ABSTRACT
What is meant by the term ‘physical disability’? Chapter 1 outlines how the words used to describe children with a disability have changed over the years – from ‘handicapped’ to ‘having special educational needs’. There continues to be considerable debate about which words are most appropriate to use. Language reflects and shapes the way people think about physical disability, and this can be illustrated in a small but important way: some people talk about the child with a disability, which implies that the child has the disability. Other people prefer to use the term ‘the disabled child’; this implies that the child is disabled by the situation around him – for example people's attitudes and lack of resources rather than by any physical difficulties he may have. This chapter focuses on the child's physical difficulties. Whether they are physically disabled will depend on how schools and other services manage these difficulties.
