/ dɪsˈeɪbld; NAmE / adjective
1.
unable to use a part of your body completely or easily because of a physical condition, illness, injury, etc.; unable to learn easily :
physically / mentally disabled
severely disabled
He was born disabled.
facilities for disabled people
2.
the disabled noun [ pl. ] people who are disabled :
caring for the sick, elderly and disabled
••
WHICH WORD
disabled / handicapped
Disabled is the most generally accepted term to refer to people with a permanent illness or injury that makes it difficult for them to use part of their body completely or easily. Handicapped is slightly old-fashioned and many people now think it is offensive. People also now prefer to use the word disability rather than handicap . The expression disabled people is often preferred to the disabled because it sounds more personal.
Disabled and disability can be used with other words to talk about a mental condition:
mentally disabled
•
learning disabilities
.
If somebody's ability to hear, speak or see has been damaged but not destroyed completely, they have impaired hearing / speech / sight (or vision ). They can be described as visually / hearing impaired or partially sighted :
The museum has special facilities for blind and partially sighted visitors.