Disabled vs handicapped

At one time I thought I'd do research within the realm of disability studies. Looks like that's not gonna happen anytime soon. But, a thought:


"Handicapped" used to be the preferred term; then it was changed to "disabled".

But if you think about the actual meanings of the word, "handicapped" is much more correct.


"Handicapped" means that have some characteristic that makes it a bit harder for you. But the expectation is that you can still achieve: you'll just have to work a bit harder than other folks. Golfing handicaps, for example.

"Disabled", on the other hand, means that something has happened that you **can't** achieve: you've been scuttled. "There's a disabled vehicle on Route five", for example.


Thus -- in my assessment -- more people with a physical thing that makes it harder for them than most other folks (e.g., not being able to stand up) are "handicapped", not "disabled".

So sez I.


--GG