Handicap and disability are used for people who have special needs and both these terms are closely related with each other. Due to this, they can be interchangeably used by people.
To be called any of both the terms, individuals may experience low self-esteem, social stigma and support system issues.
Key Takeaways
- Handicapped implies a disadvantage or restriction caused by a physical or social barrier, whereas a disabled focus on the individual’s impairment.
- Disabled is the preferred term, as it acknowledges the functional limitation without perpetuating negative stereotypes.
- Language around disability has evolved, shifting towards person-first language and emphasizing ability rather than limitation.
Handicapped vs Disabled
The difference between handicapped and disabled is that to be a handicap is to have not as much opportunities to be involved in activities as compared to the majority of the population whereas to be disabled is to have a lack of ability in carrying out an activity that is considered normal by the community.
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Also, handicap is considered as a disadvantage or a difficulty while disability is considered as a condition or an inability. A disability can also be explained as a reduced capacity of an individual to specifically perform a movement, execute a cognitive function or to detect certain sensory information.
On the other hand, handicap mainly focuses on the obstacles experienced by an individual due to some restrictions in the environment. In other words, the effect of a disability is a handicap.
For many people, the term handicapped is condescending or offensive as it is often related to begging.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Handicapped | Disabled |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To be a handicap is to have less or limited opportunities to be involved in activities as compared to the majority of the population. | To be disabled is to have a lack of ability in carrying out an activity that is considered to be normal by the community. |
| Internal/External | Being a handicap is denoted to be an external source as it is focused on the obstacles an individual faces in communication, education, occupation and others. | Being disabled denotes an internal source as it is focused on the reduced capacity of an individual to perform activities due to illnesses, trauma, accidents, heredity and other conditions. |
| Lack or restrictions | Handicaps have a lack or restrictions of opportunities. | Disabled people have a lack or restriction of ability. |
| Body part | A loss of function of a specific body part is more associated with handicap. | Disability is generally a lifelong condition and thus is less associated with the loss of function of a body part. |
| Sports | Handicapped is more linked with sports. | Disability is less linked with sports. |
What is Handicapped?
To be handicapped is to have not as many opportunities to be involved in activities as compared to the majority of the population. Being a handicap is denoted to be an external source.
It is focused on the obstacles an individual faces in communication, education, occupation and others related things. Handicaps have a lack or restrictions of opportunities.
A loss of function of a specific body part is more closely associated with handicap. Also, handicapped is more closely linked with sports.
There are sports like tennis handicap, golf handicap for these people. The challenges faced by handicaps are less than the disabled people as it deals with difficulty and not inability.
For many people, the term handicapped is condescending or offensive as it is related to begging. The effect or consequence of a disability is a handicap.
What is Disabled?
To be disabled is to have a lack of ability in carrying out an activity that is considered normal by the other people in the community. Being disabled denotes an internal source.
It is focused on the reduced capacity of an individual to perform activities that other people normally do due to some illnesses, trauma, accidents, heredity and other conditions. Disabled people have a lack or restriction of ability.
It is generally a lifelong condition such as blindness, cerebral palsy or intellectual disability and thus is less associated with the loss of function of a body part. For example, a blind person who was born blind is more likely to experience obstacles in navigating, reading and other activities throughout his life.
The challenges faced by disabled people are very much as it deals with inability to do a certain thing.
Main Differences Between Handicapped and Disabled
- To be handicapped is to have less opportunities to be involved in activities as compared to the majority of the population whereas to be disabled is to have a lack of ability in carrying out an activity that is considered normal by the community.
- Being a handicap is denoted to be an external source as it is focused on the obstacles an individual faces in education, occupation, communication and others while being disabled denotes an internal source as it is focused on the decreased capacity of an individual to perform activities that are considered normal for other people due to any illnesses, trauma, accidents, heredity and other related conditions.
- Handicaps have a lack of opportunities whereas disabled people A loss of function of a specific body part is more associated with handicap than disability.
- Handicapped is more closely linked with sports than disability.
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/073428299000800404
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305417988800044
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
