Meaning and Evolution of Handicapped | Generated by AI
Question: What does “handicapped” mean?
Answer:
“Handicapped” is an adjective or noun referring to a person who has a physical or mental disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities (e.g., walking, seeing, hearing, learning, working).
Key points
- Historical/older term: Widely used in the 20th century (e.g., “handicapped parking,” “handicapped accessible”).
- Current preference: Many disability advocates and style guides (e.g., AP Stylebook, ADA recommendations) now consider “handicapped” outdated or stigmatizing and prefer person-first (“person with a disability”) or identity-first (“disabled person”) language.
- Legal contexts: Still appears in some older laws (e.g., “handicapped” in parts of the U.S. Fair Housing Act), but newer laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) use “disability” or “person with a disability.”
- In sports/competitions: “Handicap” (noun/verb) is still commonly used in golf, horse racing, etc., to mean an advantage given to equalize competition.
In modern everyday English, especially in the U.S. and UK, “disabled” or “person with a disability” is generally the more respectful and preferred term.