The word âhandicappedâ is a word that comes with a lot of baggage. One common misconception is that the word âhandicappedâ originated in 1504 after a war in England which left many veterans disabled. King Henry VII was unable to picture these disabled veterans holding a job or contributing to society.
After King Henry VII came to this conclusion, he passed legislation that made it legal for disabled veterans to beg in the street. Now, disabled people could go out in the street with their âcap in handâ and beg for money, food and whatever else they needed to survive.Â
Despite the believability of this story, the term âhandicappedâ didnât actually become used until the early 20th century during horse races. Before a race, the stronger horse would somehow be put at a disadvantage in an attempt to give the competitors equal circumstances. This is how the term became associated with âdisadvantage,â and it didnât take