Disabled?

I really hate this picture of me. It's not about me, but about my disability. Leaving aside the point that i'm too deaf to hear anything on those loop systems (thus assuming all deaf people are the same!), the much more serious point I want to rant on about......

The local press were covering disability awareness week, at the Union this week, and doing personal experinces of students (i'm one of them).
Wednesday morning, I turned up for the photoshoot, with the other three students.

Wanker GREETED US with "Oh. none of you look disabled"

Me: "um, no. but we all are."

Wanker: "It's a shame that none of you use a wheelchair"

Me: "Well, most people who classfy themselves as disabled don't use a wheelchair"

Wanker: "I wanted a picture of disabled people"

Me (getting into hot headed mode): "Well, you will. All four of us are disabled. The point of the week is to challenge people's perceptions, to make people rethink what it mean and is to be disabled. Give your readers more credit and intelligence than what you imply."

Wanker went on to take photos, then left saying that he didn't think that they woudl be used because "we don't look disabled"

I mean, what kind of attitude is that? The sheer irony is, it was meant to be a feature about hidden disabilities! Yes, so i don't look or act disabled, but my disability - created by society thank you very much - presents me with many challenges. Challenges i can overcome with the right sort of attitude from society. Which the wanker didn't have.

He went on to say "oh, could we borrow a wheelchair and one of you sit in it?" EH?! WHY? He's clearly got about two brain cells if he can't quite understand the issue of hidden disability, but furthermore, it's very insulting to those who do use a wheelchair!

And if this doesn't bother you, consider this. If a photographer turned up to a shoot and said "oh, you're not black enough" to a black person, everyone would be up in arms, and there would be all sorts of laws and stuff in place that would probably result in the sacking of the photographer.

The sad tradgy is, disability just doesn't provoke the same sort of reaction. It's just not trendy.