When the National Cristina Foundation sponsored a "Create a New Word" contest to find "a new word or phrase which focuses on the abilities of people with disabilities," B. Freer Freeman came in first place with "people with differing abilities." Other entries included "differently abled," "handi-capable," and "severely euphemized."

Freeman was awarded a prize of $50,000 for his winning entry, an amount some critics within the disability rights movement said would have been better spent assisting people with differing abilities.

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