Welcome to Discussions

Nightengale:  I found your response both very informative and interesting.  Thank you.  Bonnie

 

DSB:  I was attempting to discuss the use of the terms as they effect our civil rights and "fund raising" in society, not so much as to how they personally effect us, or how people individually see us   As I said, I don't really have a big problem with Gimpy in my own little circle--I have a sense of humor.  Thank you, however, for giving the matter some thought. .

 

Hi Bonnie and anybody else out there. I am a caregiver and hear the term "dis-abled all the time. I always have to think about what that is saying to me and here goes- dis-ability to me means not the lack of ability so much as the lack of a tool or tools to allow an individual the means to perform a task. An example, if a person is in a w.c. and does not have the proper cutouts in the curbs to allow them to cross the street, they are disabled whereas if the cutouts are there, the individual is perfectly able to come or go as they please. That said, one of my biggest gripes is as a caregiver, the individuals I am working for have to rotate their lives around my schedule because I have many individuals I work with and because of the lack of caregivers qualified to work with individuals with mobility issues, I am in high demand. I think that is just wrong because you guys are the ones to pay the price and also lose out because some caregivers try to take control of your lives and that is pure B.S.

 Well then since it was directed towards me you have a really big like problem. I am older hence I got well like money nope it does not solve stuff but given to the right peolple change can happen. I do not think I will give to you rgroup and well choose to support disaboom as I can and people having open minds. I will repeat I am not a name I am a person when you get that your on your way.

.....a rose.....by any other name............is still ........a rose !

I worked in dog racing and people who make their living gambling consider themselves to be "professional handicappers", as in "it's hard to handicap this race.'  I could be a handicapped handicapper? 

As for "cap in hand" referring to begging, I don't have a problem with that.  Buddhists consider begging an honorable vocation.  The poor will always be with you. 

When did PITY and CHARITY become dirty words?  Pity is compassion, commiseration, sympathy.  We could do with more of that in this hard hearted world.  "Faith, Hope and Charity, the greatest of these is Charity."   (God bless SS)

I do not like INVALID..but crip or gimp works for me.  : )

 

 

bonniethesurvivor:

Lawrence:  I think your very literate post is quite funny, but I don't know where you got the definition, or how it applies to the issue I am raising regarding the presentation of this "community" regarding legal and financial issues for the general public (ref: the ADA revisions).    As (I see from your Profile) an artist, advocate and commentator, I would think the difference between using Gimp among ourselves and for public awareness raising through the arts, vs. legal presentation, would make sense.

 

Thank you! Very kind.  True, I do not know that using the word "gimp" in a legal sense would be at all helpful. I consciously use it however, because when people wince (and they almost always do), it gives me an opportunity to explain the various definitions.

Words are funny, socially constructed, often evolutionarily wicked, confusing things. Such fun to play with.

Allow me to put on my word freak hat for just a moment:  

Many people prefer innocuous phrases like "physically challenged" or worse yet, "differently-abled" which just kind of hang there without any real weight or evocation. To some that is considered a plus.  To me, such words say nothing about my experience so I avoid them. By playing it safe they've ceased to mean anything of consequence to anyone.  A sad fate for a word or phrase. 

"Handicapped" bothers me personally because as others have noted implicit in its origin is a larger than average sense of burden.   Contrary to popular belief, having cerebral palsy is no more a burden to me than being a man, buddhist or vegetarian is.  Sometimes troublesome, mostly not. I resent the inference because, well, linguistically speaking it isn't true.  In other words, don't "burden" me with words which reinforce incorrect assumptions. 

Now, on to disability... at its root "dis" as a prefix means “not, not any.” Assuming (I know, bad idea... but I'll risk it) I don't need to define ability, then it would be reasonable to conclude that disability literally means “a lack of ability.” Not so wild about that one either but 'tis true, however you slice or spin it I do not run so well. At its core, use of the word "disabled" -- whether you like it or not -- is usually more accurate than using "handicapped."

A bit more background: Dis- came into English from the Old French prefix des-, which in turn came from the Latin prefix dis-, which came from the adverb dis-, meaning “apart, asunder.” It is a common prefix that occurs very frequently in English in words such as discredit, disrepair, and disrespect.

Apart from ability?  Hmmm.  Does that imply a total lack of ability or or simply in part?

The debate continues... 

All best, Lawrence 

Even though i am in a Wheelchair i dont think of myself as being handicapped 

 I'm crutches and PT wheelchair...I can still do most things...don't feel disabled by any means

Joe