Bullying Disabled People Is Never Ok - But It's Even Worse When You've Got 8.7Million Fans Watching

I am fully blind and numerous times I have been called a faker because they see me doing something and assuming blind people cant possibly do that. Even online you get accused of it - "your blind so how can you use a computer". one incident though shook my confidence. a couple of lads were laughing at me during the winter when it was snowing because my white cane i not great at guiding me in snow as i cannot feel the pavement too well. They came over to me saying i wasnt really blind just after benefits (I am self employed) next thing I know i am hit in the face and the lad laughing saying "well she must be blind as she didnt see that coming" The police were sympathetic but then they said i wouldnt be a good witness a I was unable to provide a visual description

People now wonder why I dont like going out on my own anymore.

I use a stick for walking and got abused - guy who lives down the road bellowed at the top of his voice' oh you f**king c***, I'm reporting you, there's nothing wrong with you - I'll put you in f***ing hospital myself' Especially nice as the kids were walking home from the local primary school. Refused to put up with it and reported it to the police who were amazing. Went to his house that evening and gave him an anti- harassment order - (I think it's called), then rang me back and told me what they'd down and said if he even looked at me to ring them back!!

I wonder how many of the commenters saying this is PC gone mad or people are being too sensitive are disabled themselves? It is the old saying

"walk a mile in my shoes,
see what I see,
hear what I hear,
feel what I feel THEN
maybe you will understand.
'till then don't judge me"

Disability hate crime has soared the past 2 years to it's highest since record began. Abuse has become common place towards the disabled and it wears you down. Indirect mocking of the disabled has a knock on effect to the intended abuse.

Being a public figure he has an element of responsibility not to add to this even if meant tongue in cheek because it just reinforces opinions of those who will hurl the abuse. I lost my sight suddenly & until then I never experienced abuse. It is like walking into another world I didn;t know existed.So easy to say "get over it" when you do not have to deal with it everytime you step out of your front door.

Takei is a malign cretin. As a wheelchair user I can stand (you can just see my crutches in my avi). What I can't do is walk worth a damn without excruciating pain.

If Takei has problems comprehending that pain exists even though he can't see it, perhaps he should come and listen, most nights, when at some point I invariably scream myself awake in agony.

This is ridiculous. I haven't seen the meme, but it's obviously not mocking disabled people. It may be mocking people that are *actually* faking, but in no way is it saying that disabled people are faking their disabilities.

I have mobility problems & I personally found it quite comical. It was more so to do with the fact she was standing up to reach alcohol of all things.

My friend is mobility impaired. She's been called names and treated badly in public for not conforming to notions people have about how mobility impaired people are supposed to be or move or act. It's outrageously arrogant to assume you know all about a person's condition on sight, but it seems that there are people who really think that way.

The day she saw this meme she was really upset by it. It brought up all that ignorance and judgmental attitude she'd received previously and threw it in her face by offering people a chance to have a laugh at the expense of a disabled person, be ignorant and judge the wheelchair user in the meme. It was in poor taste.

I felt certain Mr. Takei would be offered some education---well, not just some---most likely a HUGE amount of education as to why the image was insensitive. A public acknowledgement that he erred might have been nice. It certainly would have made me smile if he'd done so.

Then again, imagine just how many people have gotten in touch with him, one way or another? Imagine how upset some of them might have been? I'm sure he'd like to turn down the volume on this one by now.

As someone with a variable mobility impairment - most of the time I need a stick for balance, but I can take a few steps without it - I've had all the slurs shouted at me. Since the symptoms of my condition are medically proven to improve, in the short term, with alcohol consumption, I see absolutely nothing funny about reaching for a bottle of vodka, especially as I'm spending hours in the gym every week to make my shoulders strong enough to propel me on the inevitable day that both my legs fail, and I need a wheelchair.

The thing is, I've been one of several people to directly criticise Takei for an off-colour post, and in the past he has done the right thing and apologised when he realised his posts were offensive. That he tried to justify himself this time is what really makes this an issue worth writing about.

The right is promoting the idea that not only "real" disabled people shouldn't be physically able to do this or that, but that they shouldn't even be allowed to have the same things as "normal" people do, like liquor, nice food, etc. The bottom line is that to be disabled in America is to be considered a second class person, at best, and fair game to be used a a scapegoat by the right wing.