Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

While deconstruction and reconstruction pushed on around me, I needed a break from the dust and dirt of my present lifestyle. So I started reading The Ha-Ha, a first novel by Dave King. The title itself was enough to draw me in; and, no, it isn’t about some funny joke.

A ha-ha is a rather obscure gardening term used to describe a boundary wall, which is hidden so well that it doesn’t obstruct a panoramic view.

But my essay isn’t really about a gardening term or even about the story’s plot line. It’s about how author King solves a problem that has baffled many. Quick! What word comes to mind when I ask: What do you call someone with a physical, mental, emotional, or intellectual handicap? Are they disabled? Challenged? Disadvantaged? Incapacitated? Handicapped?

Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act in the mid-nineteen nineties, so I supposed the official governmental phrase is disabled. However, the National Library of Medicine cross references this with the term ‘handicapped.” Linguists will argue about the nuances of both words forever, while psychologists will consider the emotional effects. That’s just for starters.

Howard, the main character in The Ha-Ha, is unable to speak due to severe injuries he received in Vietnam. At one point in the book, he volunteers to help with a summer baseball team. Robin, a friend of his, provides introductions between him and Ed, the coach. “Hey, Ed,” she says, “did you know Howard’s differently abled? He doesn’t talk much but don’t treat him like he’s an idiot, okay? He could be the smartest one here, you never know.”

Differently abled.

I read and reread the phrase again and again. What I liked was that ‘differently abled’ suggested a positive, rather than a negative, approach to the very person it described. It didn’t focus on what he couldn’t do; instead Robin let the coach know Howard could hold his own.

I thank Dave King not only for writing his novel, but also for creating a phrase that deserves public attention. I suggest we all start using it and see what happens.