Political correctness has a lot to answer for. It seems that nowadays no one feels able to use terms that were acceptable only a short time ago. I don't mean insulting or derogatory terms, I mean descriptive ones.
For example, I have a friend that would self-define as “blind”. Others would say she had “visual difficulties”. I have visual difficulties in that I am a bit short sighted. The term “learning disability” has gone out of fashion; now everything from mild dyslexia to people who need round the clock supervision are termed as having “learning difficulties”. Why undermine someone's needs by making all terms generic and meaningless?
Society is thankfully moving on from the “does your friend in the wheelchair like tea” attitude. Unfortunately, the replacement is no less patronizing. People are afraid to ask what help someone would need, for fear of offending. People in general are far more aware of disabilities and various conditions that would have bee seen as laziness or stupidity in the past, but we have gone to the other extreme.
For example, my friend had mobility problems and was instantly offered an extension on her university work. When she said she didn't need it, everyone was surprised. While disabled people do have different needs, these only apply to the area of their disability. If my arms do not function usefully it does not mean I need a free bus pass, I am perfectly capable of walking.
Yes, people should feel able to help offered without guilt. But they should also be treated as an individual in their own rights, not just grouped into the category of “people with disabilities”. Disabled people are not “brave”. We live like everybody else. If you face difficulties, you do what you can to overcome them. You do this with perseverance, but most of all with a sense of humour. By all means congratulate someone on learning something new or working hard, but not just for existing.
