What's the difference between being disabled and being handicapped?

Some of the learned people feel that using the handicapped word is very rude and offensive . Instead ,they like using the word disabled . For blind, we use "visually challenged" . And for mentally retarded persons , we say mentally challenged persons ...

a normal person can be handicapped. when we say that a person is handicapped there is something which is causing him to be unable to do something. so a phobia is a handicap. a good construction worker cannot work in high places if his handicap involves the fear of heights. there goes one example. as for being disabled, a person is sufferring from a disability, like he has lost his two feet and he cannot walk. he can still work. but the work will have to be something which will not make his disability count. so, he can be an office worker if he has lost his two legs.

synonymously both words are the same however for humanitarian reason handicapped has being used as term for those social worker or even ordinary persons while medical practitioner and business field used disabled due they're limit to cope and produce economically.

handicap and disabled are pretty much the same thing but i like the term physcally challenged is my way i like to be classified not handicap or disabled