One thing to realize, is that these people - all of us - were at an event called Abilities Expo: For those people (not all of them, mind you, but way more than

One thing to realize, is that these people - all of us - were at an event called Abilities Expo: For those people (not all of them, mind you, but way more than I expected) to have social anxiety around those in chairs really says something - the mix of people at that event included people from all walks of life - from those in chairs, and their families, to salespeople presenting and hawking all manner of products (I was floored at what it cost to specially customize automobiles for those in chairs to drive), to caregivers and others. These are all people who -should- be comfortable (and accommodating) around those with less mobility, so the lack of eye contact was surprising. I do apologize and agree, though, that my conclusion as to what they might be thinking is unfounded; I obviously can't know what they were really thinking or why.