Society cannot continue to disable themselves through their need to categorize people or make assumptions as to another individual’s abilities.

The remark argues that the real “disabling” force is often social rather than individual: when people are sorted into categories and judged by assumptions, society limits what individuals are allowed to attempt and what others are willing to perceive. In Glennie’s case—frequently cited in discussions of disability and perception—the point aligns with a broader critique of ableism: labels can become self-fulfilling barriers, narrowing opportunity and imagination. The quote reframes inclusion as a collective responsibility, suggesting that communities harm themselves by wasting talent and reinforcing prejudice when they reduce people to presumed limitations instead of attending to actual capacities and lived experience.