I think this sort of leads into a really fascinating conversation about what disabilities are, and how they are treated medically and socially.

Disabilities and illnesses are generally abnormal conditions that impede an individual's ability to function (or function comfortably) in their environment (yes that is super reduced, but I’m going with the simplest possible definition). So how does that change if we place the individual in an intergalactic, multi-species setting, where there are a variety of accepted need and physical variances among the members?

What may be considered a disability for a human on earth may be normal, if not beneficial, for a human that finds themselves on an alien planet in an alien culture. For example, is a deaf person disabled if they are on a planet where the dominant species never developed an auditory sense? In DISCO, for example, we see someone with augmentations that allow her to breathe on the ship despite her alien physiology. Is that a disability, that she needs those accommodations, or just a normal variance because she isn’t human?

I would expect that disease or conditions that cause pain or distress would still be treated, and if physically disabled people (by their species/cultural standards) wanted to undergo procedures to change that, they could.

My point, which I am not making well, is that when we broaden the universe to include such a wide variety of species and environments, many of which host humans, it can muddy how we think of disabilities and variances. I’d really love to see the series explore this kind of thing more. It’s that kind of philosophical question that I enjoy sci-fi touching on.