People with disabilities want to be actively involved in society just as much as the next person. Since roughly one-fifth of the population has one disability or another, many people with disabilities will make the news. The important thing when reporting about people with disabilities is always put the person before their disability. Doing this will not offend anyone and will show respect for them as a person.

A few examples of putting the person first are:
Also, when speaking of this population segment, it is better to say "people with disabilities" than "disabled people" or, even worse, "the disabled." These terms are unacceptable to many individuals; a disabled vehicle, after all, is one that will not work. A person with a disability has many abilities that make them a whole member of society.

Other terms not acceptable include:
Crippled
Lame
Retarded
Deaf and dumb
Wheelchair-bound (Saying that someone is wheelchair-bound is particularly ironic, because if a person cannot walk, the wheelchair is a tool that gives them freedom of mobility, not something that binds them.)

For more information about people first language in written communications, visit:
Communicating With and About People with Disabilities, from the Office of Disability Employment Policy
Style Guide (a glossary of terms), from the National Center on Disability & Journalism