disability terminology - "visual disability" vs. "vision disability"

[shawna-slh]

Note: Let's keep this issue focused on "visual disability" vs. "vision disability". Related issues, such as "disability" versus "impairment" and the social model is an important issue that we want to explore, yet separate from this specific issue. Feel free to open separate issues for other terms.

WAI resources such as Introduction to Web Accessibility and How People with Disabilities use the Web - draft revision use the following categories of disabilities:

auditory, cognitive and learning, neurological, physical, speech, visual

WCAG 2 includes:

Accessibility involves a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities.

Adam Cooper brought up an issue with "visual disabilities" versus "vision disabilities" in an e-mail to wai-eo-editors that includes:

It's a minor thing ...

The word 'visual' is about what is seen as in 'visual art'. The word 'vision' is about seeing rather than what is seen as in 'envisioning'. to say something is 'visually impaired', therefore, is tantamount to saying the appearance of that thing is itself impaired. The phrase 'vision impairment' rather than 'visually impaired' or 'visual disability' is used by the World Health Organisation in the International Classification framework of Functioning, Disability, and Health, and by the U.N. more broadly.

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[Edited:]

Please add to this issue input to inform whether WAI will prioritize considering changing terminology from "visual disabilities" to "vision disabilities".

We are particularly interested in:

1. input from people with visual/vision disabilities/impairments if you are or are not bothered by the terminology "visual disabilities"
2. authoritative references