Disabilities

Disability stereotypes are everywhere. Many times, people with physical disabilities are assumed to have mental disabilities as well. Additionally, I feel that the news media, particularly locally, have a horrible tendancy to turn every disabled person into a pity figure. They are people, not just patients. You never hear about disabled people who successfully run their own business or take their kids to school every day. You only hear about the downtrodden, lowly disabled person, whose life is reduced to a wheelchair and their disease. Local news media are the main culprits in perpetuating these stereotypes.