Society often perceives disabilities in a negative way. People with disabilities are seen as defective, incapable, or inferior to people without. People tend to only see or notice the disability the person has whether it be a physical handicap or an intellectual disability, and not the person living with it. This results in a lot of stereotypes and assumptions of people’s cognitive or physical functions. Think about how you feel when you see a person with a disability, do you feel pity or misfortune towards them, or do you not notice anything at all and see them as an equal. People living with disabilities are usually treated as less than equal because of how people think they should treat them.
Looking back at my education, I have realized that there had been no real effort to educate us on living with disabilities and what would be considered offensive. I am currently taking a Kin 120 class which focuses on people living with disabilities and it has given me a larger perspective regarding the treatment of people with disabilities. As I said before, society views disabled people as incapable even when they can do basically everything an able-bodied person can do. It can be very offensive and humiliating to a PWD (person with disability) when others treat them as helpless and gives them praise for completing very simple tasks such as hanging out with friends, and even ordering their own food. My Kin 120 class has made it very clear that PWD are just regular people and they don’t necessarily need to receive special treatment all the time.
Oftentimes athletes can sustain a major injury resulting in permanent disabilities that will now be a part of their lives. Whenever something like this happens, people typically think about how much of a tragedy it is for the athlete, although it is unfortunate, it is important not to view disabilities as tragic because the athlete’s life is far from being over. Disabilities should not be viewed as a problem but more as an obstacle that can be overcome. The main takeaway is basically that disabilities do not make someone less of a person and they should be treated as equal. If anything living with a disability proves that you can conquer adversity and maintain a good life while some people will never have to do something as potentially difficult as they do.
Trevor Price 
Hey Trevor, your post really read well for me. I have personally never thought less of those with disabilities because in reality they are still human just like everyone else. I’ve always related those with disabilities and those with special needs because of how others treat them. However those with disabilities may be limited physically but they still deserve equality, just like everyone else they will ask for help if they need it. Similar to those with special needs others treat them as less, but they are still equal in the form of humanity. Regardless, your post was very intriguing as it spoke on the needs rather than wants of those with disabilities, and that we, as humans are all equal regardless of physical or mental appearance.
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