What are the best ways to report on people with disabilities in a respectful and inclusive way?

As an adult living with a neuromuscular disability, I am not much focused on what or how I am being addressed or referred to. The focus should always be on the person while the awareness of what that person's needs are become more important then how it is verbally addressed.

As a disabled person with multiple disabilities I find that people say ask and then we are expected to answer. When asking remember that we may not want to answer or explain.

AP style says when in doubt use person-first language, but yes, a lot of people feel more empowered by identity-first language, particularly the autistic community. I support using them interchangeably as long as you don't shy away from the diagnosis term or word "disability." I'm disabled, not "differently abled." A disability is not a "different ability" or "diverse ability." I use a wheelchair--I'm not confined or bound to it.

As an adult with a neuromuscular disability, I find that asking is not wrong but there must be tact used to the inquiry to avoid possible insult.

As young children, we are taught to think before we speak (and act). If a person has an urge to ask how we became disabled, or to enter our personal space without permission, they should pause to consider how they would feel if someone were to ask them invasive questions or invade their personal space. A good rule of thumb is this: if it would bother you, don't do it to someone else.

There is a great saying “nothing for us without us” and I always remind folks of that. Include voices of people with disabilities at the table. And while, yes, it’s the right thing to do, it also benefits the company or organization! Companies that are able partner, listen, ask questions, and include additional diverse voices around the table are the companies that are most likely to be innovative and continue growing.

This is a challenge even for experts. As a disabled writer who writes about disability, one of the hardest things I've found about diverse reporting is finding good information. Studies and statistics about disabled people aren't too difficult to find, but they often box us up into one demographic. Finding studies that include disabled and non-disabled perspectives is much harder. If possible, look for origin research from reputable organizations and universities. Look for major biases like age, education, and socioeconomic status. You may not often find perfect sources and that's okay. In fact, pointing out that a source is lacking can be an excellent step towards more comprehensive and balanced coverage.

It is always best to hear from anyone willing to contribute, but it is the silent or overlooked that teach us the most. Inclusive conversation benefits all parties.

We must take time and ownership of our education and learning. We must be willing to pay experts for guidance. I’ll say it again for people in the back, but people with disabilities due not “owe” us their time and energy. People are not statistics for an annual report or awards submission. There must be a culture of continuous leadership learning, listening and accountability. This takes time and investment. We often “talk the talk” but struggle with execution. We can do better.

Nobody can know everything so don’t be afraid to make a mistake. If you make a mistake and you learn and grow from it and you and take the feedback and try something different next time, people will give you the benefit of the doubt and know that it was a mistake, not the culture.

It is the ones living with the disability that is assumed to know the most, while in reality, the disabled individuals can't get the answers to which they seek forcing them to be less knowledgeable than others in most cases such as adult Healthcare living with disabilities

I often see the media interview caretakers and parents of people with disabilities - with that being the focus of the story, instead of interviewing people with disabilities directly. It’s hard to hear our voices when other people are speaking for us. I think both stories are important to tell. But when it’s only those in a caretaker role sharing the stories, it often portrays them with a hero narrative, which is the opposite of empowering to those of us with disabilities.