I work with someone with a disability who is a champion extreme sports athlete and competes around the world. (and as such) He is so driven and inspirational. Why can’t you be like him?”
Many people with disabilities have been at the receiving end of hearing similar insensitive “super disabled person” stories to the one above.
This is like telling the “average woman” that she has clearly failed as a woman, because she does not look like a supermodel and that she hasn’t tried hard enough to look like one.
Imposing such bizarre expectations on anyone is disrespectful, as it does not value people for who they are. Just because a person with a disability chooses to do such larger than life superhuman feats that does not mean that they have any more drive than a person with a disability who chooses to direct their energy somewhere else. Furthermore, it is wrong to expect that people with disabilities should develop such trademark disability stereotypical qualities of being super positive, iconic, superhuman, heroes, inspirational, and/or having that hyper joie de vivre just so they can be recognised, accepted, respected, and valued by others.