Originally Posted by chephy

Now, a second consideration is that many people in wheelchairs are not actually disabled. Most people I see in those motorized wheelchair-type scooters seem to be just lazy fat bums who don't want to put in the effort that walking or biking would require. How do I know? By seeing them get off their little machines and walk around just fine when they choose to do so, with no coordination or balance issues of any sort, no visible limp, no stiffness that would suggest pain. Anyway, I don't care if they are lazy or fat - it's truly none of my business - but I am not sure if these people should be entitled to the same rights and priviliges as those who really need the wheelchair to get around. As others pointed out, it's not necessarily a bad thing when Segways, electric scooters etc. take to the road; however, it is a different issue, and I think that in discussing this case it's important to differentiate between the disabled folk and the "joy riders", since their needs and entitlements are quite different.