Why it’s a problem: It’s a bit ironic that the headline of this KFF article about funding cuts to programs and services impacting disabled people includes a slur against the disability community. According to etymonline.com, the word “cripple” originates from Old English, and was a historically offensive way to describe or refer to people who use mobility devices. Although some disabled people have reclaimed the term “crip,” the word “cripple” is widely considered offensive and should never be used to describe a disabled person.

The etymologies of “cripple” and “disable” indicate that both words have historically been used to refer to people, not objects. Therefore, when people use these words inappropriately to describe broken things (e.g., “crippled services”) or inoperative machinery (e.g., “a disabled vehicle”), they are revealing their true feelings about disabled people by suggesting that they see disabled people as “problems” (e.g., “the disabled vehicle was blocking traffic”), “broken,” or “turned off” i.e. “dead.”

While “disability” is not an offensive word, it is certainly offensive to use this word and its derivatives to refer to anything but disabled humans and other animals.

Source: KFF Health News