It's not that you're handicapped.

I had someone apologize to me today saying, "You'll have to forgive me, I'm handicapped." Unfortunately I didn't blame the problems on the physical handicaps displayed. It was on the fact that they weren't using a perfectly good brain. When you call a motel to make a reservation having the credit card by the phone is a reasonable idea. When you call a motel to make a reservation having a pen and paper by the phone is a perfectly reasonable idea. Blaming your being handicapped for the fact that you're yelling at someone to bring you the credit card and don't have pen or paper at the phone perpetuates the myth that different abilities mean one person or another is less. And since I've known people who are mentally challenged who can manage their credit better than I can and make sure to have pen and paper and credit card at hand when they start to order over the phone.... I just don't accept the excuse, 'but I'm handicapped.'

Certainly their are limitations. And I certainly will work to accommodate the actual limitations that someone has. But, for all those who have worked for equal treatment, I expect each and every person to work with their limitations and their gifts rather than using one or the other as an excuse.