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Coronavirus Plain Language Glossary

Words To Know

These are words you may be hearing or seeing due to the Coronavirus 

outbreak. These definitions were written by a team of self-advocates and 

their aspiring allies. This glossary goes with Plain Language Tips For

Working With Support Staff During COVID-19. 

1. Advisory - a notice or warning given to 

protect you. It says what you should and 

should not do. The governor in your state 

is sending out advisories about the 

Coronavirus.

2. Agency - a place where people with disabilities get services. 

3. Agency Crisis Number - if you are in an emergency, you call this 

number to get help. You get this number from your agency. Ask your 

case manager to write the number down.

4. Airborne - in the air. For example, if you 

sneeze germs travel through the air.

5. Alerts - warnings of a dangerous 

situation.

6. Anxiety - being nervous, feeling afraid, 

worried something bad is going to happen.
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7. Asthma - this illness is in your lungs. Your 

airways swell up and it is hard to breath. This 

is a long-term illness. Some people get better.

Others have trouble breathing their whole life.

8. Cases - number of people who have the virus.

9. Cardiovascular - having to do with your heart and blood vessels.

10. CDC (Center for Disease Control) - a

department in the United States government.

They protect people from getting sick. The CDC is 

a leader in the fight against the Coronavirus. 

11. Checklist - a list made to keep track of what is needed. It shows what 

is completed and not completed. 

12. Chronic Bronchitis - the tubes that carry air to your lungs swell up. 

You cough a lot and have a hard time breathing. It lasts a long time.

13. Clean and disinfect - to wash something and 

to kill germs and viruses. For example, use a 

half of cup of bleach in 1 gallon of water to kill 

germs. Or use a wipe that has 50% - 70% 

alcohol.

14. Contagious - a person who has an illness might get you sick too. The 

illness spreads from one person to another.

15. COPD - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – an illness in the 

lungs that makes breathing hard. It gets worse over time.

www.cdc.gov
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16. Coping - dealing with a hard situation.

17. COVID-19 - it is a new illness spreading around the world. Its 

nickname is coronavirus.

18. Curfew - a time of day when you need to be in your house.

19. Electronic devices - are computers, 

phones, tablets, etc.

20. Diabetes - an illness that happens when you have too much sugar in 

your blood. It also means you have a problem with turning the food you 

eat into energy.

a. Type 1 Diabetes - the person does not make any 

insulin. Insulin is a chemical in your body that helps 

you turn the food you eat into energy.

b. Type 2 Diabetes - the person makes some insulin. 

Insulin is a chemical in your body that helps you 

turn the food you eat into energy.

21. Discrimination - Treating people badly because 

of who they are. The United States Office of Civil 

Rights said clearly that people with disabilities 

should get the same medical care as everybody 

else. Taking away medical care because of a 

disability is a type of discrimination.

22. Dry cough - a cough that is not wet. There is no mucus.
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23. Elders - people that are over the age of 65.

24. Emergency Contact Information - numbers you 

can call in case you are in an emergency. For 

example: 911, your doctor, family member, support 

staff, etc.

25. Emphysema - a lung disease that makes it 

hard for you to catch your breath. 

26. Energy - the power you get from food or from exercising. Find ways to 

keep exercising when you are staying at home.

27. Epidemic - an illness that most people get.

28. Epidemiology - studying 

how an illness starts and 

how it spreads.

29. Exposure - to be around 

something. To come in 

contact with something.

30. Fever - your body gets hot to try to fight off a 

virus. If your fever is 100.4 or higher, call your 

doctor.

31. Flu - it is like having a bad cold, but worse. You feel sleepy, weak, and 

your muscles may ache.
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32. Flattening the Curve - the red tall mountain shows how many people 

might get sick if we do nothing. The green 

smaller hill shows how many people will 

get sick if we stay home. The green is

better. If too many people get sick at the 

same time we cannot help them.

33. Guidelines - list of instructions that doctors and scientists have 

agreed on.

34. Hand washing - use lots of soap and water. Rub soap on all parts of 

your hands for 20 seconds. Sing Happy Birthday two 

times that is about 20 seconds. Then put your hands 

under running water and wash away all the soap and 

germs.

35. Health Department - a public office in every state that helps people 

manage their health.

36. Isolation - these rules are for a sick 

person who has the Coronavirus. Stay

home. Do not go outside. Stay in a 

separate room in your house, away 

from others. It possible use your own bathroom. Wear a mask when 

you come out of your room. Clean and disinfect everything you touch.

37. Medication - Prescribed by your doctor to help you maintain your 

health. There are no approved meds that cure Coronavirus.

6 feet is the 

length of a bed 

or couch
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38. Meditation - A person may be quiet, close 

their eyes, and/or focus on their breathing. You 

will feel relaxed. It can be done by yourself or with 

others. 

39. Mitigation - What we all are doing to reduce the spread of the virus.

For example, staying home, staying 6 feet away from others.

40. NIH - National Institutes of Health. (Where Dr. Anthony Fauci works!) 

A department in the United States government that does research on 

why people get sick.

41. Normal temperature - When your body is 98.6 degrees. 

42. Pandemic - an illness that 

spreads around the world.

43. Panic - a sudden and intense feeling of being scared. 

44. Pedometer - is a small device like a watch that you can 

wear on your wrist. It counts every step you take. 

Even though you are stuck at home 

try to get 4,000 steps a day.
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45. PCA or Personal Care Attendant or 

Assistant - support staff who work with 

people with disabilities in their home. They 

may help them eat, bathe, use the 

bathroom, get in and out of bed, take meds 

or do some housework.

46. Physical activity - Something you do with your body. Walking is a 

physical activity. Keep active when you are staying at home.

47. Pneumonia - is an illness when you get an infection in your lungs.

48. Prescription - medicine your doctor tells you to take. 

49. Prevention - what you can do to avoid getting sick. 

50. Provider - A place where you get support or health care services. 

51. Quarantine - These rules are for 

people who are not sick and have 

been near someone who has the 

Coronavirus. Stay home. If possible, 

stay in a separate room in your house. 

Do not go outside. It is done to slow the spread of an illness. The 

governor of your state will say how long you must stay home.

52. Relaxation Techniques - things you can do to 

reduce stress. For example, yoga, singing, 

dancing, watch a funny movie or daydreaming.
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53. Respiratory Problems - having trouble

 breathing and/or coughing a lot.

54. Sanitize - is the same as clean and disinfect. 

55. Self-Care Plan - how you will take care of yourself or get the help you 

need. The plan should be in writing.

56. Shelter-In Place Order - a Governor says stay where you are.

57. Social Distancing - when in public stay 6 feet away from others. It 

really is about physical distancing. If you are next to someone. 

• You put your arm out. 

• They put their arm out. 

• And you should not be touching.

58. Stay at Home Order - Stay home. Do not go to work or school. 

• Can I go outside? Yes. Stay 6 feet away from people.

• Can I get groceries or medication? Yes. Stay 6 feet away from 

people.

59. Stimulus Check - The government is sending $1,200 to each person 

who makes less than $75,000 a year. People on SSI and SSDI need to 

sign up to get a check. Go to https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus

60. Stress - your body and mind reacting to a 

difficult situation. A feeling of pressure.

61. Symptom - A change in your body that might mean you are sick. For 

example: a fever, dry cough, or having a hard time breathing.
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62. Testing - checking to see someone has an 

illness. There are different kinds of tests. A 

nurse may put a swab up your nose.

63. Therapist - A counselor. A person who is skilled in helping someone 

control their emotions or deal with problems.

64. Thermometer - A device used to see how warm your body is. It 

measures your body temperature. You put the device in your mouth, 

under your tongue and wait. In the hospital they run the device over 

your forehead and neck.

65. Treatment - The care or medicine you get to feel better.

66. Triage - If there are a lot of sick people at the hospital, there are rules 

to decide who gets helped first. Who gets treatment first?

67. Unlearn - stop doing a habit. For example, during the Coronavirus we 

must stop shaking hands or standing next to someone.

68. Vaccine - a shot that protects you from getting 

the flu or other illnesses.

69. Virus - a sickness you get when germs get into your body.

70. Wheeze - there is a whistling sound when the person is breathing. 

They are having trouble breathing.

71. Zoom - a free app to have a video call with up to 100 people for 40 

minutes. It can be used on a smart phone, computer or tablet. If you 

pay money you can have video calls for longer.
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Resources Used To Create This Glossary

These plain language definitions were written by a team of self-advocates 

and their aspiring allies from Green Mountain Self-Advocates. Some 

definitions were adapted from information from the following resources.

“Everyday Words for Public Health Communication.” Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,

https://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/everydaywords/

“Plain Language Medical Dictionary.” University of Michigan Taubman 

Health Sciences Library, https://www.lib.umich.edu/taubman-healthsciences-library/plain-language-medical-dictionary

This publication is supported in part by an agreement 

from the Administration on Disabilities, Administration 

for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services. Grantees undertaking projects under 

government sponsorship are encouraged to express 

freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or 

opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent 

official Administration on Disabilities policy.

The Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center 

(SARTAC) seeks to strengthen the self-advocacy movement by supporting 

self-advocacy organizations to grow in diversity and leadership. The 

resource center is a project of Self Advocates Becoming Empowered 

(SABE). Green Mountain Self-Advocates is a SARTAC partner. SARTAC 

https://selfadvocacyinfo.org/ is a Developmental Disabilities Project of 

National Significance, funded by the Administration For Community Living –

Administration on Disabilities.