'handicapped'

[Shallishanti]

...your thoughts on this term please?
I am a v v junior student midwife and my mentor frequently uses this word to describe people's actual or potential dcs. My understanding is that it would be better to say ...a baby/child/person with (a) disability/disabilities.

IMO its pretty old fashioned, and possibly offensive.

yours is much better.

i would tend to describe my son as disabled.

not a word I would use, I would say the same as you.

Not personally over keen tbh..
I could be wrong but I think the term comes from 'cap in hand' and refers to begging to survive ( from a long time ago).

Not a great term. Beats the Spanish word hands down though (minusvalido).

Absolutely would not use this term.

A child with a disability would be a much better term if the specific nature of the disability is not known. I'd rather hear the correct term for the syndrome/disease used because that doesn't generalise or put the child in a box to such an extent.

It's nice to hear you are questioning it rather than accepting the term used by someone more senior. Do you feel able to challenge her or will you just use more acceptable terms yourself?

social services etc. refer to'children who are disabled'- inferring that they are disabled because of outside factors eg:access,prejudice etc.- As a parent of a child with CP.I would be unhappy with
handicapped,but have heard a lot worse.. and from'professionals'

old name
americans use it and old people
disabled or impaired seems to be the new term

well, that's the trouble really
like I say I am very junior (although not in years!) and I feel as if I have to be very careful not to upset her- she doesn't use the word in a disrespectful way, I couldn't fault her attitude, so all I do is keep using what to me is a more appropriate term. But it makes me wince. So an example is, (talking of the PKU test) ...'we do this test to find out about very rare conditions that can give the baby a handicap, but if we find out about it, it can be treated...'

what does that Spanish word mean, mariagoretti?

Hi shallishanti agree with everyone, not ok to use, (I am not a medic, but I do lecture in Social Work, my students as well as having a practice teacher also have support from a University tutor (me) do you have anyone on the accademic side who can advise how to 'challenge'). You could also perhaps open a conversation about what you are learning at Uni and how you are discussing language and you wondered what your mentor thought about it? that was you can have the discussion and she gets to feel you are respecting her experience...

Good Luck!

I went on a course at work before I had my kids about making spaces accessible for disabled people. I remember a list of terms that were deemed acceptable or not, such as 'wheelchair-user' preferable to 'wheelchair-bound'.
Handicapped was not acceptable. Arsenic is right about it coming from being 'cap in hand' and begging to survive, so lots of negative connotations.
I think getting an academic on side to help challenge is a good idea, or you could say that friends with disabilities/disabled children have said they find the term offensive these days.

Shallishanti I guess that Spanish word means invalid which I think we'd all agree is definitely worse than handicapped.

I understand your worries about addressing this. Think of it as part of your training. You will have times in your career when you have to manage awkward situations like this and learning this skill now will stand you in good stead later on.

Good luck

No handicapped not acceptable. I don't find it THAT offensive because as you say it is usually said without much predjudice by the user (unlike retard, spaz etc.), but the historical context is offensive and quite frankly there are better terms so why not use them?

I lived in Holland where the word for disabled in 'handicapped' and I grimaced every time I heard it. They do not use it in a derogatory way but we have been taught in this country that it's not the word to use. I do struggle with the word.
xx

Handicapped is a term that should only be used when referring to golf.

thanks for all your input - I wanted to check this was really something people cared about, and not just a fad. Signandsay, your suggestion is great, but I'm finding my mentor very sensitive to any perceived slight so I think I will just carry on using my preferred word and try not to wince too visibly. I know, I'm a wimp.

Not a wimp at all, You are just picking your battles... If you have to write up case studies from your placement this might be worth doing one on, as you can look at power differentials and challenging authority, as well as working in partnership with service users, (patients?) and inclusive practice...
All good buzz words!

Ps I would feed this back into the system at the Uni though as (what we would call) 'practice teachers' should be showing best practice and what she is doing, (well meaning as it is) is not that, also those of us who practice teach should all be willing and open to challenge from our students, how else do we continue to learn....

UNless of course she feels she has 'arrived' and knows it all....

thanks, that is a good idea, we have to write 'reflections', it would be a good starting point as you say it raises many issues.