‘Disabled’ is Not a Dirty Word

I wrote a Twitter piece on Book Riot’s use of ‘differently abled’ in place of ‘disabled’. (Their tweet has now been deleted.) As you might have guessed, I wasn’t too pleased, and I wanted to expand on it here. Here’s why.

Don’t use the phrase ‘differently abled’. It’s condescending. Not only that, but it implies that ‘disabled’ is a bad word. Much like many will use other adjectives to avoid using the word ‘fat’, the word ‘disabled’ carries dirt. It carries baggages. And that causes society to avoid it. “We don’t want to offend!” they claim. Great! Just use the word ‘disabled’. Because WE ARE. And it’s not a dirty word. It’s honest. It’s accurate. We know we’re not ‘able’. It’s not like you need to stage whisper it, or tiptoe around the issue. Use the word. Disabled folk do. We’d like it if you would too, if at the very least to start facing your ableist attitudes. After all, confronting your ‘isms’ — racism, sexism, ableism — starts with watching what you say and do. Think about your vocabulary. Think about why you’re using a particular phrase. Why are you using it? Could you use a better word/phrase that isn’t harmful? (Yes, you could, and you should.)

Why is it harmful? ‘Differently abled’ suggests we’re different in an odd way, an unusual way. That we’re, perhaps, not human or at human standards of ability. Which, by the way, is bullshit. Disabled people are human. We deserve respect, we deserve to live. We don’t want to be cosseted and handled like we’re an object you’re not sure what to do with. If you’re afraid of offending, pro tip — ASK. Or, you know, there’s the internet. Some disabled people are sick of explaining the offensive when you could so easily look for yourself. Google is your friend.

In summary? ‘Differently abled’ is offensive. Use ‘disabled’. It’s not a dirty word. It’s an accurate descriptor. So use it.

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Lily is a non-binary disabled writer, activist, and medievalist. She has a masters’ degree in medieval literature from the University of Edinburgh, and lives in England. You can find her on Twitter or on her Patreon, where she posts medieval non-fiction, poetry, and queer fantasy fiction.