Thanks to those who have replied so far....
for a little more background on me personally....Born with a degenerative bone disease (sort of like bad arthritis) - had very supportive family and friends growing up, always told that I could do or be anything. Experienced discrimination for the first real time when I tried to get work but finally found a job as a 911 dispatcher. Met and dated lots of women but most could not get past the disability and wheelchair. They all wanted to be friends and hang out but were looking for a stud for anything more intimate.
From my research those feeling are totally natural....it is survival of the fittest...we look for someone who will be a strong healthy mate and produce healthy children.
I met a wonderful woman who loves me for who I am, not how I look when I walk. When we told her family we were getting married her mother totally freaked out. He daughter deserved more than to be nurse maid for a cripple as I got older. She was totally opposed to the wedding but she had to deal with it. (she later committed suicide -- unrelated to me or my disability)
I was always offended by the jws who harped on healing and curing the poor invalids, like living with a disability was the worst thing imaginable. After leaving the org I went on to get an extended education (disability studies and education) and was lucky to be 1 of only 150 people in the US to be trained on ADA implementation and compliance by the US DOJ and EEOC. I now own a successful national consulting firm that offers Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance assistance and disability awareness courses.
Franklin: I would be interested in chatting if you are an architect. While we are doing quite well, we lost well over $1 mil in jobs this year because, while were are considered Federally Trained ADA Experts, we are not architects and I hate losing jobs LOL
RGW