Welcome to the Disabled Washrooms Website - a Website designed to cater to accessible washrooms and for the needs of disabled people throughout the UK – a specialised section of the popular Commercial Washrooms Ltd website.
What term is searched for the most?
Before we started designing this Website we spent some time investigating what would be the best domain name to use. To do this we considered the commercial keyword traffic and it boiled down to two terms “Disabled Washrooms” and “Accessible Washrooms”.
| Metric | Disabled Washrooms | Accessible Washrooms |
|---|---|---|
| UK Monthly Searches | Approx. 320 | Approx. 210 |
| Commercial Intent | Very High | High |
| Terminology Familiarity | Widely understood | Increasingly preferred |
| Alignment with Building Regulations | Strong | Moderate |
| Inclusivity/Modern Language | Moderate | Strong |
| Existing Brand Alignment | Excellent | Moderate |
What this taught me was that while “Disabled Washrooms” is the most-searched term, “Accessible Washrooms” is closing in and may become the preferred search term in years to come.
This may indicate a shift in acceptance away from the term “Disabled” towards “Accessible”.
What do the Disability Community advocate?
Keywords Research aside, many within the Disability Community and Groups prefer the word "disabled" to be used directly.
Alternatives like "differently abled" or "special needs" are often rejected as “Ableist” because they can be perceived as trivialising or an attempt to avoid acknowledging the reality of disability.
Language relating to disability has continued to progress in recent years. More recently, there has been a significant push by the disabled community against the use of what is often called “positive language” and includes the use of terms such as “differently abled” or “specially abled” instead of “disabled”.
As well-intentioned as these terms are, they can be viewed by disabled people as being demeaning, as they ultimately reinforce negative stereotypes.
Disability related Terms to avoid
Modern advocacy groups generally advise avoiding the following terms:
Differently-abled / Special-needs: These are often viewed as condescending or evasive alternatives invented to make non-disabled people more comfortable.
Remember that preferences may vary by individual and condition; it is worth listening to the individual about the phrasing they prefer, especially in formal situations.
Always speak directly to a disabled person, even if they have an interpreter or companion with them.
The following advice is taken from the Gov.uk Website:
| Avoid | Use |
|---|---|
| (the) handicapped, (the) disabled | disabled person |
| afflicted by, suffers from, victim of | has [name of condition or impairment] |
| confined to a wheelchair, wheelchair-bound | wheelchair user |
| mentally handicapped, mentally defective, retarded, subnormal | disabled person |
| spastic | person with cerebral palsy |
| able-bodied | non-disabled |
| mental patient, insane, mad | person with a mental health condition |
| deaf and dumb; deaf mute | deaf, user of British Sign Language (BSL), person with a hearing impairment |
| the blind | people with visual impairments; blind people; blind and partially sighted people |
| an epileptic, diabetic, depressive, and so on | person with epilepsy, diabetes, depression or someone who has epilepsy, diabetes, depression |
| dwarf; midget | someone with restricted growth or short stature |
| fits, spells, attacks | seizures |
Using the term “Disabled”
While "disabled" is widely accepted as a neutral, accurate descriptor, language debates largely centre on how you phrase it. The preference generally breaks down into two main styles:
Identity-First Language
Example: "Disabled person" or "disabled people".
The Meaning: It treats disability as a fundamental, neutral aspect of identity, similar to being tall or having a certain eye colour.
Person-First Language
Example: "Person with a disability".
The Meaning: It emphasises the person's humanity first, framing the disability as a medical condition they have rather than who they are.
What are the Government guidelines on the use of the word “Disabled”
Government guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability
The term "Disabled", when used in the context detailed above is an acceptable term. It goes on to give more detailed guidance on the usage.
The word "disabled" is a description, not a group of people. Use "disabled people" not ‘the disabled’ as the collective term.
Avoid medical labels. They say little about people as individuals and tend to reinforce stereotypes of disabled people as "patients" or being unwell. This includes people with non-visible disabilities (for example, those with neurodivergent conditions). It’s important that people are able to self-identify if they are disabled.
Many people who access disability benefits and services do not identify with the term "disabled people". Where appropriate, consider using more inclusive phrasing, such as "people with health conditions" or "impairments".
In conclusion
"Disabled" is widely accepted as a neutral, accurate descriptor for Disabled people. This also applies to facilities provided for Disabled People – e.g. “Disabled Washrooms” and “Disabled Toilets”.
The term “Accessible” is gaining acceptance indicating a swing away from the term “Disabled”. It may well be the case that Keyword Research in a few years indicates that Accessible Washrooms is the accepted term in the same way that a number of archaic terms for specific disabilities are no longer used.
Recommended Further Reading
Gov.uk - Inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
Sense - Ableism and disablism
The Swaddle - Why Disability Activists Argue Against Labels Like ‘Differently Abled’
