Rwanda: Disability and Language - What to Say and What Not to Say

What the report says

An ongoing case in Rwanda has put disability language under the spotlight, after Nelly Ingabire accused lawyer and court bailiff Aline Munyakaragwe of using a derogatory term for a person of short stature during a property and inheritance dispute. According to the New Times article carried by AllAfrica, Ingabire says the remarks were made in connection with court enforcement and a related auction, while Munyakaragwe denies the allegation. The Nyarugenge Intermediate Court adjourned the hearing on October 7 until November 3, pending a related appeal.

The case has prompted broader discussion about respectful ways to refer to people with disabilities in Kinyarwanda and English. The article cites guidance from Rwanda’s National Council of Persons with Disabilities, reproduced in a training handbook by the National Child Development Agency, which warns against labels used as insults and recommends person-first or condition-specific descriptions when disability is relevant.

Examples in the guidance include avoiding terms used for physical disabilities, deafness, speech disabilities, blindness, intellectual disabilities, dwarfism, spinal conditions and albinism. The article notes that language should be chosen carefully, ideally using a person’s name unless disability needs to be mentioned for a specific reason.

The piece also places the issue in a legal context, pointing to Rwanda’s constitutional ban on discrimination and criminal law provisions addressing discrimination. It stresses, however, that offensive language alone does not automatically prove a criminal offence, leaving the court to determine the allegations in this case.