How Does The Word Disabled Disabilities Have Changed Over The Years?

When people think of “disabled” the words incapable, broken down, powerless come to mind, But they are not they are so unbelievably strong, because they have learned to go through life in a completely new way which is just what makes them beautiful.

Disabled. Disabled is a word commonly defined as being physically or mentally impaired, injured, or incapacitated (dictionary.com). There's a stigma over the word disabled with its negative connotation. Nancy Mairs, author of “I Am a Cripple, dislikes this word because she thinks that the English language incorporates too many euphemism in our speech. Mairs wants people to use more straightforward language, even if it might be offensive to others. In “ I Am a Cripple”, Mairs eloprates on how she became disabled from the disease multiple sclerosis or (M.S). M.S., a disease that attacks the central nervous system and often disables or cripples the person who has this disease. To describe her first symptoms of M.S.(infinitive phrase) Mairs flashbacks to when she was in college. Also how some days she wishes she was not disabled. Allusions in Nancy Mairs’s “I Am a Cripple” provide a deeper understanding of her complex feelings of having M.S.

In “On Being a Cripple,”  Nancy Mairs describes her life as a “cripple,” being treated different for her multiple sclerosis. She describes how society views her as handicapped or disabled both which are terms that the author dislikes.  Her viewpoint makes readers question their own beliefs on how the terms handicapped, disabled, or cripple influences a person to think differently about each term and its meaning. One of the reasons I chose this essay was because the author shows how different terms could affect the way society thinks about a person. Mairs believes that society often judge others based on their physical appearance and use the terms handicapped, disabled, or cripple to label. She argues that the outcome of this is creates an idea where being a cripple, or being disabled is considered a taboo where you're expected to be treated differently. Mairs claims that society i

Looking back in the past, there have been many features, and true definitions of the word disability. In the 1970s a group called the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation defined disability as the disadvantage or restriction of activity cased by social organizations. U.S disability activists made efforts during the 1970s to form different alliances with the disability community, that protested for the inclusion of disability discrimination under the Rehabilitation act. Thereafter there was a medial model at looking at disability, that views disability as an individual shortfall. In

In a debate between the social construction of disability and the medical model, I would side with social construction of disability. Prior to reading Chapter 3 of Rethinking Disability, I would have sided with the medical model since that was the only approach I was made aware of. In all of my studies, this is the method that I was shown. I was taught that if a student presents symptoms of having a disability, the teacher would include the parents and the student to undergo all of the steps such as, the examination, diagnosis, prescription, and follow up. We are so used to this process that we do not look beyond it to analyze what this really means. As stated in the chapter, after these students are diagnosed with all these labels, society

It has an honorable history, having made its first appearance in the Lindisfarne Gospel in the tenth century. As a lover of words, I like the accuracy with which it describes my condition: I have lost the full use of my limbs. "Disabled," by contrast, suggests any incapacity, physical or mental. And I certainly don't like "handicapped," which implies that I have deliberately been put at a

A disability is a condition of impairment--a physical or mental condition--that limits a person’s activities or functioning. Handicap is used when legally specifying life processes or social activities that adversely affect a person’s functioning. A handicap is much more limiting than a disability.

Choosing a word to describe many different disabilities along with the way they live their lives. Sometimes not even considering the feelings of others, just using the label to not offend themselves. Mairs states,“I don’t care what you call me, so long as it isn’t ‘differently abled,’ which strikes me as pure verbal garbage designed, by its ability to describe anyone, to describe no one” (Mairs). Mairs has no care for the words people call her, she believes they are only protecting themselves. It makes it easier for them to recover if someone got offended. Everyone has a choice what to be called. If Mairs wants to be called crippled, so be it. You’re not her and living the way she has to every

While saying someone is handicapped might be the socially acceptable thing to do, Mairs argues that it makes no sense, saying that the definition of handicapped is someone deliberately put at a disadvantage, which she sees as absurd because no one has put her in her condition. Maris shows her tone of annoyance by calling words like “handicapped” and “differently abled” as “pure verbal garbage”. Maris hints to the reason of this improper usage of words to the want of making things seem less detrimental as they are. She lists examples of how people refer to countries as “under developing” but not “undeveloped” as a way for society to place hope into something that just isn’t there. Mairs relates this to her cause since her condition will never get better and therefore people should stop avoiding her issue and see her for who she really is. She openly challenges people to call her what she wants to be called, a “cripple”. Maris tells how she sees words such as handicapped as a “hint at the truth”. Mairs tells that society won’t be able to change easily, and she says crippledness will stay in the realm of socially uneasy words just like

Disabilities have been used to discriminate on people who have them and people who do not.

What socio-historical factors play into the social construction of disabilities? Please be specific and provide examples to support your answers.

Merely from knowing that a person is disabled they form wrong opinions about other unrelated characteristics of that person. Like people treat one who is mute as in they are deaf by talking in a high-pitch tone.

This is exemplified in the World Health Organisation definition of impairment, disability and handicap. Impairment is a physiological, psychological or anatomical abnormality, while disability is the abnormality in terms of activity and handicap is the inability to fill a normal role due to the impairment. (reference required-1) Notice the emphasis on normality and the specified cause of the

It is human nature to despise those that are different than normal. Everyone has a different perception of normal and when someone cuts that boundary it results in discrimination. Some people also tend to dislike the disabled due to their own weaknesses, to hide their own failures they will look down upon the handicap to make themselves feel better. Some people's self-esteem is so tiny that they have to find someone "lower than them" to feel superior. Also society perceives the disabled as useless, powerless and inefficient human beings, which also contributes to the ideology that leads to the discrimination against the disabled. Psychological and cultural influences also result in discrimination against the disabled. Hence, we can conclude that the fact that the disabled are “different” is what leads to the discrimination against them.

Disabled people are those whose impairments, physical or mental, restrict them, affecting their daily lives, ability to cope and employment prospects. (Madden, D, 1999).