People with mental illnesses don’t get the admiring/pitying, “Ah, how dignified they are to carry such a burden!” looks in the street. We’re mental. We get the, “I know kung-fu!” looks. People in wheelchairs are usually the main recipients of these looks, as wheelchairs are the most visible sign of disability. This is not universal, but I’d wager that it’s a fairly common association. People with disabilities serve as a reminder to people without that they’re lucky to have what they have. And I don’t think they realise what they have, and I don’t think they realise what is being taken away from people with disabilities. Dignity is one thing. The association with dignity doesn’t always work in favour of the dignified.
