I suspect this pretty much sums up how you felt:
I know this is an old post, responding to an even older one. BUT....as an amputee, myself, getting the death stare over a misstep (pardon the pun) like that IS unusual.
Let me paint a picture for you of life as someone with a highly visible disability--this will be longish, but it may help many like me in dealing with both medical professionals and civilians who frequent this forum (and friends they pass this on to).
Typical adult reaction to a visibly disabled person is to look away and
studiously avoid looking at the
person...which makes him all the more aware of his status as "a cripple" rather than "a person".
Typical adult reaction when they have a child with them...for instance in a grocery store parking lot: Look away quickly, grab kid by hand or arm, and drag them, hissing loudly enough to be heard from 6 cars behind you and across the lane (where you have moved to put more distance between precious baby and the gimp that might cause your precious baby's legs to fall off just like his did if allowed too close) "Don't STARE! It's RUDE!"
Sorry, kids are curious, they're going to stare...and if they're doing so, at least they are looking at you like a PERSON, not "a cripple". I'd rather you let your darling walk up and ask their questions...it's honest curiosity, if I don't want to talk about it, it's a kid, I can respond "it's a really bad story, and I don't like to talk about it", and a kid will take that at face value...or I can answer his question with a friendly smile, being relieved to find that rare adult who is not only conscious of the fact I may be bent and dented, but I'm still "people", nothing to be apprehensive about.
At this point, with all my health issues related to my service time, and the accident, I'm pretty much custom made to entertain children...literally custom made. Glass eye, often not worn, and an eye patch worn instead, "peg leg" (actually a nice alloy piece of engineering artwork), and some nifty, highly visible scars. I go out of my way to make kids giggle and be comfortable...it means they have a better chance of growing up understanding that a few missing bits and pieces, some extra aftermarket hardware, and such doesn't remove you from being a normal human being in all other respects. And more likely to understand their legs won't magically fall off, and they won't mysteriously go blind because they sat next to someone like me on the bus. It alo means I get to make those parents realize the extent of how demeaning their avoidance behavior is, regardless of the psychological underpinnings.
You get someone like me, a former soldier...I am/was used to doing things most people will never make the choice to TRY, routinely, being unusually physically capable, etcetra. To someone like me, losing a limb, depth perception, and "half my vision" is devastating at first...we are, in a way "supermen" while in fighting condition...as I said routinely doing what most people can't/won't do. Take that away from us via injury, it's BAD...because not only are we now "broken people", but we are too familiar with being unusually capable, and suddenly we can't even match a 14 year old couch potato video game addicted who has been out of the sun so long he glows in the dark, until we re-learn how to walk, run, balance, and on and on. It hurts us, makes us doubt our worth even more than someone without that background (and it's devastating to THEM, as is...so you may be able to begin to imagine what I'm trying to convey)...it contributes to depression that already exists...usually dangerous depression, on and off.
But you treat me like I'm just Joe Average with a bit of modifications no more significant than my tattoos, or a few scars maybe more spectacular than usual, but not uncommon to be seen (visible scarring in general, I mean), I'm going to instantly forgive any "misstep" you may make, verbally...if not laugh at it, tell you to drop the discomfort you're feeling in your self-conscious "did I just offend the cripple?" perception, and probably crack a couple jokes along the same vein, myself, to set you back at ease.
Medical personnel who work PT, prosthetic specialists, and such treat us differently than the general public...but in a way, they don't count, because it's their job to do so, AND they deal with us day in and day out, to the point our issues are simply "mechanical issues to be worked around" in their eyes, the injuries become somewhat invisible to them. The general public, though? Man, you find those people "blind to the damages"...it's like finding the Koor al Nuhr diamond in a box of Cracker Jacks.
Don't be uncomfortable, don't avoid eye contact. If you're curious (morbidly or not), but hesitant, ask if it's OK if you ask me about my injuries. If I'm uncomfortable, I'll say so, if not, I'll answer HAPPILY. Same goes for about 99% of the other amputees/visibly disabled I know, between the VA, and our local hospital's PT offices. If you have the stones, presume I'll be happy to discuss it, and just ask your questions...again, if I'm uncomfortable, it's much more polite for you to ask, and me to say "I'd rather not talk about it", then carry on a conversation about something else...because you're treating me like a human, not a curiosity or a freak show...than it is for you to move as far from me as you can, thinking you're not being obvious about it, and very obviously and studiously avoiding even looking at me, which is both demeaning and dehumanizing.
Put yourselves in my shoe...if you lost a leg, how would you prefer your kids' friends, and their parents, and their school's administration, and their teachers treat you? Cripple, somehow less-than-human, or a perfectly normal human being with aftermarket modifications? How about complete strangers? Which would you prefer to face from
them?