Is the word "handicapped" offensive?

[AlwaysSAI]

I guess I'll be going at this from two sides.

I was born with a handicap and have lived out my life that way. It's no longer terribly noticeable because I had numerous surgeries and very intensive therapy and interventions to combat it when I was younger. I wore AFOs (aka-forrest gump shoes) until I was in 7th grade and refused.

The word handicapped doesn't bother me, but I can see and understand why it would bother someone with a more obvious exceptionality. The negative connotation and stigma that has become the word handicapped is what makes it offensive. Not the word or use of the word itself.

Now, as a special education teacher. Terminology has changed to become more "person centered". To call someone handicapped, disabled, or special is not something that is smiled upon in the SPED profession. An example of this is: Instead of saying, "Johnny is autistic" you would say "Johnny has autism". As it was stated in the excerpt--a person is not defined by their exceptionality. Their exceptionality is just another trait they have. And, if you noticed--I don't use the word "disability", instead "exceptionality". The word disability implies that there is something someone can't do. Most times, it's not that these people CAN'T do it. They just do it a different way than most of the people around them would.

I'm not sure if that makes any sense at all, but there you have it.