What sort of mental gymnastics does it take to convince yourself not being able to walk isn't inherently bad? Not being able to walk is bad. Not being able to fly is bad. Not being immortal is bad. Inabilities are bad regardless of what the "normal" state is. Society and accommodation could make up for 90% of the downsides but being confined to a wheelchair will never be a neutral status.
What sort of mental gymnastics does it take to
convince yourself not being able to walk isn't
inherently bad?
Of course it's inherently bad. But it is not necessarily deabilitating -- unless of course you're forced to navigate a world where you can't use your wheelchair, etc.
> Society and accommodation could make up for 90% of the downsides
Why not 100%? For every downside you can come up with, can't you imagine some possible way for society to make up for it? Here's a simple one: calculate the value of whatever the disabled person is missing out on, and pay them a cash compensation.
How much are your legs worth to you? Really think about the question. How much would someone have to pay you for you to be happy for them to take them away from you? For me I can't put a number on that. I can't imagine any degree of compensation that would make me glad to make the exchange.
