The politically correct term for someone who is disabled is actually "differently-abled". However, I have not actually heard a disabled person use this term as I don't really know of any or if I do, have not had this discussion with them. My question is, what label the disabled community prefer? I personally do like the differently-abled term because it shows we all have our own strengths.

    

I have personally never heard this term used before. I think that it is more appropriate as it is not that they can not do things it is just that they may do them in a different way. I personally hate lables but it is a part of our society to give everything a name and thus most think an appropriate place. I hate the fact and the looks I get when I tell people that my daughter is in the class for children with learning disabilites as it has been labled in our area. I get the look like ooh she is one of those kids, as if she is that different from their own and will never amount to anything . She is only 3 how do they know what her potential is. Who is to say that their own little darling will not grow up to be a brunden to society as a drug addict, murderer or worse. Ok I will get off my soap box now.

My son has Asperger's syndrome, and I admit that it is hard for me to read his IEPs and see him described as having a "disability". I know that it's just a label but I've never cared for the word. I do like "differently-abled" but haven't heard it much.

I agree that labels can be a negative thing. I also think some can find solitude and pride in labels. Such as being proud of your heritage and culture and want to pass it down to your children. However, when people seem to find ways to twist labels to make others feel better. Somehow it makes them feel better? I'm not sure. But thanks for your feedback, jhall and AG!

I hate labels too. My son has a speech impediment so it's considered a disability. He's been in Speech Therapy since kinder so his school records show that he's in special education. He was tested and qualified for the GT program but when the secretary saw his records, she scratched out that he qualified for GT. We questioned her about it and she says, "OH well I though that since he's in special education he couldn't possible qualify for GT."
What an ignorant person! We made her fix her mistake..she wasn't too happy about that. Kids and adults hear my son speak and they immediately think he's...I hate to use this word but they call him a "retard." He's in middle school and taking GT course and his classmates call him that too (we fixed that real quick). Hello kiddos, he's in the same class as them so that must mean they are stupid too.
Anyway I've taught my kid not to judge someone by the way they look or talk. And I tell him never to label anybody. It's not nice.

Healthy Momma, what is the GT program?

esper_d,
A GT program is for "gifted and talented" students in school. It's mainly set up for students that are beyond their grade levels for their age in school. In some school systems they get to design their own curriculum for the year. Most of them are offered college level courses. Then again, it's just one of those labels that is tacked on in society. Some parents don't want their children in a GT program because children have a tendency to get big egos. They are just developing socially and being in a GT program sets them above the rest of the students making them outcasts in the opposite direction.

Both my children were offered the GT program. What I did was allow them to try it out. They did well academically, but they felt that their friends were treating them differently, so they were streamed back into the regular curriculum. They both would have gotten good grades whether or not they were in the GT program.

DCMerkle

OK, the term just be different among schools, districts, and even states because I've never heard of the GT program here. When I was in high school, we had special ed, regular, enriched and honors.

I, too, had the idea of the ego and although I qualified for honors, I opted for enriched.