A/HRC/43/27 among countries. Persons with disabilities self-identify in different ways in different contexts. OHCHR considers that self-identification should be the rule and that it is contextspecific. At the international level, “persons with disabilities” is the agreed expression in English. The singular of “persons with disabilities” is “person with disability”. In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the word “disabled” is commonly recognized as acceptable use of language, while its literal translation (“discapacitado/a”) is not well considered in Spanish-speaking countries, in which there is a preference for the term “persona con discapacidad”. When referring to people facing specific barriers based on an actual or perceived impairment, it is better to use “people first” language, such as “persons with [intellectual/physical] disabilities”. 31. However, the language and terminology used to refer to persons with disabilities has been consistently negative and derogatory, expressing ableist views, e.g. “being afflicted with”, “suffering from”, “handicapped”, “invalid”, “insane”, “lunatic”, “crippled” and “retarded”, among others. Expressions such as “wheelchair bound” or “confined to a wheelchair” to describe wheelchair users is misleading ableist language that perpetuates the presumption that a person’s wheelchair is their most prominent feature and simultaneously negates the individual’s experience of freedom of movement and independence. The use of “deaf mute” or “deaf and dumb” to describe deaf persons is equally misleading, ableist and derogatory. The use of some ableist terms are part of everyday language to the point that the association with persons with disabilities may no longer be evident. For example, “lame” refers to anyone or anything boring or uncool, “schizophrenic” is used to describe something (from people’s behaviour to political policies) as unpredictable, fickle or flighty, while “autistic” is commonly used for politicians that disregard the voice of their constituency.15 32. Abusive language against persons with disabilities is largely unrecognized as hate speech, mainly because of the commonly considered unintended nature of discrimination based on disability. Nevertheless, hate speech against persons with disabilities contributes to maintaining an ableist climate that has consequences beyond the individual targeted and an impact on persons with disabilities as a group. Hate speech may also constitute or lead to hate crime and bullying, which is a growing trend in online hate speech. 4. The role of the media 33. The media has enormous power to educate the public to have a more comprehensive understanding of disability and promote positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities, particularly in the absence of direct experience of the life of a person with disability. Yet, the media commonly perpetuates stereotypes. Persons with disabilities have been marginalized within and through the media, being underrepresented in media content. When portrayed, ableist perspectives tend to be most common. Usually, characters representing persons with disabilities are played by actors and actresses without impairments. Cultural appropriation of disability is underresearched but is getting more and more attention. 34. Telethons present persons with disabilities from a charity or medical perspective, and are commonly framed as public-private partnerships. These televised fund-raising marathons typically resort to feelings of compassion and pity by drawing on the perceptions of disease and disability and promises of medical research and cures, lauding the “overcomers” and lamenting the “tragedy of disability”. Telethons institutionalize in an efficient way the charity and medical models of disability through media sensationalism. Telethons perpetuate and reproduce stigmatization and hinder the possibility of constructing a culture in which persons with disabilities are recognized as part of human diversity and society.16 35. Public-private partnerships related to the media, nevertheless, can contribute to presenting persons with disabilities from a rights-based perspective. For example, in Spain, Radio Televisión Española entered into agreements to raise awareness of persons with 15 16 CRPD/C/BGR/CO/1, para. 10. CRPD/C/PER/CO/1, para. 18; CRC/C/MEX/CO/4-5, para. 46 (f); and CRPD/C/CHL/CO/1, para. 18. 7