Question to disabled people, well anyone really.

I'm not disabled but have many friends active in the disability rights movement. This is an interesting article www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/22/language-of-disability-stereotypes-disabled-people

stree and you can’t speak on behalf of all disabled people either. I know many disabled people who are rightly imo furious at the dehumanising words used like a disabled. I follow Tanni GT on Twitter and other disabled people and there are lots of debates about this and many other issues - especially using public transport. TGT is furious when she’s referred to as a wheelchair as in ‘I’ve got two wheelchairs to load’ that is of course if passenger assistance has even bothered to turn up. BTW I use black cabs very frequently and they all take great care to drop me off as near as possible whilst being kind and polite - it’s not an either or.

stree Where have I claimed to speak for the disabled?

I have merely given my personal, non-disabled view of the question informed by my experience when my daughter was disabled.

MOnicas experiences are relevant as would be my dhs as he sees at first hand very often my problems and experiences

On holiday in India a train came slowly past with a carriage marked “Differently Abled” along the side. I wonder if we’re all differently abled in one way or another.

Differently abled isn’t a phrase I much care for as it’s fundementally meaningless - if it’s carriage that was wheelchair accessible it should just say that otherwise who was it meant for I wonder

I would imagine it would be wheelchair accessible - although, being India, there may have just been a lot of strong wiry blokes to assist. We were going on a safari and I found them very helpful as I sometimes had problems getting into the Gypsy trucks.

We are all just 'fares' to a taxi driver. He just happened to have a disabled one in that instance. Just a "working" expression.

As a pp has said, it’s common to use ‘working expressions’ between colleagues but when the passenger/patient/student whoever can hear you then it’s simply not acceptable.I’ve heard a taxi driver say to someone about me ‘can you give this lady a hand’ or words to that effect - but never ever in 20plus years of regular taxi use have I ever been referred to in my hearing as ‘a disabled’ . I’m just amazed at the apologists we get on GN - staggering

I think it is the same as referring to a person as a diabetic . They are someone who has diabetes not a diabetic .

Whilst the taxi driver was attempting to help by parking as close as he could, calling a woman ( or a man, or a child/ teenager) a ‘disabled’ it turn them into a ‘thing’ and is demeaning.Am sure there was no nastiness intended of course, but it’s an ignorant thing to do.