In our society, people with disabilities are commonly seen as "less than," but it's just not true. In terms of disability, many people distinguish between "us" and "them." Disability simply means that some part of a person's body works a little differently than the body of someone in the general population. Some adaptations might have to be made accordingly. In my perfect world, everyone would share that perception.
I often tell people that a good guideline is to treat people with disabilities as if they don't have disabilities, and then do everything in your power to accommodate the disabilities they do have. This concept was beautifully put into practice when I spent a holiday with some of my friends a few years ago.
One Easter, some friends invited me to dinner. There were about fifteen people in the group gathering for the meal. Several of the guys joined forces and pulled my wheelchair up the front steps. And they made sure I felt totally safe in the process. After being inside for a few minutes, I got to look at the table. It was set beautifully and was long enough to accommodate everyone. I looked closer. At the end of the table, there was a place specifically for me. These friends knew that the numerous legs of the folding table could interfere with my getting close enough to eat, so they set a place for me at the end.
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