Summary
All UWindsor IT staff are expected to utilize inclusive language in work-related conversations and documentation. This article contains approved, commonly accepted alternative terms to replace outdated oppressive terminology
Body
All UWindsor IT staff are expected to utilize inclusive technical language in work-related conversations and documentation. Outlined below is a list of approved, commonly accepted alternative terms to replace oppressive and / or offensive terminology. Anyone looking to propose additional alternative terms or replace an oppressive and / or offensive phrases and words can submit a request at any time using the online feedback tool. New requests will be sent to and reviewed by IT Services and / or other departments as required.
| Oppressive Term |
Inclusive Term(s) |
| Blackbox |
Closed box |
| Blackhat (hacker) |
Criminal, unethical hacker |
| Blacklist |
Block list, Deny list |
| Hit (button) |
Click |
| Digital Native |
Power User |
| Dummy Value |
Placeholder value, sample value |
| Female |
Socket, Jack, Receptacle |
| Grandfathered |
Waived, Legacy, Pre-existing |
| Man hours |
Person hours, FTE Hours |
| Man Power |
Work Hours, Labour Hours, Staffing |
| Male (connector) |
Plug, Prong |
| Master/Slave |
Primary/replica, parent/child, active/passive, primary/secondary, trunk/branch, main (as a revision-control branch name) |
| Native (feature) |
Built-in, Platform-specific |
| Sanity Check |
Quick check, Confidence check, Consistency Check |
| Scrum Master |
Agile Lead |
| Tribal Knowledge |
Institutional Knowledge, Organizational Knowledge |
| Webmaster/web master |
Web product owner, Web Administrator |
| Whitebox |
Open box |
| Whitehat (hacker) |
Ethical hacker |
| Whitelist |
Allow list, approved list |
| Whitespace |
Empty space, blank |
General Inclusive Language Principles
- Put people first: Default to person-first constructions that put the person ahead of their characteristics, e.g., instead of “a blind man” or “a female engineer,” use “a man who is blind” or “a woman on our engineering team.” Mention characteristics like gender, sexual orientation, religion, racial group or ability only when relevant to the discussion.
- Avoid idioms, jargons, and acronyms: Jargon and acronyms can exclude people who may not have specialized knowledge of a particular subject and impede effective communication as a result
- If you aren’t sure, ask. Strive to include language that reflects peoples’ choice and style in how they talk about themselves.
Resources for specific technical changes
Sources
- https://www.educause.edu/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/resources
- https://www.avixa.org/about-us/a-culture-of-inclusion
- https://www.uwindsor.ca/humanresources/sites/uwindsor.ca.humanresources/files/serviceexcellence_wordsmatterweb.pdf