Technology, social disability, transhumanism and healing supposed illnesses: questions

Cyberpunk Review » Robot helps woman walk
<http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/news-as-cyberpunk/robot-helps-woman-walk/>

It's the second video further down the page which is interesting. It's
where a project that started 10-15 years ago has got in making powered
armour for soliders. If I remember right from reading about this project
when it started it'll be another 10-15 years before these suits become
something used on the battlefield.

These suits are the stuff of science fiction but they're become real
just like many ideas from people's imaginations. The powered soldier
will be a huge force multiplier. Think of the soldiers' suits in Avatar.

These also have civilian applications as the article suggests. The
technology can help people who couldn't walk. With bioelectircal
feedback systems wheelchairs will be replaced by walking chairs. A
significant part of the disability ceases to exist.

This is all part of a movement towards transhumanism too. This movement
has a basis in a lot of theoretical thought. It's about constructing a
society where a person can choose to be augmented or not but both be
equal. People are equal regardless of their ability or disability.
People are equal because that's how they're born and that's how we die.
Society is made colourful and wonderful and diverse by a mix not by our
similarities. We're not robots, even if 2010 societal norm expect us to be.

The example I might give to explain what I'm trying to explain, perhaps
poorly, is two blind parents wanting a blind child. We have the
technology now to screen embryos such that there's little chance that
people will be born blind ever again. It's true for a lot of
disabilities. But this idea of disability is something that's foisted on
minorities by the consensus tribe, i.e. the 'normals' (or automotons in
my preferred language).

Blind people value their blindness and their diversity. They're part of
the human race. Their experiences are vital to our collective
consciousness. To me blindness is as normal as sight but I use the word
normal in this case to mean acceptable or part of the human race. A
disability exists but this is a problem with society and civilisation.
This idea of social disability applies to all disabilities but is
perhaps most significant in mental health.

So the ideals of transhumanism are inline with the purist ideals of the
social model of disability. People will have a right to chose to be
technologically enhanced or remain human, however 'disabled' that may
be, because first and foremost humans are what we are. Mad, blind or
whatever.