Writing & Worldbuilding Good Disability Representation
Unsurprisingly many people have struggled to write disabled characters, while others worry about making mistakes when trying to nail good representation.
In all honesty writing disability can be complicated, because disability itself is so broad. Eventually everyone once in their lives will be disabled in one way or another, whether temporary, from old age, due to mental illness, or simply born that way.
There's so many different kinds of disabilities, and so many different ways they can affect us. The levels of impairment is drastically different from person to person and disability to disability.
Importance of Good Representation
One of the questions I hear the most from older people when it concerns the "oddly diverse" casts of modern shows, is , I explain kindly to them the importance of representation from the perspective of the represented.
I always ask them when you think of Indian-Americans what characters do you think. Due to the Simpsons most pull up Apu, but when I ask if they think Indians like being represented by Apu their mood of the situation changes.
I tell them subconsciously we naturally recall other forms of representation we've seen of a group when encountering someone from said group, good and bad. These characters we see in media are subject to be what we recall, and when they're poor quality people get things wrong or support bigoted stereotypes.
Now when it comes to those disabilities, representing someone wrong can give people the wrong impression how those disabilities work. I would know, I've been told a many times that I'm too young for Fibromyalgia.
When a certain type/variant of disability becomes more prevalent in representation people come to believe it's the only type. Ambulatory wheelchair users, non-limping cane users, and those not completely blind face obnoxious individuals all the time, people who are convinced that the disabled individual is faking because it's not what they're used to hearing about.
If every representation of those with a disability is negative or villainized, then we have issues of demonization forming (think those with ASPD, DID, Bipolar Disorder, or Borderline Personality Disorder)
Avoiding the Inspiration Porn
One of the most annoying tropes of all time, in not just writing, but in reality television, game shows, documentaries, and so much more when concerning those with disabilities is the dreaded "Inspiration Porn"
You've very likely seen it before.
A story about a person with disability so impairing or disabling overcoming all their hardships so that they do one highly specific thing, and isn't just so inspiring, aren't they so cute doing the thing, you should feel inspired right now, you don't have that disability so now it's your turn, alpha red-pill grindset rhetoric, blah blah blah-
Almost every time a disabled character is the focus in a show they are simply there to be something for the audience to feel inspired off of. It tells the lesson of "no matter how bad your life is, it can always be worse."
It's dehumanizing for disabled people to just be a ploy of inspiration for non-disabled people.
It covers up the real struggle in the story, claiming that disabled people are compliant, never complain, and can never be shot down. Disabled people let their pain and problems stop them all the time. Hell! So do non-disabled people.
Not everyone has these resources, or mental resilience, and there is so much more to a disabled character than the arch of achieving something despite a illness.
Disabled people are achieving something despite a illness, they're just achieving something. They're people. I wouldn't say, "Wow Mary got a STEM masters, even though she's a girl."
Sounds sexists doesn't it? Well now think about how disabled people feel when the yearly America's Got Talent season plays inspiring over the top music as a person with a disability does something talented (only to never win anyway).
Ooooooo a disabled villain, a classic. Oh it's the overly innocent childlike Autistic character. And here is the wheelchair bound engineer-
There are many stereotypes for the many disabilities out there. When it comes to disabled characters in general an classic was the disabled villain, often hand and hand with queercoded notions too.
Two major reasons why the disabled villain happens
Writers want a character to look tough or resilient, so they add things like an eyepatch, disfigurements, mechanical arms, etc.
The ugly metaphor of one's inner quality being equal to their monstrous outer qualities. Their broken nature shows in their broken appearance.
The first one is not as annoying, and is much easier to ignore or even explore, creating a more interesting villain. The second...
Although an interesting recurring metaphor, like in James Bond books, if you think about it longer you realize it's ableist energy. Does this mean that all disabled people are also evil on inside?
Having a villain who is disabled isn't bad on its own, however make sure they're not just an extension of the minority-villain.
The same goes for all other disabled characters. Do research on the common stereotypes. Is every psychopath a murderer? Is every wheelchair user calculating and highly intelligent? Does every Autistic person speak with altered distinct speech?
Tons and tons of media, well received and hated, have made use of harmful stereotypes in a mindless way. Even more I hate when I see this trope in fandom.
One of my all time favorite FPS characters is Jager from Rainbow Six Siege, but almost every other depiction of this powerful soldier, part of an international anti-terrorist team, proven to be highly intelligent and adaptable, is shown as innocent-minded and childlike.
Like c'mon people, really?
If I show you a disabled character, except they're never hindered by their disability, it's rare ever mentioned, and plays no role in their character ever you'd feel cheated in representation.
If I showed you a character who was only their disability, you'd feel annoyed that they're devoid of personality and are just there to be like, "Hi my name is Fibromyalgia."
Writing a disabled character is a balancing game. They are dynamic like all other characters. A character is not just their species, sexuality, or gender. They are apart of the world you're building.
Many disabled people feel cheated when a disabled character gets a magical or technological cure that basically removes the disabled aspect of the character. I think a good example of characters who have sci-fi/magical additives to their disabilities, that act as aid can be found in Arcane, Avatar the Last Airbender, Adventure Time, and also Steven Universe.
Blending In With The Worldbuilding
An easy mistake everyone can make when writing a disabled character, especially in a fantasy setting, is forgetting to blend them in with the worldbuilding.
Is that a modern wheelchair in a clockwork setting? How come magic isn't included with these kind of things? Can eyepatches be enchanted? Hear me out
Are there disabilities unique to the fantasy species present, in the magic system, or even one you made up solely for worldbuilding's sake?
Why hasn't healing magic or sci-fi medical technology prevented an amputation? Maybe there's rules that play a role here. Let's take for instance some wordbuilding examples from my SOA series.
Although healing magic is prevalent, any healer, cleric or chromatic magic caster, needs just as much medical knowledge as a modern surgeon to get their job done right. The greater the injury the more difficult it is for the magic to work properly, and for the caster to have enough mana or even skill to attempt it.
Amputations are very common to this factor, on account of Castellian warmongering, magic backfiring, and widespread aggressive mercenary groups.
No one's head has ever been reattached successfully by even the most skilled of healers throughout history, cases of so being moments of divine intervention or inexplicable magical wonder.
Amputations are usually replaced by robotic prosthetics in Projectian planets, and Castellite. In Okiea, technology inspired off of the Quinn (a species) has allowed for the popularity of the versatile but fragile Quinn-Style prosthetics. In nations with clockwork deposits, clockwork has always been popular.
Other nations simply buy these prosthetics or designs off of each other from other planets. From most expensive to least- Projectian - Mondiean - Castellian - Quinn - Clockwork - Arethian
Due to expenses, impoverished communities rely on rudimentary prosthetics, such a hooks, still hand molds, and similar.
It is both more difficult and more dangerous to cast through the majority of prosthetics. You have higher chances of magic backfiring, blowing the prosthetic apart and potentially more remaining of the affected limb. It is like they've never casted before with that arm, leg, or tail. Most materials used don't take to casting well anyway, except for the Quin and Clockwork prosthetics.
Sci-Fi, Healing, and Medical Technology
A lot of times, especially for things like amputations, and other injury-acquired disabilities, the immersion can be broke when the disability isn't supplemented by medical technology or magic in high fantasy settings.
If androids exists why doesn't realistic prosthetics exists? If we have floatation devices why don't wheelchair float so that they can better go up and down terrain? Can I have a madmax style battle wheelchair? Why didn't magic just fix the problem?
When worldbuilding with magic and technology I play by the rule- ALWAYS REMEMBER INNOVATION
Intelligent species, like us humans (if you can even call us that anymore), have a natural drive to innovate upon everything we find. We get a new invention, discover a new resource, or come up with a new technology we worked hard to find every single thing we put it into.
In a fantasy world the same would be done with magic, and the technology available. If I see a versatile hoverboard, a floating city, or platform elevator I might wonder why a character would appear with a regular everyday wheelchair, unless there's a worldbuilt explanation for it.
If there's bionic creatures, why no replaceable eyes for eyepatch wearing characters. What magic or technology can make the lives of those who face mental challenges easier?
Are there creatures similar to service dogs about? Or are service dogs a more universally accepted thing than our own world. When worldbuilding you can really play around, making things both better and worse for the disabled characters at play.
Magic, Species, and Casting
When fantasy species and magic are present I wonder if certain disorders are unique to them, and how disorders I'm already familiar with might affect them differently.
What does a orc with dwarfism look like compared to a dragon with dwarfism? Is it even called dwarfism at that point? Can elves be born with extra ears like some cats? Can batfolk have a disability that makes their echolocation impaired?
As for magic is it rare, but well known, that some people are unable to cast? I personally hate the trope of a magical world except there's one character who doesn't have any powers. I don't mind it as a concept itself, but I've just seen it so many times, and often in cheap poorly done settings.
There's so many other ways one could be disabled in the sense of magic, in a world where everyone else has powers. I think D&D wild magic is an amazing example of this.
There's also the conversation of curses acting as a disability themselves. With magic be so widespread, especially in a setting where we have spellcasters like witches and warlocks, why aren't curses widespread?
Does one not grumble every time someone in public has to ask about the story of how they got cursed just like a burn victim explaining their traumatizing past?
Don't Be Afraid To Explore The Bad
All the time I discover people incredibly nervous to work with themes of discrimination, war, torture, and similar things. I think it's important to explore settings where not everything is kittens and rainbows. I also think it can be equally as fun to explore a setting devoid of certain kinds of hate. Both are fun, and have advantages in their storytelling.
But often times stories need conflicts, and one of the most easiest to pull from, is discrimination.
I don't think anybody is terrible for enjoying a sort of angsty or whumpy aspect of writing disabled characters either. We all write and read different kinds of things for many many reasons. Maybe a story filled with darkness and hopelessness evokes a strange somber feeling of hope.
Grim darks, dystopias, and whump stories have come around for a reason. Just try to make sure that any hidden lessons you accidentally form in your writing don't give the wrong impression (I'm looking at you Saw)
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