There are many ways to refer to disability and accessibility. Personal preference and self-identification are key for Accessible Academia when it comes to individuals. The network will never prescribe how someone should refer to themselves.

When multiple persons are involved, Accessible Academia chooses to use the term “disabled people”. This emphasises the fact that an inaccessible society is often the biggest obstacle. In English, a distinction is made between “impairment” (individual, medical condition) and “disability” (social aspect, based on the term “disabling”). 

Accessible Academia uses the term ‘’disability’ as an umbrella term to refer to physical and mental impairments, sensory impairments, chronic illnesses, cognitive impairments and neurodivergence. Since a diagnosis is not attainable nor desirable for everyone, both people with medical diagnoses and self diagnoses are welcome.