The word challenged was put forward in the 1980s as a solution to the problem of how to describe, sensitively and positively, the various disabilities from which some people suffer – thus, physically challenged (disabled) and visually challenged (blind or with deficient eyesight). The word quickly came to be seen as a clear example of euphemism and political correctness and to be ridiculed in such combinations as cerebrally challenged (stupid) and vertically challenged (short). The question of how physical disabilities can be referred to in a way that is not demeaning to the sufferer is an ongoing one, but challenged is no longer recommended for serious use