Disability without Denial

Both of the following can be true together: (1) Impairments make people worse off, adding to the difficulties of making a life go well; and (2) people who have impairments deserve respect. Not only are these claims consistent, but it is also natural to connect them; it is natural to say that (2) is true because(1) is true. People who need to overcome great obstacles to succeed deserve respect for trying to overcome them, let alone for succeeding. The following are also consistent with (1) and (2), and are, in my view, true:(3) Some impairments leave people less badly off than the able-bodied or minded think; (4) those with impairments are worse off than they would be if social policies were different; and (5) the basis for many if not all impairments is physical.