“People feel that they can say whatever they want to me because I’m disabled, perhaps because I can’t see them. Somehow I’m like public property – free to be commented upon. The flip side of this is that people feel offended when I have an educated response to them, as if I’m just supposed to accept their prejudiced comments and criticism. There are too many stereotypes out there about disabled people that need to be quashed.”
Dr Amit Patel – a man with dark hair and a beard – is smiling at the camera. He’s outdoors , wearing a navy and white gingham shirt. Photo by Charlotte Gray.
[Instagram post @bbc – first photo in carousel shows Dr Amit outside a white house with his guide dog Kika. Captions in image: ‘Amit Patel – “you’re well-dressed for a blind guy” is printed in the centre, with a purple background, ‘Talking Disability’ is smaller, in white capitals.’ Full image descriptions in original post.]
Amit is a British A&E doctor and writer. Find him on twitter and Instagram, appearing in CBeebies’ Dog Squad with his guide dog Kika, and on his website.
The instagram post with Amit’s original quotes is here and just below.
“Being disabled doesn’t mean I’m public property – free to be constantly commented upon” – Dr Amit Patel. Photo of Amit – a slim man of South Asian descent, with dark hair and a beard. He’s wearing a sharp dark suit and sunglasses. He’s smiling and holding what looks like a motorbike helmet.
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