ASSUMPTIONS BASED ON APPEARANCE SUCK.
this is a common issue, not just with stairs but with all things. i have carpal tunnel, and while people hear this in their head they cannot conceive of the issue because they have not experienced the reality.
the assumption is i am making things up so i can avoid work or have an excuse for my slowness or laziness. these same people will excuse someone from another country by telling me that they don't know how to work hard, because they "dont understand english as well" or they "try their best".
it's a bit of reverse discrimination where white privilege turns into white discrimination. because i am white i am expected to work harder, be a better leader, understand more about how business works and be supportive of what i believe are convoluted expectations in the work place.
I am also expected to love jesus, believe capitalism, television, marriage, babies, houses, cell phones and nationalism are the best things in the world, and understand that coworkers with family needs will come before my own needs, because I am single and therefore unimportant.
people who are poor, uneducated, marginally handicapped (but not eligible to be called handicapped), or have mental challenges, etc, are expected to be willing to work harder, faster and longer for less money because we have no choice. the excuse from the boss is, "well i can hire someone else", for the minimum wage slavery. this is unseen discrimination. you can't SEE the problem, therefore there is none.
once you are marginalized by any of these factors, you LOSE VALUE as a worker - and eventually as a human being. and if someone like trump is in office, any type of social service that aids marginalized people has been cut.
when it comes down to it, i feel the escalator is a common courtesy issue that could be easily resolved along with a reminder to wait one's turn. but the insensitivity of the me generation is so prevalent, i wonder if courtesy is a value anymore.