When it comes to disability there are a lot of terms that disabled people can use to identify and there is no term that I can tell you that I think everyone should be using because everyone has different preferences and even though I use certain language when referring to my disability that doesn’t mean all disabled people should be talking in the same way I do. There are so many ways to identify as a disabled person and there is no right or wrong way and it is up to the individual, but I don’t like most of them and would prefer people call me disabled instead of special needs or handicapped. Since there are so many ways a disabled person can identify it’s so important that we learn what these different terms mean before using them because a lot of language that refers to a disability some disabled people may consider offensive or ableist. In this post, I am going to talk about some common words people use to identify a disability that can be harmful.
Differently-abled– There is nothing technically wrong with the term differently-abled because it’s just another way of saying disabled and some people may prefer to call themselves differently-abled and that is okay. It can be harmful when you tell a disabled person that you aren’t disabled but differently-abled. No, I am not differently-abled and would prefer you use the word disabled and not tell me how you think I should identify. Most people that I hear using the term differently-abled non-disabled people who are uncomfortable with my disability or disabled people who have yet to accept it. I don’t like to use the term differently abled when referring to my disability because it implies that disability is bad and that I am not disabled but it doesn’t matter what terms you choose to use it doesn’t change the fact I am still disabled. If you know a disabled person who prefers to call themselves differently-abled you should honor that but if someone does not like that term you should not use it.
Handicapped– I grew up using the word handicapped because I was raised by non-disabled people who probably didn’t know the true meaning of it and was not bothered by it because it’s so normalized in today’s society. The word handicapped has been used since the 1800s but today it’s considered an outdated, unacceptable, and disrespectful term that people who prefer to call themselves disabled may consider offensive or ableist because it implies inability. I don’t think people are going to stop using the word handicapped any time soon because it’s such a normalized term that a lot of people aren’t bothered by and use without thinking about it. Some disabled people may choose to call themselves handicapped and depending on how you are using it there may be some instances where it might be okay, but it is important to know where someone stands before referring to them as handicapped. I stopped using the word handicapped because there is a lot of negativity surrounding that word and I wish people around me would stop using it too.
Special needs– Special needs is another term that is used everywhere and pretty much anything for disabled people is labeled as special needs. People I know sometimes will refer to me as special needs but I have never referred to myself in that way and have always hated that term because it isolates disabled people and implies that the needs of disabled people are “special”. I need more help than non-disabled people, but my needs aren’t special, and I have the same human needs everyone else has. I wish people would stop referring to my disability as “special needs” and just call me disabled.
Handicapable- I would refer to myself as handicapped before I ever thought about using the term handicapable and you might as well call yourself handicapped because all you are doing is taking the two words and putting them together. I would argue that the term handicapable is even more ableist than using the term handicapped because it looks at disability through the lens of non-disabled people and implies that I am disabled but I am still normal and capable. It is healthy to use the term disabled and many people prefer to use and when you use terms like handicapable it turns disability into a negative and ignores that challenges of my disability. Some disabled people will prefer to call themselves handicapable and you should honor that but most people who use it are non-disabled and uncomfortable around disability.
Wheelchair-bound/confined to a wheelchair– Most non-disabled people refer to someone who as a wheelchair as wheelchair-bound or confined to a wheelchair because it’s such a normalized term but it is considered incorrect and offensive toward people who use wheelchairs and the correct term is wheelchair-user. Wheelchair-bound is such a negative term and when I hear it, the first thing that comes to mind is restriction and chains that you can’t come out of. I use a wheelchair, but I am not bound or confined to it because I can get out of it. Wheelchairs are freedom and when you refer to someone as wheelchair-bound it takes something that can be a positive and turns into a negative. We need to stop using the term wheelchair-bound because I don’t know a lot of disabled people who refer to themselves as wheelchair-bound and most people who use it do not have a disability.
Able-bodied- Able-bodied is a term that disabled people often will use when referring to a non-disabled person. I am not personally bothered by the term able-bodied but it can be offensive toward some disabled people because it implies that disabled people lack able bodies which is why I stopped using that term on my blog. Most disabled people that I know aren’t bothered by the term able-bodied but it is considered incorrect and some people might be offended by it.
Retarded- Disabled people do not always use the same type of language but something most of us can agree on is the harms of using the word retarded. The word retarded should not be in vocabulary it makes fun of people with severe intellectual disabilities and implies you are as stupid as them. Please take the word retarded out of your vocabulary because it’s insulting toward the disabled community and is considered offensive!
When it comes to disability, there is a lot of different terms you can use to identify a disability, but not all disabled people are going to prefer the same type of language. There are a lot of different terms that may be considered ableist but even though a term is not politically correct that doesn’t mean we can’t use them because every disabled person is going to have a different opinion. In this post mentioned common terms when referring to a disability that can be considered ableist or offensive that I don’t personally use to identify but I am not trying to tell you not to use them and I am only sharing my opinion as one disabled individual. The main point of this post was to show you what different terms mean so you can decide if you want to use them. I did not mention every single term that could be considered ableist because there are a lot of ways to identify as a disabled person but if you are unsure if you are using offensive terms you can always ask disabled people. What terms do you use to identify your disability? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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