What is the most polite way of saying a handicapped

[Supermana]

I am confused with following sentences.

He is a disabled man.
He is a handicapped man.
He is a disadvantaged man.

Which one is better?

Many thanks

[Sweetpumpkin]

How about "a man with special needs"? :)

I'm curious about the answer to your question, too.

[Erik]

"Disadvantaged" usually means to be financially poor from a poor family background, its not the same as others. The other two are about the same as each other. Some people don't like Handicapped because it is thought to have a word origin from being a beggar (cap-in-hand) but I'm not sure if this is the true origin of this word.
There are more polite ways than your words to speak, sometimes they seem overly polite. Some very polite ways are such as "Uses a wheelchair" or "Relies on crutches". Some overly polite (perhaps close to silly) phrases include "Height challenged" instead of "Midget". Usually a more specific medical description of the person's condition can be polite.

[Alan]

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Hi,

Probably the simplest way is to say what the disability is rather than using roundabout ways of talking about it. You would say: He is unable to hear what you are saying. He is unable to walk. He is unable to see.

The danger comes when people put labels on others rather than stating the obvious.

Alan
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[Supermana]

Thanks for the replies.

But When writting a notic or introduction,which word shall i use to describe disabled people?

Thanks again

[Erik]

It would be best not to mention it at all, unless it is critical to someone's need to know. That reminds me of newspaper stories in the 1960s when they would say "John Smith, 25 years old, a Negro, was arrested...".
But if you can say the exact nature of the condition, perhaps we can help you more exactly. There are so many ways.