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Like Holly, I object to colorblindness being labeled a disability. I think that this is just a difference in perception, and we cannot label someone else's reality as 'abnormal' just for colorblindness. Maybe people who are colorblind are able to see a color that we are unable to see - somewhere lower on the spectrum or higher. (Maybe they don't, I don't know for sure or anything). So colorblindness is just a difference, and does not impair people's functioning, for the most part.

However, I don't think one should dismiss the idea that some deviations from reality are not normal. Some differences in perceptions can have negative consequences. For example, if someone is hallucinating, we could argue that this person has just tuned into another level of the universe or something like that. But if their hallucinations make them incredibly paranoid, to the extent that they think they are being pursued, their twisted perception of reality may cause them to kill whoever they think is pursuing them.

 Basically, I want to point out that colorblindness is not a disability. Even hallucinations don't necessarily mean that someone has a disabling condition - they can be 'visions' (although, of course, when people have opposing visions, they can end up fighting and killing one another - and this brings into question the veracity of these visions). But there IS a line which divides those who are simply experiencing heightened senses, or the sixth sense, or are in tune with the supernatural from those who have absolutely no grip on reality. Where that line is, or how to define it, is very difficult to figure out. I mean, some people are really 'weird', but it's arguable that many who have produced the most beautiful art in the world were 'weird'. (Think of van Gogh, cutting off his ear, but painting some of the most moving paintings ever - was he 'crazy' or just 'artistic').

OK, so I've rambled a bit. I'm just trying to say that many differences in perception may be gifts or something, but that there ARE differences in perception which are dangerous. And I think that labeling these differences is important for the sake of the people themselves, and finding them treatment, and protecting others around them. This process of labeling is very difficult, and I don't know if it's the right way to go about things - but I can't think of anything better. I also think that it is important to remember that this process of labeling can be easily misused to remove a certain kind of person from society, one that is not dangerous, but just someone with different ideas about life.

I hope I've made some sense here.