Thank you so much for writing this. Now I don’t feel crazy for thinking these same thoughts. Here is wishing you many pain free days. 🙂

I think the biggest perception difference is probably just going to be one of attitude. People who are racist are often ugly about it, whereas people who have stereotypes about disability seem to come at it from a more “poor baby take care of the child” attitude. For example, people don’t yell and speak slowly at a black person – but I’ve seen them do that to a friend in a wheelchair. He’s taken to turning and asking someone they’re with if the person shouting has a hearing disability he should be aware of, to counter the notion that because he’s in a chair, he’s slow, deaf, dumb, or some combination of all of the above.

It’s a false sympathy thing, I suppose… and racists don’t have a false sympathy towards people of another colour.