Also written: Handicap, Handicapable
| Source | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|
| SumOfUs | 2016 | Avoid |
| Global Center for Journalism & Trauma | 2021 | Avoid |
| National Center on Disability and Journalism | 2021 | Avoid |
| Sierra Club | 2021 | Avoid |
| American Psychological Association | 2023 | Avoid |
| Diversity Style Guide | 2023 | Avoid |
“Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists: … handi-capable … handicapped … hearing-impaired … the disabled”
SumOfUs lists "handicapped" and "handi-capable" among the terms avoided or questioned by disability rights activists, contrasting them with preferred forms such as "disabled person" and "person with a disability."
“Disabled, Disability: Eschew outmoded terms that perpetuate negative stereotypes or evoke pity. … avoid terms like "handicapped" or "the disabled." Instead, give precise references to specific conditions.”
Where the other five sources mostly list "handicapped" as a term to drop, GCJT supplies the rationale the whole page shares: the word carries negative stereotypes and invites pity. Its preferred fix is also the most demanding — name the specific condition rather than reaching for a generic person-first substitute.
“Avoid using "handicap" and "handicapped" when describing a person. … The terms are still widely used and generally acceptable when citing laws, regulations, places or things, such as "handicapped parking," although many prefer the term "accessible parking."”
NCDJ — the chapter's anchor source — says to avoid "handicap" and "handicapped" for people, using the person's specific condition or "person with a disability" instead. It notes the terms survive in narrow legal/signage contexts ("handicapped parking"), though many prefer "accessible," and to avoid "handicapable."
“Avoid using "handicapped" to describe locations or items designed to make a space more accessible. … Use the term "accessible" instead — "accessible parking" and "accessible bathroom stall". …”
Sierra Club extends the avoidance even to facilities and signage, recommending "accessible" in place of "handicapped" for parking, restrooms, and other accommodations.
“Term to avoid: handicapped. Suggested alternative: person with a physical disability.”
APA's term-to-avoid table lists "handicapped" (and "handi-capable") among forms to avoid, prescribing the person-first "person with a physical disability" instead.
“Do not describe a person as handicapped unless it is central to the story. Avoid using handicap and handicapped when describing a person. Instead, refer to the person's specific condition.”
The Diversity Style Guide advises against describing a person as handicapped, pointing instead to the person's specific condition, while noting the terms persist in legal and signage contexts where many now prefer "accessible parking."
Every source avoids “handicapped” for describing a person. All six reject it in favor of the person’s specific condition or the person-first “person with a disability.” GCJT gives the reason the corpus shares: the term perpetuates negative stereotypes and evokes pity. The coinage “handicapable” is also rejected by the sources that address it (SumOfUs, NCDJ, APA). No source in the corpus endorses “handicapped” as a label for people.
The one live distinction is facilities and signage. NCDJ and the Diversity Style Guide note that “handicapped” survives in narrow legal and regulatory contexts, such as “handicapped parking,” while observing that many now prefer “accessible.” Sierra Club drops even that exception, telling writers to use “accessible parking” and “accessible bathroom stall” rather than “handicapped” for the spaces themselves. So the term’s last foothold, on signage, is itself moving toward “accessible.”
For people, the position is settled; for places, it is still moving. From SumOfUs (2016) through APA and the Diversity Style Guide (2023), avoidance of “handicapped” as a personal descriptor holds across the corpus. What changes over the period is the spread of “accessible” into the facilities vocabulary the older term once occupied. This page pairs with disability and accessible.