Aibu to wish Americans didn't use the word handicaped

[Theblackdogagain]

I'm British living in Britain. My son is a wheelchair user and I'm sensitive about the language used around it. I'm listening to a brand new American audio book and they use the word handicapped. I know its still used there but it grates on me. AIBU even though I'm not American or living in USA?

Only by people who are trying to be intentionally offensive. The same as any other offensive word I assume in the UK as well it certainly not a "huge favorite" - I haven't heard it in years.

Steff in films etc

First of all I can't recall having heard it in a recent film, and secondly lots of offensive words are used in films depending on the time that they're set or what the audience is supposed to infer about the characters in the movie. It's not something commonly used in general language. That's a pretty spurious reason to imply that it's still widely used.

As other posters have pointed out, "retarded" has not been acceptable language in the US for a very long time. The term is intellectual disabilities or developmental disabilities or IDD. Also this is a good time to point out that in the US, "learning disabilities" means what in the UK is called "learning difficulties."

Also handicapped is not generally in use anymore. The most generally accepted way of referring to someone is a person with a disability. Increasingly though people are using disabled. This is, in part, a recognition of the social model of disability,

Also in the US, increasingly terms like "accessible parking" are being used.

Generally speaking, terms like "differently abled" are not used in the US by people who are sensitive to the concerns of people with disabilities. I disagree with posters to say that its use is increasing. Exactly the opposite, I would say.

That's because here, it's Roma/Romani themselves who are very insistent about it. And even in the UK there's a trend to use Roma instead of gypsy, especially for communities in continental Europe. The UK is the outlier.

@steff13

Unfortunately it's used a lot in American films and sit coma etc.
It was in a recent film, I want to say that new one with Julia Roberts and George Clooney but if not that film.. Something like that that.
. But it's a huge bug bear of mine so perhaps I notice it more than you??

There was an idea floated some time ago that car parks should have parking spaces for those who are ‘lesser abled’, meaning that they had mild mobility problems but didn’t qualify for blue badge parking. At the time I couldn’t see how it would work, and still can’t if I’m honest. Seems patronising.

I can't see how that would work.on every blue badge thread there are occasuonally some people saying they use the space even though they don't actually have a blue badge because c they feel.their needs justify it ,how would anyone police a lesser abled space ?

FALSE. It's absolutely offensive. 🙄

But to confuse things I think there is a community of people in south Africa who.identify as coloured?

Yes, they are a specific cultural group.

Please explain

I feel the same as you OP

Back in 2023 U.K. I absolutely hate how often I hear people described as ‘wheelchair bound’. Why can’t we view mobility aids as helpful adjustments to allow people to live with more ease and not some torture box they are strapped to. So demeaning.

I have a visual disability but would hate to be considered disabled.

I am not disabled, my eye condition handicaps me to a degree but it certainly does not disable me. I have no difficulty with the word handicapped.

@Muckysmucky

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloureds

Thank you. I must admit to getting very tied in knots around language and what is considered racist or offensive but also aware that it is for me to try and educate myself and not just ask people to do the work for me but it can be hard to know where to find the information .

@Muckysmucky I only know because of my own background, it's not something I'd necessarily expect someone in the UK to know about. Hopefully you find the article interesting.

But the word "bound" had multiple meanings, including being obligated and limited (the latter almost certainly being the root of the term "wheelchair bound", and which yes, is no longer used because people are not limited by a wheelchair, rather the opposite in fact as it enables them to do more) - why do you assume it means being strapped in to something?! This is the problem with English where words have multiple meaning - people seem to assume the most negative one they can find (see earlier invalid vs invalid)

Exactly. I think the idea was also that elderly people who had mobility issues could use them, but it’s unenforceable and muddies the boundaries IMO.

Exactly. I think the idea was also that elderly people who had mobility issues could use them, but it’s unenforceable and muddies the boundaries IMO.

Where I live (American South), they are fairly common for pregnant women and elders, but it's an honor system, not enforceable at law as accessible (disabled) parking is. I think it works reasonably well, but the culture probably has something to do with that.

The US/Canadian equivalent of the RDA was called The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association until quite recently. It's now the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship which I think is much better.

Rewatched The Usual Suspects (1995) recently; the Kevin Spacey character is referred to as "the cripple" more than once.