The American Psychological Association (APA) advocates the use of person-first language (e.g., people with disabilities) to refer to individuals with disabilities in daily discourse and to reduce bias in psychological writing. Disability culture advocates and disability studies scholars have challenged the rationale for and implications of exclusive person-first language use, promoting use of identity-first language (e.g., disabled people). We argue that psychologists should adopt identity-first language alongside person-first constructions to address the concerns of disability groups while promoting human dignity and maintaining scientific and professional rigor. We review the evolution of disability language and then discuss the major models used to characterize disability and people with disabilities. The rationale for person-first language and the emergence of identity-first language, respectively, are linked to particular models. We then discuss some language challenges posed by identity-first language and the current intent of person-first language, suggesting that psychologists make judicious use of the former when it is possible to do so. We conclude by offering five observations of ways that use of both person-first and identity-first language could enhance psychologists' cultural competence regarding disability issues in personal and scientific communications.

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This study examined the salutary effects of finding positive meaning in a disabling experience, being an optimist, and perceiving control over disability on two criterion variables of psychological well-being: Depression and self-esteem. A mail-in survey on psychosocial adjustment to limb amputation was completed by 138 persons with amputations. Regression analyses revealed that finding meaning following amputation was linked to lower levels of depressive symptomatology but not to self-esteem. Both dispositional optimism and perceived control over disability were predictive of lower scores on the CES-D depression scale and higher scores on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed, and it is recommended that future research consider salutary effects from a reality negotiation perspective.

By highlighting positive aspects of disability identity, the study of disability narratives can inform persons with and without disabilities about how individuals live with disabilities. We discuss reasons rehabilitation researchers and practitioners should consider disability identity and narratives in their respective efforts.

The health threat posed by the novel coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic has particular implications for people with disabilities, including vulnerability to exposure and complications, and concerns about the role of ableism in access to treatment and medical rationing decisions. Shortages of necessary medical equipment to treat COVID-19 have prompted triage guidelines outlining the ways in which lifesaving equipment, such as mechanical ventilators and intensive care unit beds, may need to be rationed among affected individuals. In this article, we explore the realities of medical rationing, and various approaches to triage and prioritization. We discuss the psychology of ableism, perceptions about quality of life, social determinants of health, and how attitudes toward disability can affect rationing decisions and access to care. In addition to the grassroots advocacy and activism undertaken by the disability community, psychology is rich in its contributions to the role of attitudes, prejudice, and discriminatory behavior on the social fabric of society. We call on psychologists to advocate for social justice in pandemic preparedness, promote disability justice in health care settings, call for transparency and accountability in rationing approaches, and support policy changes for macro- and microallocation strategies to proactively reduce the need for rationing.