When I do public speaking, I ask the audience, "Who has a family member, a neighbor, a friend with some form of disability?" Every single hand goes up. We're all connected.
Throughout history people with disabilities have been institutionalized and segregated, which tends to make you think that it's a group in need of charity. It's not about charity, it's about empowerment.
As people live longer, disability becomes more of an issue. And there seems to be more children born with a disability. I don't know if it's true, or if we're just better at diagnosing certain disabilities than in the past.
Popular culture does a lot to shape attitudes. You can't compare different communities to each other, but in my lifetime the gay and lesbian community has become much more mainstream in society. I would venture to say it's in part because people began to feel more comfortable when they saw that group on TV.
People are starting to realize that the disability community has been disenfranchised and deserves to have its rights recognized, which I see as a positive trend. I don't think it'll be a quick process, but I see more attention being given to it.
