#disabled writer

[everythingwsnormalhere]

how and when to keep a character's physical disability in universes with magic*

reblogs are very encouraged but not mandatory

magic caused their disability -> the magic that caused it was too strong therefore magic cannot fix it -> don't make the character look for a magic cure in this case -> seriously. stablish theres no cure if you want. just don't make them look for the cure -> although. bonus if they Could get a cure. they just Don't Want One. -> don't make them being disabled a punishment for Doing Something Bad. nor a punishment in general. a spell going wrong is far better. trust me. Disability As A Punishment is overused asf. -> only write them hating magic for this if you plan to make them embrace both magic and their disability in the future. otherwise give them a positive relationship with magic since the beginning.

magic removes their disability -> don't do that -> mainly if they become abled when they're in their Super Form (example freddy freeman). do NOT. fucking. do that. -> let them stay disabled even if superpowered. invent some excuse or whatever. -> other option is let it remove the disability but keep them using their aids out of habit. you need to be very careful with that one tho bc you can fuck it up -> overall just. don't remove their disability -> oh but don't let their disability make them less of a hero fuck that -> if you make them the "weak link" of their team i will kill you with hammers

evil magic removes their disability -> if you plan to make a plot twist where the magic was actually Evil all along you not only can but Should remove their disability -> show their discomfort with this -> but it remains ignored because "you should be happy you're abled now!!" -> in the end its found out them being made abled was foreshadowing the magic's Evilness -> again. very careful with this one. -> still the implications of Evil Magic Making Them Abled are so much better than Evil Magic Keeping Them Disabled. trust me. seen both.

their own/other characters' healing powers should make them abled/"heal" their disability -> either stabilish that healing powers can only heal stuff that can be healed with modern medicine (aka not disabilities and chronic conditions and stuff) -> (least fav option) stabilish that it can heal that stuff temporarily, but it comes back worse soon enough so its not worth it -> or make the disabled character to not be willing to try and get healed -> not bc they're scared but bc they'd rather stay disabled

magic could make their disability less disabling without removing it -> this can actually be very well done -> for example if a characters disability is worsened by cold, casting a spell that makes the room warmer -> or if they switch between mobility aids through the day, a spell that makes their mobility aids tiny (pocket sized) so they can carry them around more easily -> or a spell that makes their wheelchair move on its own without them needing to push it bc they're too flared/exhausted to manually push themself -> as a general rule tho. keep it at things that can be done irl, or at least make it inspired by them

disability as a punishment (they were cursed/they threw a spell too advanced even tho they were warned not to/etc) -> just don't do this -> seriously. pick another punishment. don't fucking do this.

*this guide is for abled writers: if you have a physical disability you can do whatever you want forever :3 (technically you can too if you are abled. but i will be pissed at abled writers who ignore this. so not worth it.)

[a-totally-reasonable-username]

I'm a disabled and chronically ill writer. I can't write every time i want to. I can't use a keyboard or handwrite for disability reasons. The only way i can write is by typing in the notes app on my phone. This is also painful and i can write a few hundred words at most.

Isn't it interesting how i still wouldn't consider using AI to write my stories instead? If the only way for me to write my stories is by using voice to text and i can write only a single word everyday i still wouldn't choose AI

Fuck AI and fuck you for pretending to care about disability people just so you can steal art made by disabled people

[cozycoffeereads]

As a disabled person, I’m tired of people arguing on our behalf defending Gen AI for our creative pursuits. You greatly underestimate our passion for art and our abilities. We already have to adapt in every aspect of our lives, it’s not a foreign concept to us. Long before modern adaptive tools, we were modifying our own. When we’re passionate about something, we find ways.

Most disabled people would rather create art with shaky hands, their feet, or their mouth because it’s their creation. Same with using AI for writing. I’m ADHD, have brain fog, and minor brain damage that can make writing hard. My cEDS makes my hands tire quickly from drawing. Regardless, I persevere. These things make my writing and art more unique and, most importantly, my own. The thrill of finishing a creation with our own hands and minds is more satisfying than typing it into AI. If a disabled person wants to defend AI, that’s their prerogative. But don’t defend it on our behalf. We don’t need you to.

[nettlesnymph]

an excerpt from my essay, beauty and radium, unpublished

[magical-soup]

Writing about disabilities is so rewarding! It’s not hard either! You just have to do some research, be careful, and use multiple different sources.

Sometimes, when I almost forget that I wrote a chapter about a character with POTS, I get a comment like: “POTS! Th-They! They have the POTS! Me! :) That’s me! Sobbing crying screaming writhing on the floor 🥹 This means so much to me!!! Thank you, author! You are the best! I’m gonna read this over and over and cry every time OMG this is the best thing ever! Thank you ❤️”

It’s so rewarding and feels so good! But honestly, it’s a little sad when I think about why this representation is so important and shocking for people; because it rarely happens at all. Disabled people are so forgotten that representation of them is near nonexistent! All the responsibility of making good representation is left to the disabled people themselves! They should be able to see media that includes them without having to make it themselves! It should be normal for disabled characters to be in media!!!

It reminds me of why I started writing in the first place. I started writing to make work that included me—because it wouldn’t have existed otherwise. Because if I didn’t write about disabled characters, then me and many other disabled people would never find work that talked about their disabled experiences. I needed to make it because no non-disabled person would.

Someone once commented that I was brave for writing about disabled characters. I wish this wasn’t brave, just like writing about queer characters. This shouldn’t be rare, this shouldn’t stand out for including disabled characters. Including disabled characters in media should be normal.

[cripplepunksoliloquies]

Fundraising Time!

Cripplepunk Soliloquies is an upcoming literature magazine centered on the disabled experience. It is inspired by the cripplepunk movement, which began on tumblr in 2014 by Tai Trewhella (aka user @crpl-pnk ).

All of our artists and most of our team are disabled and our goal is both to represent our experiences honestly and accessibly for as many people as possible. The art and writing in this project show the whole spectrum of what makes up disabled life, pain and beauty in one place. We are raising money to cover the costs of publishing. This will be our first edition, and we are planning on releasing in the spring of 2027. Our fundraiser is housed on Ko-fi at this address: https://ko-fi.com/cripplepunksoliloquies

Thank you so much for your support. We're so excited to make this dream a reality.

[evilwriter37]

Born to create, but put in a body that doesn’t even want to live.