Inclusivity | Notion

Driveway is a comfortable place for anyone to buy, sell, or service a vehicle. To keep it that way, we avoid insensitive, outdated, and disrespectful language.

Overview

Our identities are made up of an assortment of external and internal factors, that makes every person unique. Some of these factors are clear visually, and others are less easy to see without getting to know someone. Inclusive designs let our users know that we respect them and that they belong here at Driveway.

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Inclusive language shows that we are not only aware of, but embrace, the vast diversity of people in the world. Inclusive expressions don’t assume gender or imply biased beliefs related to any personal characteristic.

Common phrases and colloquialisms we all use daily can be offensive in ways we don't even think about, and it's important to avoid letting them slip into our writing. Most often we think of things like gendered language, but we need to keep other considerations in mind as well.

Writing in plain language is an essential part of inclusive communication. Plain language makes information cognitively accessible for neurodiverse readers and people who have disabilities. It also doesn’t assume all people have the same literacy levels, or any prior knowledge on the topic they’re reading about.

The language we use should be:

Intentional and avoid flowery or unnecessary descriptions
Respectful
Accessible
Conscious of history, diversity, stereotypes, and cultures

Person-first language

Person first language recognizes that we are all individuals who are more than any one attribute.

To focus on the person and not the attribute, use phrasing like, "the person who..." instead of "the <attribute> person." For example, "people with low vision" rather than "the vision impaired."
Some communities prefer identity first language. For example, it is appropriate to say "the Deaf community." Lower case "deaf" refers only to the audiological condition, not to people.
When in doubt, be respectful first and foremost.

Avoid/Inappropriate	Use/Appropriate
The disabled, the handicapped	People with disabilities
Cripple, physically handicapped or wheelchair bound	A person with a physical disability/impairment or wheelchair user
Disease or defect	Condition
The Blind	People who are blind, partially sighted, visually impaired
The Deaf, Hearing Impaired	People who are deaf, Hard of Hearing

Gender-neutral language

Many languages have traditionally included gendered words for commonplace terms. English has moved away from this is general, for example mail carrier instead of mailman. Using gendered pronouns or other types of words can be alienating to large segments of our customer base.