I think for many, disability conjures up the image of someone in a wheelchair or a disorder like Down syndrome. To others, disability could mean being female, not white, or a homosexual.
There is an average of what to expect from a healthy human being. They must meet a lengthy checklist of requirements before they are seen fit in society. Some "defects" may be easier to hide than others and they can pass off as able. Others, however, are not so subtle and may cause the person a hard life. Society has grown in a way that it now accepts the disable as normal. There was a time before wheelchair ramps and before that the wheelchair, but now with changes in society's mindset, modern facilities and activities have been adapted to allow that to interact with others. They are becoming "normal" like everyone else.
We cannot change what we are born with, and to blame someone for requiring extra assistance is another entry of its own. Somethings are within our grasp to control. Disability is not just limited to genetic and physical conditions developed from birth or accidents; obesity is also considered to be a disorder. Obese persons may be excluded from facilities and activities just as others who are concerned disability. For example: amusement park rides will size requirements for the visitor's safety. For the safety of themselves and others, they must be excluded for participating in this particular activity.
Most disabilities carry some sort of stigma with them. Obesity presents to others an inside look at his or her lifestyle. Outside observes may think the person is doing something wrong to get into the shape they are in now, and since that kind of lifestyle (one of lethargy and constant eating) is generally frowned upon.
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