History Main / DisabledMeansHelpless

* [[InvertedTrope Inverted in]] ''Series/{{Monk}}'' with FauxAffablyEvil FatBastard billionaire Dale Beiderbeck. Despite being 800 pounds and bedridden, he's seen as TheDreaded because of his powerful connections, his wealth, and his great intellect making him more of an EvilCripple than anything. In his introductory episode, Sharona plays this trope straight initially after Monk warns her that she doesn't know what he's capable of, but VERY quickly finds out just how WrongGenreSavvy she is.

* Subverted in ''Anime/YukiYunaIsAHero''. Togo worries that she can't be a good [[MagicalGirl Hero]] because she uses a wheelchair, but her fears are proven wrong once she finally transforms. She's a great sniper and she has no problem moving around as a Hero either. It helps that [[spoiler:she was a Hero prior to her paralysis, though she doesn't consciously remember this]].

* ''FanFic/ABrighterDark'': Subverted with Silas. Despite having his leg crushed very early on, he is still able to use his arms well enough to hold a sword. Though both he and everyone else acknowledges he should stay out of the thick of the fighting, he's still able to defend himself well enough.

* Subverted horribly in the film, ''Film/{{Blindness}}''. The men of ward 3 prove not to be harmless, and end up being harmful instead. Their self-appointed leader has [[spoiler:a gun and ends up hoarding the food from the other wards. At first, they demand valuables from everyone else in exchange for food. Unfortunately, when they have all of the valuables they then demand the women service them for food.]]

* In Horacio Quiroga´s horror tale "La Gallina Degollada" (lit. The Beheaded Hen), the parents of four mentally disabled kids learned the bad way when they assume that did not learn anything watching one of the maids killling a hen for dinner, where they decide to put in practice that with their little sister mistaking her for another hen.

* In ''Literature/DeadWest'', the Merry Company seems to share this belief when it comes to the Porcelain Doctor. The young doctor only has a very bad limp and has to use a cane and sometimes Gervas' help to get around, but since he also looks eerily fragile, the Merry Company treats him like a baby. This annoys the hell out of the Porcelain Doctor, since he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, thankyouverymuch. Gervas manages to avert this trope when they are alone, but since he has to play a role of a devoted lover for the others, he sometimes engages in this kind of behaviour. [[spoiler: Gervas himself hates this attitude since he knows exactly how much of a HandicappedBadass his friend is, but occasionally, when the doctor is sick, he cannot help himself, courtesy of the Devil's Veil. Which looks very weird, when he helps feeding his friend, just so the others won't do it.]]

* Happens in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower''. Reggie is in a snowboarding competition with another girl she recently befriended who happens to have a metal prosthetic leg. Reggie lets her win... and gets a WhatTheHellHero from her dad and everyone else. The remainder of the episode is Reggie trying to figure out [[MustMakeAmends how to make it up to her new friend]].

* In ''Literature/DeadWest'', the Merry Company seems to share this belief when it comes to the Porcelain Doctor. The young doctor only has a very bad limp and has to use a cane and sometimes Gervas' help to get around, but since he also looks eerily fragile, the Merry Company treats him like a baby. This annoys the hell out of the Porcelain Doctor, since he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, thankyouverymuch. Gervas manages to avert this trope when they are alone, but since he has to play a role of a devoted lover for the othes, he sometimes engages in this kind of behaviour. [[spoiler: Gervas himself hates this attitude since he knows exactly how much of a HandicappedBadass his friend is, but occasionally, when the doctor is sick, he cannot help himself, courtesy of the Devil's Veil. Which looks very weird, when he helps feeding his friend, just so the others won't do it.]]

->'''Spagna''': ''[cutting Pelswick's food]'' There! All done! \\
'''Pelswick''': Thanks for doing that, but it's my ''legs'' that don't work, not my teeth.

->'''Spagna''' ''(cutting Pelswick's food)'': There! All done!
->'''Pelswick''': Thanks for doing that, but it's my ''legs'' that don't work, not my teeth.

[[folder:FanWorks]]

[[folder: Radio]]

'''Fasha''': '''Yes I do! That's one of the things I know better than you!'''

--->'''Woman:''' ''*(being removed by security)*'' “WHO WOULD WANT TO WORK FOR A CRIPPLE, ANYWAY?!”
--->'''Half The Office:''' “ME!”

-->'''Tummi:''' ''(Tries to stir her tea)'' Here, let me.
-->'''Grammi:''' Oh, Tummi, I can do that.
-->'''Tummi:''' But look, you're an incapable, helpless...
-->'''Grammi:''' I don't stir tea with my foot you know.
-->'''Tummi:''' Good thing too.

* Comedian Mike [=McConnell=] suffered from muscular dystrophy his entire life (his slogan was "100% comedy, 0% standup"). One of his routines dealt with "helpful" people who would push him and his wheelchair around without first asking or even warning him if it was okay, and blamed the fact that people felt okay doing this on the assumption that because he was in a chair, he was mentally dysfunctional.

* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' fanfic "Assumptions and the Word All," it is discovered that when Willow activated all of the potential Slayers in the world, one of the potentials so-activated in a 31-year-old lawyer whose Cerebral Palsy keeps her wheelchair-bound with very little fine control over her body. She is hired by the Reformed Watcher's Council as a researcher and legal counsel, and is given as much combat training as she can physically handle, which admittedly isn't much. But when she overhears one of the younger Slayers talking about how an injured colleague is now a "useless cripple", the lawyer shows the girl why there exists such a thing as a HandicappedBadass in the first place with a punch that knocks the younger girl across the room.

* Nunnally uses this belief for her advantage in ''Fanfic/OfSiblingsAndMasks''. Being a wheelchair user, people think of her as frail. This accentuates her image as [[TheIngenue kind]] and [[AllLovingHero loving]], but it's really all [[BeneathTheMask a mask she puts on]]. Nunnally is spiteful, intelligent, and anything but helpless.

* ''Film/AQuietPlace'' plays with this in Regan's case. While she's deaf, she's no more helpless than the other characters when it comes to dealing with the monsters besides that she won't hear them coming (as demonstrated in one scene). However, her deafness can be inferred to be the reason as to why Lee doesn't take her on errands, even when she volunteers to, as he's probably acting out of concern of her accidentally making a noise or being near a noisy animal (or person) because she won't be able to hear it but she interprets it as him blaming her for [[spoiler: Beau's death]].

* An urban legend tells a tale of a guy who has one of his car's tires deflated while in front of a lunatic asylum. While he changes the tire he puts the bolts on the rim, just as a car goes through, scattering them. The man is unable to find the bolts he needs, so one of the patients tells him to use one bolt from each other wheel. He does and is surprised that the lunatic had that good idea. The patient's response? "I'm crazy, not stupid."

* Most adults treat Agnes Thatcher, who is deaf, this way in ''Is That You, Miss Blue?'' and some girls even set her up with a blind guy at a dance. She especially resents people writing notes to her since she's an expert lipreader, and will write "What?" in reply.
* In ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'' spin-off series ''Little Sister,'' Karen's class gets a new girl named Addie who has cerebral palsy and so uses a wheelchair. Karen takes it upon herself to help Addie -- which means she does everything ''for'' her, despite both Addie and Ms. Colman telling her that Addie is perfectly capable to doing things for herself (such as sharpening her pencils). [[TheScrappy She doesn't listen, and both the readers and Addie get seriously ticked off.]]
* Elizabeth Bathory's feelings of self-loathing in ''Literature/CountAndCountess'' are a result of this mindset. (She has severe epilepsy throughout the novel.) She later subverts it however, making her more of a HandicappedBadass.

* In the novel ''Doctors'', psychiatric intern Barney is shocked to realize that the man he's been talking to is one of the ''patients'', rather than a fellow doctor, because the man has proven himself to be so intelligent. The same man continues to impress him throughout his time spent on the ward, with his impeccable knowledge of Shakespeare.

* In ''Literature/ChildrenOfTheBlackSun'', it's discussed with relation to Isidro's crippled arm. He emphatically does not want to be useless or a burden, and doesn't think he is, but believes that a lot of other people will now see him that way. In particular, he resents the fussing of Rhia, the medic — Isidro acknowledges that she means well, but still thinks she treats him like a dim-witted child.

* ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'': Discussed in the chapter book ''The Berenstain Bears and the Wheelchair Commando''. Harry [=McGill=], who's in a wheelchair as a result of a car crash several years ago, [[DontYouDarePityMe doesn't appreciate it]] when people (such as Queenie [=McBear=]) think this way about him and treat him differently as a result; he snaps at ''anyone'' (even adults) who does, whether intentionally or not, and tends to mistake ''anyone'' being friendly for believing this way. He learns better when, after he takes offense to Brother Bear standing up for him, he's told that Brother has a reputation of standing up for those who are being bullied for ''any'' reason. This leads to his lightening up and getting new friends.
* Nick Andros in ''Literature/TheStand'' has to remind people that deaf-and-dumb doesn't mean stupid. In fact he's one of the [[TheSmartGuy more intelligent characters]] in the story.

* On ''Series/DegrassiHigh'', Maya's friends neglect to invite her to a movie because the public buses don't have lifts and the theater they're going to doesn't have a wheelchair ramp. She finds out and tells them off for not even asking, when she has a van and knows many places that can accommodate her.

* An interesting version appears in the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode, "Melora". A scientist named Melora from a race called Elaysian comes to [=DS9=] and because her home planet has much lighter gravity, she has to wear braces on her body and use a wheelchair to get around in any environment with "normal" gravity. Being very sensitive of her condition, she ends up lashing out to anyone who tries to help her, thinking that they're seeing her as helpless or weak. After Bashir calls her out on this, she starts to cool down and the two of them become friends and a little bit later, romantically involved.

* "Blind Ambition," an episode of ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', puts this trope through the paces. Rose's sister Lily, who has completely lost her vision, comes to visit her in Miami. Lily is an extremely adventurous and independent woman, and doesn't want anyone treating her differently because of her blindness--to the point where she refuses to use any of the resources available to her to learn new skills. Rose doesn't say anything for fear of offending Lily, and things are well until Lily is using the girls' stove for the first time and nearly starts a huge grease fire. She then breaks down and admits that she's ''terrified'' of life now, and begs her sister to help. Rose agrees, but realizes that Lily is now going too far in the opposite direction and becoming wholly dependent on her (to the point of asking her for help with even the simplest of tasks that she did herself earlier in the visit). After a bit of ToughLove, Lily realizes that she needs professional assistance and joins an academy for the blind, where she learns the techniques she needs to live an active life without sight (and she does indeed--the episode ends with her ''driving Rose home!'').

* Cheerfully {{averted|Trope}} (possibly even defied) in ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'': Rin has no arms and paints with her dextrous feet; Emi has no legs and runs track using prosthesis; Shizune is deaf-mute and serves as an effective and ruthless StudentCouncilPresident (with a TranslatorBuddy). Indeed most of their real problems are only partially informed by their disabilities, for example Shizune is extremely extroverted and eager to interfere in other peoples lives because her inability to speak makes her isolated and easy to ignore, but also [[spoiler:due to the influence of her over combative father.]]\\\

* Played With in ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'' when it comes to Riki's narcolepsy. On the one hand, none of the other characters ever treat him different for it, his friends have known him long enough that when he needs help they give it without having to think about it, and he says early on that he never thanks his friends for taking care of him when he falls asleep because they're all just used to it. He mentions that narcolepsy makes him feel uneasy, but he just doesn't really think about it very often. However, late in Rin's route there's a time when he really needs to earn money, but ends up falling asleep while picking fruit, the only option available to him. The woman he was working for feels terribly sorry for him once he wakes up and offers him money anyway, but that just makes him feel even worse, and he ends up crying as he walks home, thinking that a person with his disability would never be able to do anything but office work and that he's truly helpless right now... but at the time he was going through a ''hell'' of a lot of stress, and had many reasons for feeling weak that had nothing to do with his disability, so it's uncertain how much of that was stuff he truly believed and how much was just the depression getting to him. All in all, a pretty damn nuanced and respectful depiction of disability that doesn't try to oversimplify things. And given that Riki has a very complicated arc relating to him realising his strength that only rarely brings up his disability, he's ''definitely'' not portrayed as uniformly helpless.

-->'''Monette:''' ... I don't know how Dahlia sat in that chair for ten years without killling someone.\\
'''Dahlia's mom:''' She did it with patience, friends and a father who helped her calculate [[RammingAlwaysWorks the proper ramming speed]] in an electric wheelchair to correct other people's assumptions.\\

* In ''Literature/DeadWest'', the Merry Company seems to share this belief when it comes to the Porcelain Doctor. The young doctor only has a very bad limp, and has to use a cane and sometimes Gervas' help to get around, but since he also looks eerily fragile, the Merry Company treats him like a baby. This annoys the hell out of the Porcelain Doctor, since he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, thankyouverymuch. Gervas manages to avert this trope when they are alone, but since he has to play a role of a devoted lover for the othes, he sometimes engages in this kind of behaviour. [[spoiler: Gervas himself hates this attitude since he knows exactly how much of a HandicappedBadass his friend is, but occasionally, when the doctor is sick, he cannot help himself, courtesy of the Devil's Veil. Which looks very weird, when he helps feeding his friend, just so the others won't do it.]]

** An [[WholeEpisodeFlashback earlier episode that flashes back to]] Buster being diagnosed with asthma has all his friends start dusting things off for him, to the point where he skips out on a trip to the nurses office for his inhaler and pretends he's cured so they don't worry about it anymore. After that backfires on him, Buster decided to explain how asthma works to his class as part of his school project so they aren't so scared of it, and they begin to treat him like normal again.

* This was the villain's explicitly stated intention in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', when he kidnapped Uncle and cast a spell that rendered [[MonkeyMoralityPose Jackie mute, Jade deaf and Tohru blind]] so they couldn't rescue him. Needless to say, they did anyway, [[AnAesop and a lesson was learned by all.]]

** In the episode "Prunella Sees the Light", Prunella invites her blind friend Marina over for a [[Franchise/HarryPotter Henry Skreever]] sleepover. However, she worries that Marina may not see the decoration in her room or may get injured because she is blind. Marina doesn't like the special treatment Prunella is giving her, and fortunately Prunella learns to treat Marina just like any other friend. We also get see the tricks and methods that Marina uses in her own house, but here they are ''her'' methods and ''her'' choices.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* People with low vision who can walk without aid sometimes get this. When someone is made aware of the low vision, they will immediately go for that person's arm, as if they're incapable of standing on their own, and attempt to guide them along.
** A related assumption is how normal-sighted people seem to think that a nearsighted/low-sighted person ALSO has [[JitterCam some kind of vertigo/double-vision issue,]] since they're often surprised if a nearsighted person can count [[HowManyFingers how many fingers they're holding up]] or [[CaptainObvious tell what a NEARBY object is.]]
* Deaf actress Creator/MarleeMatlin once experienced the "one disability = all disabilities" part of this trope when she was on an overnight flight. The flight attendant was passing out menus for dinner, and Matlin began signing what she wanted to her interpreter. The flight attendant saw her, immediately snatched the menu away, went back to her station, and returned, proudly handing Matlin a menu in braille. Matlin {{facepalm}}ed.
* A common problem for those who are [[TheMentallyDisturbed mentally ill]] in RealLife. Mental and neurological illness can be disabling, sometimes to the point where those who suffer from it cannot work or cannot drive a vehicle. People with these disabilities need support and help -- which is why they often seek financial assistance or learn to use public transportation, for example. Having a mental or neurological condition does not, by itself, make someone insane, irrational, intellectually deficient, prone to violence, or in any way not a capable, reasonable person.
* People with epilepsy or similar seizure-inducing disabilities are not legally allowed to drive, or take a wide variety of jobs without undergoing a risk-assessment, in the event that they might have a seizure. It theoretically makes their lives safer, but in practice it severely limits employment options regardless of the severity of their seizures. Also, the less-well-informed sometimes assume that all epileptics should wear protective headgear all the time, and if they don't, they're not 'properly' epileptic.
* The stereotype of developmental, intellectual, and learning disabilities all gets piled into assuming ''anyone'' with those disabilities is incapable of independent adult functioning and must be treated as a small child or someone at the severest extreme of those disabilities. Almost all ''learning disabled'' people (note: in the United Kingdom, intellectual disabilities are referred to as "learning disabilities," which makes this even more confusing) are perfectly capable of independent living as adults, though they may need assistive devices or help with, say, reading or mathematics - dyslexia and dyscalculia, for example, have no impact on intelligence itself, especially if recognised and properly compensated for. Even direct intellectual disability itself doesn't ''necessarily'' mean that someone is "stupid" or legally incompetent - it is quite possible for someone with borderline intellectual disability to be "slow but normal," in that there's really not that much of a difference from an IQ of 75 (that would be at the low end of "normal" but people with this IQ have gotten high school educations, have, in the absence of other disabilities been employable, etc) and one of 70 (which is considered the starting point for intellectual disability)
** Aside from this, there have been a number of court cases over the years involving relationships between one person with a disability and one without, with the latter being accused of, essentially, statutory rape. Suffice to say, [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil this]] is a ''very'' hotly debated topic.
* This was a key piece of the highly-publicized Jenny Hatch trial. Hatch, who has Down’s Syndrome, had been working a job and living semi-independently with friends, but her mother and stepfather filed a petition for an extremely restrictive guardianship because they felt she would be safer living in a group home and wanted to be able to make that choice for her against her objections, even though Jenny was an adult who had demonstrated that she could care for herself in a less restrictive setting (they also asked for additional power of decision-making, up to and including deciding who Jenny would be allowed to see or spend time with), citing a bike accident Jenny had had as proof that she couldn't take care of herself despite there being no evidence that said accident was indicative of any larger situation. Subverted as a judge ultimately ruled that while Jenny would need a temporary guardian to help her make the transition to independent decision-making, she was competent to make her own decisions with some support, and therefore there was no need for anything near as restrictive as what her mother was seeking. In keeping with this, he also passed over the mother as her guardian, instead granting the guardianship to the friends Jenny had been living with, who had been supporting her in her battle for independence.
* The "invisible" disabilities lend themselves to a cruel irony regarding this: if someone tries to cover up invisible disability to those with no need to know, or if it is one that is only noticeable in aspects most people would not see at first glance (for example, anything from cancer to depression to HIV/AIDS could fall under this), the disabled person gets accused of either faking or lying because they're not helpless and stereotypical, or of being "too private" or similar. Unfortunately, if the person must reveal that they have cancer/depression/fibromyalgia/HIV/whatever, they then get hit with ''both'' this and with speculation and stigma in regard to mental health or HIV or such.
* As anyone who has to deal with any assistance programs can tell you, this trope is a reason why it's hard to qualify for them (or keep 'em), even if you should be eligible. See, the eligibility defines disability as by your ability to work (not by how it affects your day-to-day goings), so, if you don't seem ''helpless enough'', then you get more scrutiny, cut off, or what have you.
[[/folder]]

* This was a key piece of the highly-publicized Jenny Hatch trial. Hatch, who has Down’s Syndrome, had been working a job and living semi-independently with friends, but her mother and stepfather filed a petition for an extremely restrictive guardianship because they felt she would be safer living in a group home and wanted to be able to make that choice for her against her objections, even though Jenny was an adult who had demonstrated that she could care for herself in a less restrictive setting (they also asked for additional power of decision-making, up to and including deciding who Jenny would be allowed to see or spend time with), citing a bike accident Jenny had had as proof that she couldn't take care of herself despite there being no evidence that said accident was indicative of any larger situation. Subverted as a judge ultimately ruled that while Jenny would need a temporary guardian to help her make the transition to independent decision-making, she was competent to make her own decisions with some support, and therefore there was no need for anything near as restrictive as what her mother was seeking. In keeping with this, he also passed over the mother as her guardian, instead granting the guardianship to a pair of Jenny's friends who supported her independence.

* This was a key piece of the highly-publicized Jenny Hatch trial. Hatch, who has Down’s Syndrome, had been working a job and living semi-independently with friends, but her mother and stepfather filed a petition for an extremely restrictive guardianship because they felt she would be safer living in a group home and wanted to be able to make that choice for her against her objections, even though Jenny was an adult who had demonstrated that she could care for herself in a less restrictive setting (they also asked for additional power of decision-making, up to and including deciding who Jenny would be allowed to see or spend time with). Subverted as a judge ultimately ruled that while Jenny would need a temporary guardian to help her make the transition to independent decision-making, she was competent to make her own decisions with some support, and therefore there was no need for anything near as restrictive as what her mother was seeking. In keeping with this, he also passed over the mother as her guardian, instead granting the guardianship to a pair of Jenny's friends who supported her independence.

Learning this is not true is often the point of a VerySpecialEpisode. Contrast this trope to the HandicappedBadass, who everyone can instantly tell is not to be messed with.

* In ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'' [[http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp12012004.shtml Dahlia challenged Monette]] to sit in her wheelchair for one trip (while she can use a wheelchair as a walker). Later Monette remembers Dahlia's dad used to work at a helicopter factory.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan2099'': When Miguel asks his mother, who suffers from an AmbiguousDisorder, how she could tell that he was lying, she replies that she's ''crazy'', not ''stupid''.

* ''Series/AvocadoToast'': {{Inverted}}. Marvin is [[AnArmAndALeg missing both hands]] due to being past injuries, but is quite skilled at using what's left in gripping things and never once asks for help from other people.

* [[InvertedTrope Inverted in]] ''Series/{{Monk}}'' with FauxAffablyEvil FatBastard billionaire Dale Beiderbeck, despite being 800 pounds and bedridden, he's seen as TheDreaded because of his powerful connections, his wealth, and his great intellect making him more of an EvilCripple than anything. In his introductory episode, Sharona plays this trope straight initially after Monk warns her that she doesn't know what he's capable of, but VERY quickly finds out just how WrongGenreSavvy she is.

* Illidan in ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft III}}'' lampshades this trope if the player [[StopPokingMe clicks him enough times to get him to utter the "annoyed" replies]]: "I'm blind, not deaf!"

* Deaf actress Creator/MarleeMatlin once experienced the "one disability = all disabilities" part of this trope when she was on an overnight flight. The flight attendant was passing out menus for dinner, and Matlin began signing what she wanted to her interpreter. The flight attendant saw her, immediately snatched the menu away, went back to her station, and returned, proudly handing Matlin a menu in braille. Matlin {{facepalm}}ed

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Kim is initially uncomfortable around Ron's friend Felix, a wheelchair user. She spends much of it being overly helpful and cautious around him as a result, at one point admonishing Ron for being so lax about Felix's disability. She later realizes how condescending she's coming across when Ron points out that all he's been doing is treating Felix like a normal person, but fortunately, it turns out Felix (and everyone else for that matter) finds her behavior more amusing than annoying:

* Deaf actress Marlee Matlin once experienced the "one disability = all disabilities" part of this trope when she was on an overnight flight. The flight attendant was passing out menus for dinner, and Matlin began signing what she wanted to her interpreter. The flight attendant saw her, immediately snatched the menu away, went back to her station, and returned, proudly handing Matlin a menu in braille. Matlin {{facepalm}}ed

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/UltimateDaredevilAndElektra https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rco025.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Poor Foggy. [[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} He doesn't suspect a thing...]]]]

-->''"Look, its pretty simple: treat the handles of a wheelchair like a pair of breasts. Unless they are attached to you, or unless you have permission to do so, keep your damned hands off!"''

* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' fanfic "Assumptions and the Word All," it is discovered that when Willow activated all of the potential Slayers in the world, one of the potentials so-activated in a 31 year old lawyer whose Cerebral Palsy keeps her wheelchair bound with very little fine control over her body. She is hired by the Reformed Watcher's Council as a researcher and legal counsel, and is given as much combat training as she can physically handle, which admittedly isn't much. But when she overhears one of the younger Slayers talking about how an injured colleague is now a "useless cripple", the lawyer shows the girl why there exists such a thing as a HandicappedBadass in the first place with a punch that knocks the younger girl across the room.

* In the 1918 film ''Film/StellaMaris'', the titular Stella was born paralyzed. Her wealthy guardians decided to coddle her and keep her sheltered from the outside war. Stella didn't know of murder, starvation, or war until adulthood when she [[ThrowingOffTheDisability had a surgery so that she could walk]].

* On ''Series/DegrassiHigh'', Maya's friends neglect to invite her to a movie because the public buses don't have lifts and the theater they're going to doesn't have a wheelchair ramp. She finds out and tells them off for not even asking, when she has a van and knows many place that can accommodate her.

* In ''Literature/DeadWest'', the Merry Company seems to share this belief when it comes to the Porcelain Doctor. The young doctor only has a very bad limp, and has to use a cane and sometimes Gervas' help to get around, but since he also looks eerily fragile, the Merry Company treats him like a baby. This annoys the hell out of the Porcelain Doctor, since he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, thankyouverymuch. Gervas manages to avert this trope when they are alone, but since he has to play a role of a devoted lover for the othes, he sometimes engages in this kind of behaviour. [[spoiler: Gervas himself hates this attitude, since he knows exactly how much of a HandicappedBadass his friend is, but occasionly, when the doctor is sick, he cannot help himself, courtesy of the Devil's Veil. Which looks very weird, when he helps feeding his friend, just so the others won't do it.]]

* The stereotype of developmental, intellectual, and learning disabilities all gets piled into assuming ''anyone'' with those disabilities is incapable of independent adult functioning and must be treated as a small child or someone at the severest extreme of those disabilities. Almost all ''learning disabled'' people (note: in the United Kingdom, intellectual disabilities are referred to as "learning disabilities," which makes this even more confusing) are perfectly capable of independent living as adults, though they may need assistive devices or help with, say, reading or mathematics - dyslexia and dyscalculia, for example, have no impact on intelligence itself, especially if recognised and properly compensated for. Even direct intellectual disability itself doesn't ''necessarily'' mean that someone is "stupid" or legally incompetent - it is quite possible for someone with borderline intellectual disability to be "slow but normal," in that there's really not that much difference from an IQ of 75 (that would be at the low end of "normal" but people with this IQ have gotten high school educations, have, in the absence of other disabilities been employable, etc) and one of 70 (which is considered the starting point for intellectual disability)