(Probably canon) ATLA headcanon
When a bender has some sort of handicap, their bending will step in and take over for the missing ability. Iām going to be very methodical and break these up into groups and give yāall my theories.
Blindness- As shown with Toph, the earthbending will allow her to sense vibrations from pretty far away so she knows where everything is.
Deafness- Maybe different sounds have different vibrations? At the very least, a Deaf earthbender would be able to tell where a sound is coming from.
Paralysis- Who needs a wheelchair when you can just move the ground under you?
Loss of a limb- Earthbenders would have wicked prosthetics. All they would have to do is bend the earth and presto! Youāve got a working limb. Canāt feel anything from it, but still.
Blindness- Waterbenders could probably also sense their element thus allowing them to sense most living things. This is where living in one of the Poles would be a problem though. It would be like that episode where they blinded the smelling-reptilian-bloodhound thing with the perfume.
Deafness- I got nothing. Suggestions?
Paralysis- This is where living in one of the Poles would come in handy. A waterbender could control almost every aspect of their environment. They can just make like, a cushion of snow and float around on it.
Loss of a limb: Snow prosthetic?
Blindness: If an airbender can sense the air, they could probably also sense the not-air, giving them a pretty reliable map.
Deafness: Air comes out differently depending on the sound?
Paralysis: Airbenders can literally fly.
Loss of a limb: I got nothing. Suggestions?
Blindness: Firebenders can sense heat which works great for seeing where people are and detecting fire attacks. Not so great for seeing doors.
Deafness: I got nothing. Suggestions?
Paralysis- Nope, still nothing.
In summary, firebending is kinda useless.