I didn’t invent this term – it’s been quite widely used for a number of years.  According to The Phrase Finder, diff-abled was ‘coined by the US Democratic National Committee in the early 1980s as a more ‘acceptable’ term than handicapped (or, in the UK, disabled). The motivation seems to have been both a genuine attempt to view the people previously called handicapped in a more positive light and also as need to be seen as politically correct’.

I personally identify more with being differently-abled than dis-abled.  For me, disabled focuses on what I lack, not what I bring.  I’m not less, I’m just different.  I see it like this – everyone is good at some things and not at others, and as we age, many of our bodies develop challenges even if we weren’t born with them.  Everyone is differently-abled and we shouldn’t be afraid to show, and share how.

I’m currently on a personal journey to understand myself, and how my different-ability has influenced who I am and how I approach life. Part of that is sharing my experiences, openly and vulnerably, as I challenge myself to walk first a 10k, then the South Downs Way.