Better To Use 'Differently Abled', Not 'Disabled': Delhi High Court

The court's observations came while passing an order directing the Jawaharlal Nehru University to provide facilities to a visually impaired student who was evicted from the hostel.

Persons suffering from disabilities are "no different from you or me" and the more appropriate term to use for them would be "differently abled" and not "disabled", the Delhi High Court has said.

Justice C Hari Shankar said the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPWD Act) and all other laws seek to neutralise disability so that a differently abled person and his peers stand on equal footing, which is the "heart" of the theory of equal opportunity and the Constitution.

"It is because of this that the more appropriate term to use would be 'differently abled', rather than 'disabled'. Persons who are differently abled are as able as any of us; however, as their ability is different, it poses a challenge when they seek to integrate with the societal whole," said the judge in a recent order.