This Why? is a bit more for Hungarian speakers, as we are discussing Hungarian terms of disability. But it can also be exciting to follow the changes in Hungary as a foreigner. Is it just Hungarian or is it a general phenomenon? We look forward to your comments below.

I could ask the question “what shall I call you”, if I want to quote our great poet Petőfi.

First, a little about the naming conventions we currently use.
There are two terms we use for disability in Hungary today: perhaps the most accepted is person living with disability. Why? Because it expresses that I have a disability – in my case a visual impairment – that is not part of my personality, but that I live with.
The other most commonly used term is a disabled person, which is used in legislation, literature and official places.
I fully agree with those experts who take the view that the two terms most commonly used today should be used in conjunction with the words “person”.

Previously, the word disabled was used quite naturally. Opinions are very divided on whether this is offensive or not. What is certain is that nowadays the word is used by many people as a abusive word, and has unfortunately become a kind of slang.

In general, the term injured is often used, but I think it is appropriate when used in conjunction with the type of disability, such as mobility impaired, visually impaired, hearing impaired. In itself, ‘injured’ can strengthens a damaged consciousness. Or it may not indicate an existing disability, but a temporary injury following an accident. In this way, a bruise or cut is also an injury.

The starting point however, is the use of now socially unacceptable terms such as stupid, crazy, cripple or idiot. Indeed, in the 19th century, these were common everyday and technical terms!
Stupid was the word for dumb, and then the word was applied to the mentally handicapped, but not in a pejorative sense, simply as a term. The same goes for idiot, used for people who didn’t understand social rules because they had a lower level of intelligence. And cripple was a general term for the physically handicapped.
The first institution for the mentally handicapped opened its doors in 1875 in Hungary in  Rákospalota under the name of “The First Hungarian Institute for the Education and Care of the Stupid”.
And in the early 1800s, a “public madhouse” was founded, which, according to the custom of the time, excluded disabled people from society and locked them up in institutions.
Another noteworthy term from József Roboz is the “weakly able”, which he mentions as a title in the first textbook he wrote on the concept of differentiated education.

Disease or condition? The question is a very good one, because I think disability is a condition that is either congenital or acquired later, i.e. it has been around for a certain period of time. In fact, it is usually the result of a disease, which is why I think the word ‘condition’ is more appropriate for disability.

There are also many different names for the types of disability. Each type of disability can be divided into several subgroups in order to distinguish the degree of disability. But it’s very much up to the individual person with a disability to decide which one they feel is their own, or which one is offensive to them. For example, I belong to the blind subgroup of the visually impaired, but I prefer to be called visually impaired. It’s worth remembering that we don’t need to know how much a visually impaired person can or cannot see, or how disabled a disabled person is, whether they are in a wheelchair or use a cane. It is therefore easiest to use the generic terms for a particular group of disabilities, to avoid awkward situations.

Why are names important? The most important thing is to always be respectful and to always respect the human dignity of the person concerned when referring to people with disabilities. Not just in their presence.

And back to the basic question, why do we have to keep changing the terms?
The main reason I think is, that society is constantly picking up on the technical terms originally used for people with disabilities. And they start to use it in hurtful, pejorative terms – mostly by able-bodied people to each other. It’s especially common for young people to call each other ‘disabled’ if someone doesn’t understand something the first time, or simply to insult or belittle. The same change has happened to our words ‘stupid’, ‘lame’, ‘cripple’, ‘crazy’, etc.
And people with disabilities themselves, and the profession dealing with them, now have to come up with particularly complex, unremarkable and strange ways of putting a name to what was and is a simple, understandable name.
Isn’t that crazy too?? Instead of fleeing forward, we should be educating society in kindergarten, school, family and everywhere. So that they stop throwing around words about people with disabilities, their condition, when they want to insult someone.

Written by Evelin Almádi and Veronika Pataki, also based on Panna Kaszás’ university thesis

In this WHY?, we make a small exception, since we are not writing about people with disabilities.
Or is it? Decide for yourselves by the time you get to the end.

You know that accessibility is important for a very wide target group, including the elderly. Thus, we share our lot and share a common goal in many things. This article is therefore about the elderly.

We often hear at bus stops, on buses, trains, on any means of transport: “why do the elderly push so hard when they take off?”, “why do they travel during rush hour, they don’t get there at other times?”.
Let’s think about this a little bit through with a story of my own, following the few days of my 85-year-old lively mother with hip replacement.

Let’s first look at that particular “push”, i.e. why do older people try to get on vehicles first? You wouldn’t think so, but there is a very practical, well-thought-out reason.
As soon as they board, they must sit down immediately – so you don’t sit in the front seats, but to move back in the bus! The bus drivers don’t wait, even if they could, they start immediately, at high throttle, and if the old man hasn’t managed to sit down yet, it will be a big fall. Understandably, at 85, they are no longer blessed with lightning-fast reflexes and rock-hard muscles. And the fall at this age can even be fatal.
The same when getting off the bus. You don’t have to be angry if they get out the front door – where you want to get on – because there’s no time or opportunity getting to the next door with great difficulty. Bus drivers are still ignoring them.
…………there are countries where it does, such as London, which is much busier than Pécs. Now what can I say to that? 🙁

Come the hated “witch-tank”. (Unfortunately, in Hungary this is the common name for the shopping bag on wheels, which is usually used by elderly aunts.) The very name is insulting. Honestly, if it weren’t for this hostile, contemptuous vibe about this handy rolling bag, I’d buy one too. And that’s what I’d be shopping with, not dragging my shoulders with all sorts of amorphous bags.

You wouldn’t think of this either, but the rolling bag has a very important function. It is also a support, a stable stick for the elderly person.
On the one hand, they really couldn’t stand flour and potatoes in a hand-held or shoulder-hanging bag. On the other hand, they take it with them many, many times, as safety. Because of this bus driver style(lessness), this is a reliable support when they need to get up well before the bus stop. On the street, support comes in handy even in case of a swaying or dizziness. The stable and practical rolling bag also serves as an excellent support when climbing stairs.

That’s the secret.

And now a few words about how to help an elderly person correctly?
– The basic rule here is to ask if they need help, e.g. when boarding or getting off the bus, or if they are standing out of breath in the middle of the pavement.

– Let the elderly get on the bus first, now you know why.

– Don’t sit down on one of the front seats, leave them free for those who really need to get to safety as soon as possible. Walk back in the bus and find yourself a seat.

– Do not immerse yourself in your phone sitting on the bus, saying, then everyone will solve their own problem, the main thing is that you are sitting. You can stand a few stops, at 85 years old you can’t do that anymore.

– Please don’t roll your eyes, don’t make faces, and especially don’t speak up, as mentioned at the beginning of this article. The old man feels, sees, hears this. Not only does he have to face the fact that he can no longer do many things in old age, he is deeply offended for it. Tragic social attitude.

Always think: you will also be old and you will get back what you give now!

Written by Veronika Pataki