Who is Really "Crippled"?

I belong to a group of fans of the writer Nicola Griffith. Along the way she described herself as a "cripple" because she has MS, progressive I think, but not sure about that. I really resent the term because it is so pejorative. I have never heard someone that isn't crippled mean something nice or good when using the word "cripple", even though according to the OED it simply means "One who is disabled (either from birth, or by accident or injury) from the use of his limbs; a lame person." This is the context Nicola meant; simply unable to "walk like she should do" (Rosie by Eric Bogle, citation coming later) I have a good friend crippled by polio as a child and living in a wheel chair. She is a star. Entrepreneur, wife, mother, friend. Crippled? No doubt. But handicapped in life? Not that I can see. Sure, there are things she can't do that she may want like need to do. But who doesn't have things like that? She can't walk like she should do. Period. Crippled is a state of body. Disabled is a state of mind.

This brings me to "Rosie". Eric Bogle is an Aussie song smith from Scotland. He writes some of the most emotion-laden songs I have heard, among them is Rosie . Because I want to respect his copyright request I will provide a link to the song lyrics on his website. Go there and read the full text. http://ericbogle.net/lyrics/lyricspdf/rosie.pdf and go to this link to hear him sing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzYHLgUwXJ4 Here are a few excerpts, hopefully not enough to piss him off.

"She may not walk like she should do,
she may not talk like she ought to
Sometimes the anger and the pain show through in her frustrated cries
But when she smiles at me I can see The Little girl who lives in Rosie’s eyes"

And he finished with this:

"I once knew a barren crippled man who stood straight and strong and tall
A bitter, heartless, loveless man, with no pity and no soul
But because his limbs were strong and clean no one turned aside their face
He was a perfect shining mirror for the perfect human race".

Nicola may be crippled by MS, but not in will or action. My friend may be crippled by polio, but not in will or action. Where am I going with this? Not sure really. I just hate the idea that people see physical cripples as somehow unworthy, while people strong of limb, regardless of soul, as worthy.

I hate labels that seek to diminish or mock or denigrate. Period.

Image: http://ashokbanker.com/2008/08/
OED: Type "cripple"