On Tue, 15 Jan 2019 at 20:45, Graeme Fitzpatrick <[email protected]> wrote:
> It was mentioned earlier that both handicapped & disabled are no longer > "nice" words, & are currently changing to "special needs". > > So how about "Mapping the special needs of people with disabilities"? > But that still mentions "disabilities." So if you want to avoid the terms that are no longer "nice" then "Mapping for people with special needs." However, whilst that is unambiguous in Leftpondia, over here in Rightpondia it is often associated with education rather than used as a more general term. But you can probably get away with it. Not that it matters much. "Special needs" is also destined for the scrap heap of euphemisms that are now used as insults. It's too easy to use it insultingly. We won't have a stable term until it's longer and harder to say. So be prepared to rename the page at some future time. Think I'm joking? There are a number of medical conditions with similar symptoms. Not long after the end of WWII an umbrella term was coined for them. The parents of sufferers were literally *overjoyed* that there was now a name for the condition because it was no longer perceived as being ignored by the medical profession. In 1946 the Scottish Council for the Care of Spastics was formed; in 1951 the Spastics Society was formed in England. Those attitudes changed when "spastic," "spaz" and "spazbo" became insults children hurled at one another. Although "spastic" is not seen as being particularly bad in the US, it is considered very offensive in the UK. And so now, in the UK, we use the term "cerebral palsy sufferer" instead of "spastic." It's hard to casually hurl "cerebral palsy sufferer" as an insult. And so it is with "special needs." "Handicapped" was once a term indicating god had balanced an unusually good soul with physical difficulties so that it would not have an unfair advantage. But that became used disparagingly, so "disabled" was used. But those with special needs felt that was too dismissive and that they were* differently* abled. But that didn't last and now they have special needs. But already that can be used insultingly by referring to somebody as "special" in a certain tone of voice. None of the above is intended to disparage those who face challenges in their lives. Their problems are real and they deserve our help in making OSM cater to their needs. It's a rant against humanity in general for turning what should be sympathetic terms into insults, only ceasing to do so when we come up with terms too unwieldy to be used insultingly. -- Paul
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