challenged

(chălˈənjd)

adjective

1. Having a disability or impairment.
2. Deficient or lacking: an ethically challenged politician.

Usage Note: People who object to the terms disabled and handicapped as being too negative sometimes propose the substitution of challenged instead, as in referring to persons with physical disabilities as physically challenged. While this particular phrase is quite popular, it is sometimes taken to be condescending, and similar usages such as mentally challenged have failed to win equal acceptance. Indeed, the widespread parody of challenged in such expressions as electronically challenged for “inept at using computers” has effectively eliminated it as an all-purpose alternative to disabled or handicapped.