feel about themselves. Used over and over again, a convenient phrase is no longer an attempt to describe a person — it becomes a definition.
This resource was developed by the Department of Communities to equip and assist people with the use of acceptable terminologies.