Use disabled to describe someone who has a permanent condition, especially a physical one, that limits their activities in some way – for example, a disability that makes someone unable to walk. The older word handicapped, which referred to both physical and mental disabilities, is now usually considered offensive. Some people prefer to describe disabled people in general as people with disabilities, especially in more formal contexts. You can use blind or deaf to refer to someone who cannot see or cannot hear, but many people now prefer the expressions visually impaired and hearing impaired. Some people use the word challenged (in compounds like physically challenged or visually challenged) to describe disabilities in a more positive way.