How to write Mac (by a disabled person)
I will first say that, while I am physically disabled, I don't use mobility aids because of my parents' and doctors' ableism. So if any mobility aid users wish to correct me on anything, please do!!! This is just a simple guide, my attempt to correct some mistakes that people with little to no disability knowledge may (or do) make.
Mac is fucking horny
Not many people in the DE fandom ignore this, and THANK FUCK for this, because the amount of times disabled characters' sexualities are erased...
Even if your fanfic doesn't include smut, if you have Mac make one or two horny puns, it'll be far more accurate to their character :)
If you ARE writing smut, don't make them all innocent and inexperienced. In canon accurate aus, they have access to all of the internet's porn, to all published smutty fics, and most importantly, they've read 100TB of your self insert fanfiction. Meanwhile, in human aus, there's absolutely no reason for Mac to be inexperienced in sex. They have fucked, they know about sex, if one of you is teaching the other how to do it? It's almost definitely gonna be them teaching you, and you need to accept it.
Also, quite related to this point: don't call Mac a freak. At least, please don't do that when you're only talking about them, or, god forbid, single them out to call them freaky... This may not sound bad for people with no knowledge on disability history, but taking into account how freakshows had a huge lot of disabled people, well, let's just say, you don't wanna go anywhere near those implications. Even if you are using it to mean "horny", people reading don't have to know that, they may think you're using it in the ableist context, which will both make disabled people distrust you and ableist people think you're on their side. I wouldn't risk that, if I were you.
Mac is ambulatory
Big shocker: not all wheelchair users are paralyzed!!! Mac is, canonically, an ambulatory wheelchair user. This means they can still move their legs, and stand on them (although they may need other aids to do so): they likely don't stand due to pain or other conditions, not paralysis.
Which means, all those fanarts of Mac submissively on the floor? Unnecessary, inaccurate, ableist, fetishistic, and fucked up. Draw them on a desk, draw them on a bed, draw them on their fucking wheelchair!!!
All those fics in which Reader sits on Mac's legs? Yeah no, taking that Mac's legs cannot support them when they're standing up, you really think it wouldn't be painful for them to have someone sitting on them? For a few moments, for shits and giggles, it could make sense - but otherwise, nah, that'd probably just hurt them. Find other poses, or straight up, have Mac sit on their partner's legs. Please.
Their wheelchair
Most disabled people see their mobility aids as an extension of their bodies, treat them as such. Just, I don't know, make them emotionally attached to it in some way? It looks like a custom chair, too, so it's probably expensive as fuck - don't have Dunk randomly pick it up to take it upstairs without a care, and if you do, don't make Mac completely chill about it. Remember that, if it broke, Mac would be either unable to go anywhere that wasn't insane close, or it'd at least be painful for them to do so (angst writers, hope you're taking notes hah)
If you wanna give them any other mobility aids, you can do that too! Maybe some forearm crutches, maybe a cane, maybe a rollator... They do seem like the type to customize their mobility aids, so keep that in mind, mainly if you're drawing them.
Also, they probably have insane upper body strength. Unless they're using a fully self-propelled wheelchair, they're gonna need their arms to move, soo feel free to draw them with some muscle. They sure are a nerd, but that doesn't mean they have to be a weak nerd ;)
Their condition
It's not confirmed what condition they have, but there are a lot you can pick from. I personally usually go for fibro when writing them, but really, a huge lot of them fit!!! Investigate which condition is right for what you're writing, look up people's experiences with said condition, and you're set!
Something to add, though, is that many of these conditions come in pack. So in all honesty, they're more likely to have a couple comorbidities than not lol - if you're looking for a lot of realism, find out what conditions typically come with the one you're giving them, and add a few of those :)
In human aus - or well, aus where they aren't the embodiment of a computer - you have to keep medical ableism in mind. They will not get a diagnosis in the first appointment. Nor the second. Nor the third. If you, my able bodied reader, think that doctors take disabled people seriously, you are completely mistaken. Sprinkle some medical trauma, some "yeah I may be injured/sick but doctors don't take me seriously so let's not bother with hospitals I'll be fine", some mistrust towards medical professionals, etc.
On a final note
If you can, get a disabled beta reader (you can DM me, as long as it's not smut I'd love to beta your works). And if you're not confident you can portray the disabled experience respectfully and accurately, there's a simple solution: don't. You don't have to make Mac talk of their perception of the world as a disabled person. You don't have to take a deep dive into their medical trauma, into their relationship with mobility aids, into how their disability affects dating for them, into the specific condition/s they have. You can mention it once or twice in passing, because as long as you keep the previous points in mind, most of your disabled readers will rather read a fic with little to no depiction of the disabled experience than one where everything is just blatantly wrong.
Investigate, check your facts, listen to disabled people's praise and criticism, and don't worry excessively: I've said this several times before, being ableist towards Mac is far harder than not lol.
Good writing!!! <33
