Labels and words can hurt people in so many ways if they choose to allow it. I am living proof of that. I am a c-4 c-5 quad, who was able to get enough signal through my cord to allow me to recover a great deal of my physical attributes. However I am still partially paralyzed and suffer chronic pain as a result. Yet because I do not use a wheel chair, I might as well not exist when it comes to this community. I once wrote a post titled, "Red Headed Step Child of SCI's" I can be in a room with another para or qaud, and because they are in their chairs, they get the hand shakes, the pat on the backs, the "your so inspirational, ..." The CRDF even held and is currently holding a contest for "Best Mom on Wheels," also "Best Dad on Wheels," but if you were to look in the fine print, it includes all people with SCI's. Yet it certainly doesn't depict that when reading the name of the contest. There are so many little things that we all can take offense to, or we can learn to just let go. "wheel chair bound, crippled, disabled, retarded, mentally and or physically challenged, etc... These are all just words, and ways to descibe individuals, and at the same time, can be incredibly offensive. So what to do? Just be yourself, know that not everyone is going to say things exactly the way you say them. If you are offended, the pull a person aside and let them know why you found that offensive. But what offends you, might be perfectly fine with someone else.