Using the former verbiage implies that members of the Blind and Deaf community are “imperfect” and therefore cannot serve as valuable, functioning members of society. This cannot be farther from the case. They are not “lacking”, they simply perceive the world differently, and therefore we should treat them as such - human beings just like us, who just take in the world a different way. With decency and respect.
Why don’t we let the people affected by this define the verbiage used to refer to them?
Ian Dury and Chaz Jankel wrote the song “Spasticus Autisticus” back in 1981 about Ian’s experiences as a person who was disabled due to polio as a child. He also viewed 1981 being deemed the International Year of Disabled Persons as being patronizing. The BBC and many other UK radio stations banned it from being broadcast.
In 2012, it was broadcast to a worldwide audience as part of the opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Paralympics.