My brother is disabled, not differently abled
My brother has Down Syndrome. In my view, calling him “differently abled” is quite offensive.
1. It is condescending. My brother is just quite literally unable to do basic things that most 22-year-olds can do. He can’t go do errands on his own, read chapter books, or clearly communicate his thoughts to people who don’t know him well.
2. It supports a pernicious worldview. The only reason to be afraid of being blunt about my brother’s basic abilities is if you worry that lack of ability undermines his human dignity. But then why is his human dignity contingent on his ability to achieve tasks? (1)
To put it bluntly: To use the term “differently abled” to refer to my brother, is to imply that people with less ability inherently less valuable than more able individuals.
My sister has autism. Not sexy TV autism but the limited functioning you describe above. She is so shy she literally wont talk to people she doesn't know. I am one of the people she will talk to and I still struggle to understand her sometimes. Thank you for writing this post.