As per request (a very long time ago I am sorry) today we're going to be talking about writing disabilities. However, I would like to point out that I haven't really seen all too many characters with disabilities in modern media and whilst they are definitely there, on wattpad and places as such it is far more common to find mental illnesses, which has it's own page in this book, so it will not be discussed here.

As with any group of people, portraying people with disabilities is necessary representation in media. Everyone deserves to see themselves in the pieces of media they love whether it be comics, cartoons, film, TV shows, or writing.

The main this to remember is that people with disabilities are still people. It's painful reading something where disabled individuals are used to solely make the protagonist look like a better person or where they're infantilised and treated like a child.

Writing someone with a disability is just like writing any other character. Flesh them out, give them relationships, goals, wants, feelings, and an actual personality.

If you're looking for an example of a well-written character with physical disabilities, I would recommend looking at Isaac from Sex Education. He is probably the best representation I have seen in media to date. He isn't treated like a child or used to make Maeve seem like a better person and they don't avoid showing him and Otis have conflict. He's sarcastic and witty and funny. He is simply a person who happens to also have a physical struggle, but that doesn't stop him from pursuing what he wants to do. He's a talented artist and whilst it is made harder to do due to his position, he still does it. Life might be harder for him, but it doesn't stop him.

The important thing to remember is people aren't just their disabilities. That doesn't define them; they need traits beyond their hardships.

Though that being said, shying away from the struggles people with disabilities face doesn't work either. Discrimination, day-to-day tasks and maintaining a normal life can be harder for them. The trick is to balance it out. You can't just make a person who is only their struggles but you can't just ignore the issues that come with having a disability.

This also applies to hidden disabilities.

There are obviously a lot of different disabilities so as always, do your damn research. Understand how the illness you're portraying works. What it does, how it affects the body, and how it's caused (if there is a cause). A smart way to go about this would be to do medical research and then look into actual experiences from people who have whatever it is you have chosen to portray.

With the help of the good ol' Web, you'll probably be able to find all of this with ease.

As someone who has only really written one disabled character, and that being in a futuristic setting, I don't have much else to say. I don't think I have enough experience to go any further but with my time on here and my writing experiences, and what I have heard from people suffering from these hardships; this is the best advice I can offer for now.

I might revisit this subject should anyone make better points than what is written here or if I learn and evolve as a writer myself, so I apologise if this tip is shorter than the other ones I have written. I don't want to say anything that is incorrect.

*These tips are things I've thought of after spending nearly seven years on this site and been reading nearly my whole life. If you disagree with anything I've said, that is completely fine and you obviously don't have to follow anything I've said*