I sent an ask to the other this-is-ableism not long before their blog was taken down, so I thought I'd resend it here.
There's a character in Warrior Cats named White-Eye because she was born with one blind, milky white eye (later renamed One-Eye after she lost her blind eye entirely to an injury).
I think this is ableist for a few reasons. One, it perpetuates the stereotype that blind people have cloudy eyes (I'm not saying that can't happen, I used to have an old dog whose eyes turned cloudy when she went blind, but I think it's not nearly as common as people seem to think and I also don't think people who are born blind have cloudy eyes, but correct me if I'm wrong).
Two, she's named for her disability, and unfortunately this isn't the only case of that happening. There are others including Deadfoot and Crookedjaw/star who are named for a disability or disfigurement, and Brightheart was briefly named Lostface after her face was mutilated in a dog attack. (It was acknowledged in-story how cruel the name Lostface was and it got changed to Brightheart later in the same book, and I'm at least glad they acknowledged that it was bad there. However I do believe it was pointed out in-book at least once how cruel Crookedjaw/star's name change was, but I don't think it was ever challenged and he kept the name his whole life)
I love Warrior Cats, but it definitely doesn't treat its disabled characters very well, sadly.
I agree there is ableism within the Warrior Cats series, I've only read the first arc (? if that's what its called), so I know about Brightheart, Crookedjaw/star, and how naming conventions around the cats with disabilities happens. It's definitely off-putting and cruel considering as far as I'm aware, the cats don't get to choose their names 100% of the time (though correct me if I'm wrong). And that disabilities could've been better represented in the stories beyond naming the characters after them.
How would ya'll feel about me making Adrien partially blind in my AU?
Like, one of the rules with how the miraculous work in my AU is blindness is fixed by giving the user the miraculous' animals vision. Like if a fully blind person used the mouse miraculous they'd have mouse vision.
Adrien in my AU I feel would prefer the middle or back row seats and I need him to have a reason to be in the front like in canon.
Also he wouldn't have completely cat vision, it'd just be kinda tinted cat in a way.
Its not "Woah what the frick!? Why is everything so weird looking!?"
Its more "Why is everything clearer? And tinted beige?"
Plus it'd add some sense to Chat Noires theatre mask besides ✨dramatics✨
Hello, I've been looking through all the links in your pinned post, but just to be sure, is it okay if I ask a few questions regarding on 2 of my prominent characters?
1) One of my characters' eyesight had been degrading since they were young, and though they now take special antiobiotics and treatment to prevent further loss of vision, they're only able to perceive shadows, light, and colors (which largely depends on contrast and lighting of the surroundings). Their cane is their main mobility aid in day-to-day life, but when in combat, they use a device similar to the Focus from Horizon: Zero Dawn. Moving targets like enemies or allies are highlighted/outlined with bright colors to indicate where they are, the colors symbolizing who they are. The device is also capable of scanning text or objects and transcribing them in audio form through an earpiece. I've done my best to research how my character's device can be useful for their lifestyle, but not negate or make their blindness an easily bypassed part of their life, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
2) One of my characters has partial blindess caused by a serious injury to the left side of their face. Their injured eye can only perceive some light and shadow, which affects their depth perception quite a bit. Relying on only one eye has caused strain on their uninjured eye, so they have nearsightedness and need glasses to prevent further damage. This character felt more comfortable to write for me because I'm also nearsighted, although to a lesser degree than my character, and my glasses are mostly to protect my eyes from worsening. So far, I've used my own habits and experiences to describe my character's, but since they are partially blind (which they compensate for by memorizing or mapping out their surroundings, training and practice to determine actual distance, and guides (family and close friends)), my own experiences are hardly enough to make my character seem more realistic. I'd like to ask if there are any mistakes I've made with writing them?
For the first one, I suggest adapting already-existing technology, such as the OrCam MyEye or the Sunu Band. OrCam is worn on glasses and is a device that can already detect surroundings and read text. It can also tell you when someone you know is approaching, such as a neighbor whose face the device recognizes. I don’t know how accurate it is, but I find it helpful to acknowledge that some of these gadgets already exist for realism and accuracy. They are not made up devices that might hypothetically help blind people; they are real and usually invented by people in the blind community themselves.
You can explain that you modeled it after the OrCam or it could be a specialized version of it that includes other features. Color coded enemies and teammates also seems plausible considering OrCam’s recognition feature.
Here is a video demonstrating the OrCam My Eye Pro. You can also go to their website here or look them up on YouTube for more videos.
Please note that some of the features can be found elsewhere or replaced with techniques. For example, someone who folds or organizes their money a certain way or uses a money reader probably wouldn’t need the money identification part of the product. Certain people will like certain features more than others, which could also provide characterization.
While this product is not an option for everyone due to the price, it may be accessible in the scenario you described.
You can also avoid negating their blindness by showing how it impacts them in other ways. A few examples may include navigation techniques, lighting preferences, home layout, assistive devices used at home, how they choose to read (audiobooks, trying to find Braille books they like that are actually available), eye strain, sensory issues, stimulation seeking, interactions with the blind community, sports and activities, etc.
Glasses for protection and the other stuff you outlined sounds good to me.
I love that they use a cane during the day, but what about orientation and navigating uneven ground? I ask because the technology you plan to use during combat scenes wouldn’t help with locating uneven ground or steps.
Could they use the cane for navigating in combat?
While on the subject, a Sunu band might also be helpful. It detects objects at and above waist level. However, it is not a replacement for a cane.
As for your second character, eye strain and fatigue are absolutely going to happen as you described. Your character might sometimes cover their injured eye to reduce strain. They may also need more frequent breaks from use of their uninjured eye, such as when reading or doing desk work.
Taking breaks from screens helps. Managing lighting also helps, such as having enough light to avoid strain, although nothing too harsh. For migraines or eye pain, they might carry medication. At home, they can use hot or cold compresses in addition to eye masks to rest their eyes.
So far, what you have described sounds good. Your own experience should be useful in writing this character. However, I also suggest considering how they navigate stairs and uneven ground when walking. Another common obstacle that arises for people with no depth perception is accidentally dropping cups. To circumvent this, it is helpful to use high contrast, avoid glass, and/or intentionally set the cup on the counter before releasing it.
Lastly, I wanted to add that people with partial vision will often be expected or pressured to rely on it. This character might need to self-advocate, as they could still benefit from audio descriptions, screen-readers, and other assistive technology.
If anyone else has ideas, feel free to share in the notes.
acrylic on paper, 20mm diameter - painting video below
chan made a silly/fun little wishlist of eyeball related stuff she'd like to have some day and when she mentioned a locket with her eye, well. i thought that would be a quick, fun little project to try out so i offered to do it for her. i'll be sending this off in the mail shortly. i wasn't sure which eyeball to go for so why not both! i've been following her for a few years now, if you want to know more about her story, this is a quick summary. she's a lovely person going through and sharing the ups and downs of pretty significant health challenges. the makeup look i chose to paint is from this video
i used my regular cymk paints (mars black, white, pthalo turquoise, cadmium yellow medium, quinacridone magenta) then also a gold metallic from nova color, two interference powders sold for resin mixed into an acrylic medium (silver and gold, respectively) to do the highlights on the eye makeup (silver) and her gold sparkly prosthetic eye (gold).
(RWBY, White Rose, AU where Weiss is blind in one eye. I got the idea from a tweet and it took me over a week to write this but here, its done! Behind the cut as usual.)
Weiss still remembered the sharp, searing pain when the Arma Gigas' blade ran across her face, rendering a scar across her left eye and leaving that eye permanently blinded. How her family had admonished her for allowing such a crippling injury to mark her, leaving her in a state that she had to go to physical therapy up until she finally left Atlas for Beacon. Her mother insisted that if she wasn't going to cover that hideous scar, the least she could do was wear a contact to give the impression that her blinded eye was still functional. The last thing a Schnee heiress needed was to be pitied.
So no one at Beacon Academy knew about her impairment, not even the other members of her team, team RWBY, and especially not her partner, Ruby. She would go out of her way to wake up well before the others had woken up to make sure of it, and would be the last to go to bed. She’d never let them see her put that cosmetic contact in or take it out, the very idea made her hands tremble. Nobody could ever know the injury had left her with more than a scar; an ugly scar and a blinded eye, scarred over and greyed, that made Weiss tear up and quietly breathe shakily in the dim moonlight.
However, Weiss was still adjusting to her monocular vision. Anyone coming up on her left startled her (the first person to make that mistake was, of course, Jaune Arc, who received an elbow to the ribs and a huffed warning and apology after), she had to be careful on stairs if she had to take them, and in a fight she had to calculate the lack of depth perception she experienced in every move. Especially when sparring in Professor Goodwitch’s class, especially when sparring an opponent like Cardin Winchester.
Which is why it was horrifying when her contact fell out during the match. He’d caught her off guard, on her left, knocking her down and sliding across the floor. She didn’t realize what had happened until she saw the contact on the floor. She quickly grabbed it, throwing the contact in her uniform jacket’s pocket and keeping her blind eye shut, covering that side of her face with her free hand. The class was quiet, and Professor Goodwitch walked into the ring, walking over to Weiss.
“What’s the matter with your eye?” She asked, her usual firm tone softening out of concern for her student. Weiss shook her head.
“I-it’s okay. I think I just got some dust in my eye.” Weiss stammered, afraid of what the teacher would say if she knew. What anyone would say if they knew. If they saw. Gods, how many of her classmates had seen? Did anyone on her team? She looked over her shoulder, to them. All three of them stood but their expressions varied; Blake looked concerned, covering her mouth, Yang looked like she wanted to jump down and pummel Cardin, and Ruby...stared in shock.
“What’s the matter, princess? Can’t fight with just one eye?” Cardin mocked, heckling to her. If Goodwitch wasn’t standing between them, she’d send him flying with a glyph.
“That’s enough, Cardin.” Goodwitch scolded, turning to the young man who immediately dropped his confident air and straightened up. Their match was declared a draw, and she had Ruby escort Weiss out of class, instructing them to go to the nurse’s office. Once in the hallway, Weiss started walking in the opposite direction, and Ruby followed. It was quiet for a few moments.
“You saw...didn’t you?” Weiss asked softly. She was still squeezing her left eye shut. She expected Ruby to be angry at her for hiding this; after all, they were partners, and partners weren’t supposed to hide things from each other. Instead, Ruby’s hand gently grabbed Weiss’ arm, her left arm, leading her down the empty hallway.
“Your eye...it’s...why didn’t you say anything about it?” Ruby’s questioning was gentle, much more concerned than the anger Weiss had expected. She couldn’t help but sigh and stop walking, looking over to her partner. Her eye still squeezed shut, she looked at her partner. Her open eye, blue and straining, looked at Ruby’s silver. The younger girl’s expression was soft, and Weiss couldn’t help but sigh.
“I’ll explain once we get to the dorm room.” she said, still a bit shaken, the idea of the two of them being seen when she was in this state was still causing her to tremble. So Ruby led her back to their dorm, taking the elevator (which Weiss was thankful for) and whatever shortcut they could to avoid people. Once they made it to their dorm, she allowed her blind eye to open again once Ruby closed the door behind them.
Sitting on Weiss’ bed, she told the entire story of how the injury happened, and what had followed before her entry into Beacon Academy. She understated the harshness of her family’s mindset about it, again, not wanting to be pitied by her partner. Deep down, a part of her worried that this would lead to the end of their partnership, that Ruby would see her as unworthy to even be on her team, let alone her partner.
Instead, Ruby’s arms wrapped themselves around Weiss’ shoulders and she was pulled closer by the younger girl, a tight hug being the last thing she expected. But, it was welcome, despite her stiffening a bit at first she relaxed into the embrace, wrapping her arms around Ruby’s waist and resting her hands on her back, her head on Ruby’s shoulder. Despite herself, her self-control waivered, and tears spilled freely from her eyes.
“You don’t think less of me?” Weiss asked, unable to control her voice’s wavering. Ruby squeezed her a bit tighter for a second before answering.
“Of course I don’t.” Ruby’s voice is soft, gentle, maybe even loving.
“Even with this...ugly scar?” Weiss adds, whispering, her breathing shallow.
“Oh, Weiss,” Ruby spoke reassuringly, “You’re not ugly at all. I actually think...I think you’re really pretty.”
Oh. The heat that spreads across Weiss’ cheeks is unexpected, and she’s grateful that Ruby can’t see her face like this. A new light shone on her relationship with her partner, her team’s leader, in such a way that Weiss wouldn’t have considered before. It was new, maybe a bit frightening. But for the first time since the injury, Weiss didn’t feel ashamed.
Pulling back just enough, she leaned slightly closer to Ruby, kissing the other girl softly on the cheek, so briefly that she wasn’t sure the action even registered until she pulled back enough to see Ruby’s cheeks were a bit pinker than she recalled them being.
The two smiled, but before the moment could continue, their other two teammates barged in.
“Weiss, are you--” Yang started, before trailing off. Blake stood behind her, offering a soft smile to the two of them. Weiss sighed, lowering her arms from around Ruby and placing her hands in her lap.
“I suppose I owe you two an explanation as well.” She started, her guard coming back up a bit. Yang and Blake came in, closing the dorm room behind them. There was an awkward silence for a moment, before Blake pulled away her bow, letting her cat ears out from their hiding.
“I’m sure your reasons for hiding are as good as mine.” Blake reassured her. Yang nodded and smiled.
“How about we order pizza and you can tell us while we eat?” The blonde offered. Realizing she still had streaks of tears on her face, Weiss wiped at her cheeks with the sleeve of her jacket and nodded.
Weiss learned that day that being imperfect didn’t mean she couldn’t be loved. She didn’t just have friends in Team RWBY. She had found herself a family.
