Handicap and disability are closely related terms which are often used concerning people with special needs. As they are very close synonyms, they are usually interchangeably used. In both situations, social stigma, low self-esteem, and support system issues may be experienced by the individuals.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a handicapped person to have a loss or limited opportunities in being involved in activities as compared to the majority of the population. A handicap is the effect of a disability. It focuses on an obstacle experienced by a person due to a restriction in the environment.

Origin of the Term Handicap

For many, handicap may seem as an odd word. In fact, it was only linked to the essence of physical disability in 1915 even if the word was already used centuries back. The following accounts are related to the origin of the term:

• The word “handicap” is said to have originated in 1504 when King Henry VII proclaimed that disabled veterans can legally beg. With their “cap in hand”, people with disabilities went to the streets; hence, “hand-in-cap”. However, several authors claim that this is a false origin of the term.
• Most sources claim that the origin is a lottery game called “hand-in-cap” which was played in the 1600s. Basically, the barter game involved putting forfeit money into a cap and the owner of the less valuable item has to pay up. The term then evolved to “hand i’cap” which became “handicap”.
• Overtime, “handicap” was linked to equity as it was commonly used in sports to make a certain competition fairer. For instance, faster horses were made to carry weights so they could be more on par with the slower ones.
• The term became widely understood as a way or condition to limit or impede.
• In 1915, “handicap” was first employed in connection with disability when it pertained to children with mobility impairments.
• In the 1950s, “handicap” was also applied to adults as well as those with intellectual disabilities.
• In the 1970’s, “handicapped” had been the legal term concerning social services.

WHO defines a disabled individual to have any lack of ability in carrying out an activity in the means viewed as normal by the community. A disability is a reduced capacity to specifically perform a movement, detect certain sensory information, or execute a cognitive function. It is generally a lifelong condition such as blindness, intellectual disability, and cerebral palsy. For instance, a person who was born blind will likely experience restrictions in reading, navigating, and other related activities in his lifetime.

How “Disabled” Replaced the Term “Handicapped”

As the term “handicap” was associated with begging, a number of groups felt that it was not appropriate. In 1990, the American with Disabilities Act was passed and “handicapped” became passé. The activists who fought for the act chose the term “disability” as an acceptable euphemism.

1. Definition of Handicapped and Disabled

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of “handicap” is “a disadvantage that makes achievement usually difficult” while “disability” is defined as “a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks…”

1. Internal/External of Handicapped and Disabled

Being handicapped denotes an external source as it is focused on the obstacle in education, communication, occupation, and other kinds of environment. On the other hand, being disabled is internal as it is centered on an individual’s reduced capacity to perform certain activities which is mainly attributed to illness, accidents, trauma, heredity, and other related conditions.

1. Ability of Handicapped and Disabled

As compared to being handicapped, being disabled is more centered on the lack or restriction of ability to accomplish an activity.

1. Lack of Opportunities for Handicapped and Disabled

As compared to being disabled, being handicapped is more focused on the loss or limitation of opportunities.

1. Challenges for Handicapped and Disabled

Generally, being disabled may face more challenges than being handicapped as the former concerns “inability” while the latter deals with “difficulty”. Hence, a handicapped situation reflects partial disability while a disabled condition communicates helplessness.

1. Body Part

A loss of function of a body part is more closely associated with handicap than disability. This may be also due to its well-known wheel chair symbol.

1. Sports of Handicapped and Disabled

Handicap is more often associated with sports as it covers having a disadvantage in professional sport such as tennis handicap, golf handicap, and the like.

1. Diplomatic Terms for Handicapped and Disabled

As compared to “handicap”, “disability” is more politically correct. Many feel that the term “handicap” is condescending. In fact, some dictionaries define “handicap” as “sometimes offensive” as it is associated with begging.

1. Consequence

Handicap is the consequence of disability as it is the experienced disadvantage. On the other hand, disability is the condition of having a reduced capacity to perform.

1. First Usage of Term

Handicap as a term has a longer history as records show that it was first used in the 1500s-1600s. On the other hand, “disability” has a shorter history as it only replaced “handicap” in 1990.

• Since the difference is very subtle, handicap and disability are often used interchangeably.
• Handicap is having the loss or limited opportunities in being involved in activities as compared to the majority of the population.
• Disability is the lack of ability in carrying out an activity in the means viewed as normal by the community.
• Handicap is defined as a disadvantage and a difficulty while disability is defined as a condition and inability.
• As compared to being “disabled”, “handicapped” is more offensive.
• As a term, “handicap” has a longer history as compared to “disability”.

On this page:

• What is American Sign Language?
• Is sign language the same in other countries?
• Where did ASL originate?
• How does ASL compare with spoken language?
• How do most children learn ASL?
• Why emphasize early language learning?
• What research does the NIDCD support on ASL and other sign languages?
• Where can I find additional information about American Sign Language?

American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, natural language that has the same linguistic properties as spoken languages, with grammar that differs from English. ASL is expressed by movements of the hands and face. It is the primary language of many North Americans who are deaf and hard of hearing, and is used by many hearing people as well.

There is no universal sign language. Different sign languages are used in different countries or regions. For example, British Sign Language (BSL) is a different language from ASL, and Americans who know ASL may not understand BSL. Some countries adopt features of ASL in their sign languages.

No person or committee invented ASL. The exact beginnings of ASL are not clear, but some suggest that it arose more than 200 years ago from the intermixing of local sign languages and French Sign Language (LSF, or Langue des Signes Française). Today’s ASL includes some elements of LSF plus the original local sign languages; over time, these have melded and changed into a rich, complex, and mature language. Modern ASL and modern LSF are distinct languages. While they still contain some similar signs, they can no longer be understood by each other’s users.

ASL is a language completely separate and distinct from English. It contains all the fundamental features of language, with its own rules for pronunciation, word formation, and word order. While every language has ways of signaling different functions, such as asking a question rather than making a statement, languages differ in how this is done. For example, English speakers may ask a question by raising the pitch of their voices and by adjusting word order; ASL users ask a question by raising their eyebrows, widening their eyes, and tilting their bodies forward.

Just as with other languages, specific ways of expressing ideas in ASL vary as much as ASL users themselves. In addition to individual differences in expression, ASL has regional accents and dialects; just as certain English words are spoken differently in different parts of the country, ASL has regional variations in the rhythm of signing, pronunciation, slang, and signs used. Other sociological factors, including age and gender, can affect ASL usage and contribute to its variety, just as with spoken languages.

Fingerspelling is part of ASL and is used to spell out English words. In the fingerspelled alphabet, each letter corresponds to a distinct handshape. Fingerspelling is often used for proper names or to indicate the English word for something.

Parents are often the source of a child’s early acquisition of language, but for children who are deaf, additional people may be models for language acquisition. A deaf child born to parents who are deaf and who already use ASL will begin to acquire ASL as naturally as a hearing child picks up spoken language from hearing parents. However, for a deaf child with hearing parents who have no prior experience with ASL, language may be acquired differently. In fact, 9 out of 10 children who are born deaf are born to parents who hear. Some hearing parents choose to introduce sign language to their deaf children. Hearing parents who choose to have their child learn sign language often learn it along with their child. Children who are deaf and have hearing parents often learn sign language through deaf peers and become fluent.

Parents should expose a deaf or hard-of-hearing child to language as soon as possible. The earlier a child is exposed to and begins to acquire language, the better that child’s language, cognitive, and social development will become. Research suggests that the first few years of life are the most crucial to a child’s development of language skills, and even the early months of life can be important for establishing successful communication with caregivers. Thanks to screening programs in place at almost all hospitals in the United States and its territories, newborn babies are tested for hearing before they leave the hospital. If a baby has hearing loss, this screening gives parents an opportunity to learn about communication options. Parents can then start their child’s language learning process during this important early stage of development.

The NIDCD supports research on ASL, including its acquisition and characterization. Funded research includes studies to understand sign language’s grammar, acquisition, and development, and use of sign language when spoken language access is compromised by trauma or degenerative disease, or when speech is difficult to acquire due to early hearing loss or injury to the nervous system.

Study of sign language can also help scientists understand the neurobiology of language development. In one study, researchers reported that the building of complex phrases, whether signed or spoken, engaged the same brain areas. Better understanding of the neurobiology of language could provide a translational foundation for treating injury to the language system, for employing signs or gestures in therapy for children or adults, and for diagnosing language impairment in individuals who are deaf.

The NIDCD is also funding research on sign languages created among small communities of people with little to no outside influence. Emerging sign languages can be used to model the essential elements and organization of natural language and to learn about the complex interplay between natural human language abilities, language environment, and language learning outcomes. Visit the NIH Clinical Research Trials and You website to read about these and other clinical trials that are recruiting volunteers.

The NIDCD maintains a directory of organizations that provide information on the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language.