This is a glossary I prepared for events linked with my exhibition Disabled Habitus at McClure Gallery.
It includes short definitions for terms that come up in the exhibition and its related events. Some of these words are part of everyday language in disabled communities, and others come from academic writing or activist spaces. I don’t see myself as a formal expert in disability theory. I’ve put this together as one way to make space for deeper understanding — to support people in connecting with the ideas shared by the disabled artists, scholars, and cultural workers featured in this show.
The word disability is used in many ways. In medical and legal systems, it often appears in forms and policies that decide who gets support. That framing usually centers diagnosis or impairment, and it can feel cold or limiting. But in disability communities, the word has been reclaimed. It’s not only about what’s “wrong” with a body or mind but also about shared culture, connection, and creativity.
For me, disability is both an identity and a creative practice. It’s also a truthful acknowledgment of limitation and impairment. Yes, the term includes pain, grief, and exclusion as well as pride, solidarity, and cultural meaning. And that’s precisely what makes disability such a powerful and meaningful word, and why it is a core inspiration within my art practice.
For me and many of the presenters here today ( and for many disabled artists), , we use disability because it is a perfect shorthand to speak clearly about hard things. Living with disability can mean exhaustion, isolation, or navigating systems that were never built for us. Some bodies and minds don’t do what we need them to. And we can also be disabled by structures like poverty, racism, colonialism, displacement, and environments that block movement, safety, or access to care.
Disability doesn’t soley affect people, or cause harm to just the body. Sometimes whole communities, environments are shaped by disabling events or long-term harm. This glossary doesn’t capture everything. I’ve put it together knowing that language shifts, meanings change, and that disability is not fixed. This is a starting place, and I hope it helps you feel welcome in these conversations about disability. I also hope it gives you a reason to notice or reflect on forms of disability that often go unnamed or unconsidered.
If you have feedback, questions, or would like to offer clarification, you’re welcome to contact me: emery.vanderburgh@gmail.com
For a more detailed list check out the Disability Language Styleguide here: https://ncdj.org/style-guide/
Core Disability Terms
Disability – A word that describes many different body-mind experiences. It can refer to both personal experiences and the barriers created by society. It includes the terms below, and more:
Impairment – Medical or physical condition that affects how a person’s body or mind works. Some people use this term to separate physical/mental differences from social discrimination.
Chronic Illness – Long-term health condition that doesn’t go away — like lupus, diabetes, or fibromyalgia. It may be visible or invisible and can affect daily life.
IDD (Intellectual/Developmental Disability) – Describes how someone learns, thinks, or communicates differently. People may take longer to process information or need support for daily decisions.
Physical Disability – A condition that affects movement, strength, or coordination, such as paralysis or muscular dystrophy.
Neurodivergence – Term for natural differences in how people think or learn. This includes autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Many people see this as part of their identity, not something to fix.
Invisible Disability – A disability that isn’t obvious to others. Examples include chronic pain, mental health conditions, or neurological differences.
Visible Disability – A disability that others can often see, like using a wheelchair, cane, or having physical differences.
Language and Identity Terms
Person with a disability – It follows “person-first” language, putting the person before the condition. Often used in government or medical settings.
Disabled person – “Identity-first” language that many in the community prefer. It shows pride and centers disability as part of identity.
Crip – A word some people reclaim from the slur “cripple.” It’s used in some disability culture, art, and activism to show pride and resistance.
Spoonie – A person who identifies as living with chronic illness or energy-limiting conditions. The term comes from the spoon theory — a way to explain having limited energy for daily tasks.
Notes:
- Some people use more than one of these terms
- Not everyone agrees on definitions
- Someone’s use of a term can change over time and even the definitions of these terms can shift
Social and Structural Terms
Ableism – Discrimination or unfair treatment based on disability. It includes actions, beliefs, and systems that assume able-bodied ways of living are “normal” or better, either consciously or without people realizing it.
Access – The idea that everyone should be able to participate fully, including entering spaces, using materials, or being part of conversations.
Accommodations – Changes made after a barrier is noticed — like providing captions, ramps, or different formats for documents.
Access Intimacy – The deep sense of trust that happens when someone understands and meets your access needs without you always having to explain. Coined by Mia Mingus.
Access Rider – A document someone can share to explain their access needs before an event, job, or meeting.
Access Tension – When one person’s access needs may conflict with someone else’s — like needing quiet while another needs to speak out loud.
Assistive Devices – Tools or technology that help people move, communicate, or access information — like hearing aids, screen readers, or wheelchairs.
Audio Description – A narration that provides a verbal description of key visual elements in media or live performances for people who are blind or visually impaired
HABITUS
ALISON KAFER ONE (not on list in gallery)
Intersectional Disability – The idea that disability connects with race, gender, class, and other identities. These overlaps shape how people experience the world.
Plain Language – Writing that’s clear and easy to understand. This helps more people — including those with cognitive disabilities, language differences, or reading challenges — access the material.
Spoons / Spoon Theory – A concept created by Christine Miserandino. Spoons are used as a metaphor for energy. Each task (like getting dressed or making food) uses up a “spoon.” People with chronic illness may start each day with fewer “spoons” than others.
Acknowledgements
Some of the terms and frameworks referenced here come from a wide body of disability scholarship, activism, and community knowledge. My thinking has been shaped over time by many conversations, shared readings, and collaborative work — especially over my three years of citizen-science research at the Access in the Making (AIM) Lab at Concordia University, which introduced me to much of this core disability studies scholarship. This glossary reflects how I’ve interpreted and applied those ideas within my own practice. It was created to support the exhibition’s focus on access, care, and the different ways disabled people move through and make meaning in the world.
Sources that informed this document include:
Access in the Making Lab. 2023. Access Politics Guidelines Document. Montreal: Concordia University.
Clare, Eli. 2017. Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Dokumacı, Arseli. 2023. Activist Affordances: The Disabled Flâneur and the Aesthetics of Access in the City. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Hamraie, Aimi, and Kelly Fritsch. 2019. “Crip Technoscience Manifesto.” Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience 5(1).
https://catalystjournal.org/index.php/catalyst/article/view/29616
Kafer, Alison. 2013. Feminist, Queer, Crip. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Mingus, Mia. 2017. “Access Intimacy, Interdependence and Disability Justice.” Leaving Evidence (blog), April 12, 2017.
https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/access-intimacy-interdependence-and-disability-justice/
National Center on Disability and Journalism. n.d. Disability Language Style Guide.
https://ncdj.org/style-guide/
Nussbaum, Martha C. 2006. Frontiers of Justice: Disability, Nationality, Species Membership. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Price, Margaret. 2007. “Writing from Normal.” Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association 40(1): 55–73.
Price, Margaret. 2015. “The Bodymind Problem and the Possibilities of Pain.” Hypatia 30(1): 268–284.
Schalk, Sami. 2018. Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women’s Speculative Fiction. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Tangled Art + Disability. 2022. Access Glossary & Accessible Documents Resource.
https://tangledarts.org/accessibility
Wong, Alice (curator). n.d. Disability Visibility Project.
https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com
Emery Vanderburgh 