Why People Treat You Differently

Being physically handicapped, you will often find yourself being treated a bit different than how you would like to be treated. You'll be treated like a five-year-old, be talked to as if you are stupid, be stared at, be helped when you don't want or need to be helped. Sound familiar? It does, right?

You'll find yourself wondering why that is. You're not stupid, you can do things perfectly well by yourself and when you do need help, you'll ask for it. The answer to that is a fairly simple one:

Ignorance

Of course there are always those who pick on you and treat you the way they do because they are insecure or want to look cool in front of their friends, especially when they are younger.

But in most cases, it is the simple fact of being uninformed that causes people to act the way they do. They either don't know what your handicap is, in case of a spasm for example, which comes about in many forms and degrees. Or they simply don't know how to treat you or are unaware of the amount of things you're able to do by yourself, and therefore help you just to be as polite as they can.
Another cause of their strange behaviour towards you can be that they have been misinformed. They see someone in a wheelchair on television, and this someone is also mentally handicapped. So, the next time they see someone in a wheelchair, they will think, oh, that person must be mentally ill. It's just how the human brain works.

This is a reason why you should want to talk about your handicap to anyone who wants to listen. The more people you inform, the less people will treat you differently. Also, don't be afraid to say something when you feel you are being treated wrong. You don't have your voice for nothing, you're meant to be heard. Most people will be grateful for you honesty.