Inclusive language gives all members of the community a place in your writing and avoids alienating your reader.
In checking your writing for inclusivity, consider:
- Relevance. Does your writing avoid making assumptions about a person based on irrelevant personal characteristics or conditions? Does your writing take care not to mention details about a person that are not relevant in the context?
- Respect. Have you taken care with the terms you use to ensure that they are respectful and in line with the preferences of the people to whom you are referring? Does your language emphasise the person, rather than irrelevant personal characteristics or conditions?
Tip. Unless a person’s gender, nationality or ethnic status, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or other personal attribute is important to the topic being discussed, do not mention it.
This section covers:
- Gender, sexual orientation and gender identity
- Multicultural users(Opens in a new tab/window)
- Disability and specific needs
- Australia's First Nations peoples.
Also see Understanding your users and Accessibility.