We're Not Going to Run Out of Ability to Treat People Equally, You Know...

I've been verbally attacked by people about my dog before, and depending on my state of mind, I react in varying degrees, internally and externally. Today, I was sick as a dog, going to the store for some pepto before crawling home in defeat. I almost got run over by a woman in a motorized rascal that stores offer customers who need mobility assistance, and the woman had the audacity to tell me I didn't need a service animal.

I told her that if I didn't need my service animal, then she should just get out and walk. Now, it's not my proudest moment, and I was upset she didn't respond so I could educate her, but it's one of those delirious moments that sort of illustrates something about invisible disabilities. We were both physically capable of going into the store on our own, but both disabled and receiving accommodation from the store. In the eyes of the law, we were the same, in the broadest sense.

But in a lineup of 20 people off the street, I'd bet they'd all point to her as the "real" or "more" disabled person. The sense of entitlement to her accommodation, but the anger at mine (and I found my roommate got the same treatment from her) is part of what's at the core of the fight to recognize invisible disabilities. Not even other people who are disabled, who require assistance by either medical equipment, aides, or animals, are all on our side. There's this big group of people who seem to feel "more" disabled. Rather than showing solidarity with other people with disabilities, and helping us all be treated better, this group of disability elitists makes things harder on everyone. It's part of why I don't like Assistance Dogs International, by the way. The  group of people desperately trying to be "more" disabled, and restricting how far rights go for people whose disability isn't physical or visible.

Me being accommodated and treated well despite my "medical device" isn't hurting the accommodations given to someone who has trouble walking around a store. She's not being treated any less. There's enough decent treatment of people with disabilities to go around. No need to be grabby with it.