It seems that a condition needs to seem 'sad' for the general public to show any interest. Like those commercials on TV that show the injured, abused puppies, who couldn't feel sad for them, or the commercials with the children dying of starvation, who wouldn't want to donate money.

This is a big issue in autism funding, were there are all kinds of celebrities and big organizations like Autism Speaks, generating a massive amount of money for autism research. Who wouldnt feel for the hellish world that a child with autism lives in, just a little more money might release this child from the nightmare.
The problem is, that 99% of autism funding goes towards finding a cure and help for children.
Almost non of it goes towards helping adults with autism, who are thought of negatively, if thought of at all by the general population.
A child with autism makes people sympathetic, while a adult with autism makes people uncomfortable