PC Language

I don’t think that we are ever going to find a perfect way to refer to people with disabilities, unfortunately.

There are a lot of kooky attempts to find politically correct language. As with all minorities and subgroups, different members will have different feelings about it and everyone should be respectful of that.

There may be those who like the phrase “differently abled.” To me it sounds ridiculously, over-the-top cutesy and condescending.

The phrase “handicappable” makes me want to throw up.

But as usual, my opinion isn’t really the one that matters. Here’s an essay I like:
“Differently-abled”

There is no good word to use for this, there really isn’t. I resonate with the idea that society is what makes a person disabled, that no disability exists until there is a barrier within the environment, but for practicality, people still want to draw lines and create labels.

It bothers me when people focus on the differences, rather than on the human.

Do those of us who walk really need to distinguish those who use a wheelchair as so very different? I wear glasses, but no one is rushing to put me in a whole different category. I think the only time someone being a wheelchair user is relevant is when something directly related to the wheelchair is relevant. To continue my comparison, me being someone who wears glasses is only notable if I go somewhere where I am required to read a sign without them (Ridiculous, right? That would never happen. Why then do we still have inaccessible buildings? It’s just as ridiculous).