The BFI adheres to the social model of disability.
The BFI uses identity-based language when referring to disabled people, and we are inclusive of the Deaf community and neurodivergent people when we are using the term disability.
As we use identity-based language, the BFI uses the term ‘disabled people’; we do not use person-first language, so we don’t use the phrase ‘people with disabilities’.
Although the BFI uses identity-based language and the terms outlined below, individuals with lived experience should feel they can self-describe or self-identify with terms that they are personally comfortable with.
What is the social model of disability?
We encourage the use of the social model as a way of understanding that disability is a barrier put in place by society. The barriers generally fall into three categories:
- Environments – can include inaccessible buildings and services
- Attitudes – such as stereotyping, discrimination, prejudice, and ableism
- Organisations – includes inflexible policies, practices and procedures
What is ableism?
Ableism is the discrimination of, and social prejudice against, disabled people. Ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require ‘fixing’ and defines people by their disability. Like racism and sexism, ableism classifies entire groups of people as ‘less than’ and includes harmful stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalisations of disabled people.
How we talk about the neurodiverse community
People who are neurodivergent are defined as having a variation in the human brain regarding sociability, learning, attention or mood. This includes but is not limited to people with ADHD or people diagnosed with, or having the characteristics of, an autistic spectrum disorder and learning disabilities. Additionally, some mental health conditions are established under the term.
How we talk about the Deaf community
The term deaf can be used to describe people who have lived experience of deafness or hearing loss. The ‘uppercase D’ in Deaf is used to describe people who identify as culturally Deaf and are actively engaged with the Deaf community. Deaf with a capital D indicates a cultural identity for people with hearing loss who share a common culture and who usually have a shared sign language. Some individuals experience Deafblindness, which is both hearing and sight loss. It’s important to remember that people may prefer the term ‘hard-of-hearing’. Additionally, some Deaf people consider themselves disabled, and some do not. We do not use the term ‘hearing impaired’ as this can be offensive. When we are talking about deafness in the wider context, we would say “Deaf and hard-of-hearing people”.
How we talk about blindness
We use the terms ‘blind’, ‘partially sighted’, ‘visually impaired’, and ‘sight loss’ to describe those who experience sight loss. Sight loss is a spectrum. We also use the term ‘Deafblind’ and ‘Deafblindness’ for those who experience both sight loss and hearing loss. Some people may use other terms like ‘low vision’, some visually impaired people may use canes, some may have guide dogs, and some don’t use any aids.
Access needs vary person-to-person, just like the experience of sight loss (or disability in general) varies. We wouldn’t say ‘the blind’, just like we wouldn’t say ‘the disabled’ or ‘the Deaf’ as disabled people are part of a community, not a collective. Blind and visually impaired people are a group of individuals.
How we talk about physical disabilities
Physical disabilities is an umbrella term and usually refers to someone that experiences a disability related to mobility, but this is inclusive of deafness and sensory disabilities. We use the term ‘wheelchair user’.
Non-visible disabilities is a term that describes disabilities that might not be obvious or visible to an onlooker. This could refer to those experiencing chronic pain or illness, neurodivergency, or even those with mobility issues but who may not use mobility aids. Some public accessible bathrooms may have the tagline:
- not all disabilities are visible
- hidden disabilities
- invisible disabilities
How we talk about visible differences
Visible differences can be a scar, mark or condition on your face or body that makes you look different. People use a variety of words to describe themselves. They may say they “look different”, or have a “difference”, a “disfigurement” or an “altered appearance”. Many people prefer to use the name of the condition, mark or scar – for example, Treacher Collins syndrome, scarring, rosacea or neurofibromatosis. ‘Disfigurement’ is not a description preferred by many people who have a visible difference. It is mainly used in medical or legal environments. The term disfigurement is used in the UK’s Equality Act 2010 to protect people with “severe disfigurements” from discrimination. The words you use to describe your difference are up to you and depend on what you feel comfortable with.” Resource: Changing Faces website
How we talk about mental health
We avoid stigmatising language such as ‘crazy’, ‘insane’, and ‘nuts’. We also avoid minimising and disparaging language such as ‘I’m so OCD’ or ‘that’s so bipolar of them’.
How we talk about disability friendly screenings
Relaxed screenings are in relaxed conditions for neurodivergent audiences, with their companions and assistants.
Audio Description [AD] is additional commentary that explains what’s happening on screen. AD describes body language, expressions and movements, making the programme clear through sound.
Descriptive Subtitles [DS] Descriptive subtitles, sometimes referred to as SDH (Subtitles for Deaf and Hardof-Hearing), HoH (Hard-of-Hearing), and captions, transcribe dialogue (for example for English speaking audiences, both English and any other languages) and relevant aspects of the soundtrack, including music and sound effects, attempting to give Deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers an equal experience to those who are able to watch films without descriptive subtitles.