Problems and Patterns with Disability Representation in Popular Media

Physical disability representation is a bit of a different angle for me, and not just because I'll be talking about the representation of a group I'm not a member of. Unlike trans and other LGBTQIA+ representations, the issue isn't so much a lack of visibility. Various kinds of physical disability can be seen quite often across a wide variety of genres. Despite this there are a litany of issues with the most common forms disability representation tends to take. So let's talk about some of those.
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[@CapriUni]

Coming back in with Another Thought: One thing that drives me up the wall is that many people can't imagine a Disabled *Hero* in a story, beyond a tragic or inspirational framework (see Tiny Tim in a Christmas Carol, for an example). But they have no trouble at all imagining a Disabled *Villain* with the power to get things done and have an active role in their own destiny.

[@koleenhansen9888]

Yes I agree we need disabled Heroes and villains Beyond a tragic inspiration framework

[@theshire9173]

This is one reason why Daredevil is great. He takes action and no one suspects him because they underestimate the blind man

[@johnvinals7423]

@@theshire9173 I think this is also why people adore Edward Elric so much.

[@theshire9173]

@@johnvinals7423 I love Edward Elric. He’s the only character with a prosthetic limb who actually has real struggles with it but he’s still badass

[@johnvinals7423]

@@theshire9173 You know who else are really good examples of disabled heroes in fantasy? Toph Beifong and Bran Stark and Tyrion Lannister.

[@beauregarden]

I was disabled for 8 years. Some days I'd need a wheelchair, some days a cane, some days I was ok without any aids. I'm personally tired of the "oh my gosh! They got out of the wheelchair! They were faking all along!" trope. There are many many wheelchair users who are not wheelchair bound. I particularly remember going to the zoo and having to get out of the wheelchair almost every time i reached an enclosure because from a seated level I couldn't see shit. Got a lot of "looks" everytime I got up

[@isabellascaia]

THANK YOU! Glad someone said it. My mom has had back and leg issues since childhood, so whenever we go to places that require a lot of walking (a museum, amusement park, etc.) she often uses a wheelchair instead of her usual cane. Does she need one 24/7? No, but in certain situations it keeps her from being in pain, and that's what really matters.

[@CapriUni]

As a writer with a disability (cerebral palsy / wheelchair user), I've put some thought into a Bechdel-Wallace type template for stories (I've decided to call such things "templates" instead of "tests"). I've named it the '1,001 Problems Template," and it goes like this: 1) There's a Disabled character, 2) Who wants something, 3) *Besides* Revenge, Cure, or Death, and 4) Tries to get it (as opposed to a normate ally vowing to get it for them). As for positive Disability Rep, even though it's not a *real* disability in a real-world context, I'd count Disney's new movie _Encanto_ as fitting my template. The protagonist *is* Disability *Coded* (being the only one in her family who didn't get a Magical Gift). And her character arc is about being accepted as she is, rather than finding a cure for herself. And from responses I've seen from other disabled folk online, her character resonated with a lot of us.

[@marocat4749]

The charactr raphaleo i think, who is in a wheelchair, but is not needing a character, and while he yeah overcompansates about andvertercity, in a really brutal tet who gets to live on an island, because th rich live there and it a poor country, so pretty much any charact wants something ad i think he , yeah he is smart, but got trained by someone, An yes he over compasate and ants to challeng the tet, but evryoone does. And doe not need a caregiver who takes away in a meaningfful way. There is also joanna who is great, she is amazing but i think raphael is really not defined as in a wheelchair per se. More he had a entor who really wanted him to pass the pretty brutal test , i dint atch the later seasons so far , but he definitly is not defined by the wheelchair alone.

[@TheLastSane1]

As someone with cerebral palsy, though not in a wheelchair yet, I've been looking at this too. Not to play devil's advocate because that is a really bad way to really discuss something. I have glasses. Now today glasses and poor eyesight are not considered a disability by the general masses unless its full out blindness or impairment so severe that glasses or treatments cannot correct it. This is still a disability but its shown in our real world that we do actually follow the mentality of fixing the disability or coming up with ways to make the disability lesser rather than change the world around someone to make it easier. I have 20/1500 vision according to the doctor doing my eye exam. I am incredibly nearsighted and I cannot read this even on a fairly large monitor if I were to remove my glasses. I can see colors, general shapes, but everything is incredibly out of focus. But it made me think about what Vera was saying when it came to characters trying to find ways to either fix or make a disability effectively not exist. Its not quiet the same because glasses are so wide spread, so widely seen and merged into our culture that we do not see them as a medical prosthesis, I know its not a proper body part replacement but I could not think of another word. If we put someone in a wheelchair, someone missing an arm, and someone wearing glasses into a lineup and asked the general public to identify the disabled people virtually no one is going to pick the glasses wearer. I am hoping in the future, with advancing tech that those who do have medical prosthetics become as merged into the culture so that a prosthetic arm or leg is as unremarkable as a pair of glasses are in the modern age. I think a template to compare for disabled characters should be in effect. I am disabled, though I hate to say this because I know those like yourself have a much worse instance of this same disability, I would like to see people who don't get magically cured or their conditioned used to invoke pity.

[@blue1584]

@@TheLastSane1 Oooh that’s a good point! It is fascinating to think about how nearsightedness is essentially a physical disability, but since it‘s so commonplace people hardly ever consider it as a “real” disability. But when you think about it, in the technical sense it really _is_ a disability, after all it’s an impairment of vision that requires a prescription medical device, much like someone with impaired hearing using a hearing aid, or someone who is missing a limb using a prosthetic.

[@littlegreensunflower3547]

Encanto is also great in that it has a character (Julieta, Mirabel's mom) who can heal people and Mirabel and her dad, Augustin, still have poor eyesight and require glasses. This version of healing doesn't take away disabilities. It only heals the current immediate injury that is needing to be addressed in the moment. The creators have actually said that Julieta had control over what gets healed. She doesn't view disabilities as something that needs to be fixed. I think that's a wonderful thing in their world building. Especially since it's a kids movie at the end of the day

[@packman2321]

I'm really glad I'm not the only person who read Mirabel as disabled. I went on this whole thing to my brother about passing and forced disclosure in the song The Family Madrigal (I also have cerebral palsy, but I pass as able bodied so long as I'm careful about how far I walk and wear my boots all the time, so it was a rare case of seeing a character dealing with that trade off of 'disabled but not immediately obviously')

[@Tharries]

As someone with quadrapledgic cerebral palsy, I found this an incredibly cathartic & informative watch. The tropes such as villain, plot conviniant disabilities and the framing of disabilities in the "triumph over adversity" narrative have always been tropes that I've noticed and am consistently shocked at the amount of times they are implemented in entertainment without being challenged and I'm glad more people such as yourself are addressing them as I feel people hesitate to do so out of a fear of getting something wrong (which I understand but I feel if done in the right way as you have done can be extremely helpful to the overall conversation) so thanks for doing this I really appreciate it.

[@micheledeetlefs6041]

Amen! I particularly detest the triumph over adversity trope. When my alarm clock goes off, I don't give a crap about trying to overcome adversity. I'm just trying to figure out how to get an extra 15 minutes of sleep. Not once in my daily life do I encounter any of the normal difficulties and think " now how can I try them overcome these?" Normally I think the exact same thing able-bodied people think, namely, I'm annoyed at the inconvenience and then I just figure a way around it.

[@TheLastSane1]

I was born with Cerebral Palsy as well, though a much less severe case. I am able to walk (though with pain) and able to move my limbs (though again with pain and muscles becoming spastic or feeling like they are always held in tension) so I relate to this greatly.

[@eajaros]

Do you know about Zach Anner the comedian? He has cerebral palsy and shows the humor in the ridiculousness of how much harder it is for those disabled and for him wheelchair accessibility! His intelligence makes it always a joy to listen to him.

[@micheledeetlefs6041]

@@eajaros I'm not sure if it's the same guy, but my husband enjoys a comedian whose name escapes me that has CP and often makes similar jokes.

[@thecinematicmind]

The lack of caption screenings in cinemas is absolutely abysmal around the world.

[@christianc.christian5025]

The existence of cinema sometimes feels like it’s abysmal… It’s a 30-min drive from my house. With an autoimmune disorder and a surgically repaired hip and shoulder, those theater seats are sometimes just a non-starter. I’ll never let go of the way that so many supposedly progressive-minded people I know just said, “It doesn’t matter if you’d be better off renting ‘Spider-Man No Way Home’ from your house; *I* enjoy the theater experience and my choice in venue should negate yours.” Pretty funny how quickly people will whine about fairness while claiming that their preference can’t even co-exist alongside yours; that it has to eliminate it for them to be content.

[@micheledeetlefs6041]

I am very fortunate. The Regal Cinemas near my home all have captioning glasses. So I am able to watch films. Prior to that, I always had to wait for the DVD to drop or fo r streaming to be available.

[@anthonykerr3509]

@@micheledeetlefs6041 I’ve recently been exploring the different captioning devices at the theatre. The caption glasses don’t fit over my glasses. They had this one that went in the cup holder at cinemark that I really liked. I’m going to ask if they have one of those for the movie I’m going to tonight.

[@micheledeetlefs6041]

@@anthonykerr3509 Yikes! I have contact lenses so that hasn't been a problem for me. Without them, my husband has to tell me what is going on in the film. He hates doing that.

[@alim.9801]

YES. I only have mild hearing damage but it would be a blessing to have that in theaters. Wish they could have that in live theatre too. I've seen something like captions done at an opera production before, so I KNOW they could make it happen

[@Rmlohner]

I've long named Walter Jr. from Breaking Bad as one of the best disabled characters ever created. Not only is he played by an actor who actually has cerebral palsy (albeit not to the same severity as the character), but it never once feels like the condition is all there is to him, while still making clear how big a part it is of his and his family's life.

[@christianc.christian5025]

I know that riding 'Breaking Bad' has become an easy way to score points with strangers, but sometimes, this show feels as close to perfect as I could see happening; at least, within the next generation. Skyler is the only major, socio-political issue I have and they pull a *hard* correction for the audience on that shit when you realize what's really happening. And, I suppose, as an opioid user for chronic pain, there could be more to the drug legalization argument which Gale makes, but that's all I count.

[@acidsupernova]

It can be argued that the defining characteristic of Walt Jr. is how much he loves breakfast :)

[@christianc.christian5025]

@@acidsupernova Which is a weird thing I didn’t notice until I talked to people who watched it on a streaming service but now, can’t unsee. Season 4, in particular, felt very different to me over time. It’s the first, full season where I had begun watching everything weekly, and at the time, it really felt like it dragged and that Gus being Walt’s target kept getting bounced from one week to the next. But watching it all in sequence (I’d guess that I’ve done this about 7 times? Something like that) you see just how much happens over that period and how well-earned the story is. The cereal/breakfast thing was so funny to me because you really see just how absent Walt is from everyone’s lives after about 8:30 am each morning.

[@reubensmart7797]

Completely unrelated but I had the pleasure of meeting RJ Mitte once and he was completely charming and still enthusiastic about breaking bad and his role on the show. Lovely guy and very funny

[@corabloom5959]

Yes and honestly love how Walt Jr. is so nice when he is hanging out with Holly and looking after her. One of the best TV Brothers ever. Aside from Ed on Fma

[@JadeAislin]

As a person with Diabetes and arthritis, I never saw myself as disabled or that there was something wrong with me. In college I had a theater class where the teacher had me do this monologue. At one point she told me to reach for the bitterness of having Diabetes as a child. But I wasn't bitter. I did the things other children my age did. I went out with friends, attended school fairs, and even went trick or treating every Halloween. Yes I had a strict diet and I had to check my blood sugar and give myself shots, but that was just an aspect of my life. I would compare it to someone who has a food allergy or a religious reason for not eaten certain foods. It's an aspect of them, but it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them.

[@emcrolls]

Yah the bitterness/suffering paradigm is rough. The “ suffering “in my life is more exhaustion from these tropes

[@jlbeeen]

Have you read anything about the social model of disability? It's basically saying that it's not an issue with the person, but rather the environment. A silly example, I open cans with my left hand, and can't use right handed can openers (mostly due to joint pain, but even before that, I never could get it), and if I'm in a space where I have to open a can, and don't have an ambidextrous can opener, that can be a disability, as I can't open the can. Same with wheelchair users trying to get into a building that doesn't have a ramp or lift. The problem isn't the wheelchair, it's that the building is missing another way in. Of course that's just one way of looking at things, but I feel similar. I have allergies and have to wear masks with filters in most stores due to allergens like perfumes and cleaners, I have to wear special socks and braces to avoid dislocations or getting blood pooling in my feet, and I have to be really careful with what I eat and when, as well as avoiding sensory overload. I'm perfectly fine in my house, but put me in a shopping mall without a mask, and without places to sit down, that's an issue. So it's a balancing act between society's faults, and my own struggles, but I'm not to blame if someone refuses to meet my needs, that's their issue.

[@lkeke35]

Same here. I have both diabetes and Osteoarthritis and I have not been bitter or angry about either. it's just a fact of my existence, and since I like myself, this is just a regular aspect of me.

[@lizabee484]

Ah geez. That’s just. That’s not okay for that professor to have done. In the interest of clarity, I don’t deal with diabetes, just asthma and undiagnosed chronic pain/joint issues (due to childhood injuries). So I can’t even fathom what it must have been like to have your professor say that to you. The only standpoint I can speak to this situation on is from my POV as a theater major. To that end, it *seems* like your professor was trying to teach an aspect of Meisner’s acting technique, (definitely not trying to explain away what the professor said or make it seem less sh*tty), which, vastly simplified, involves trying to get the actor to connect with genuine emotional depth under fictional circumstances. But what that professor did ENTIRELY MISUNDERSTANDS AND MISUSES THAT ACTING TECHNIQUE. The point is for the *actor* to choose a semi-true, semi-fictional scenario that allows them to connect to genuine emotion without causing any lasting trauma. NOT for the instructor to bring up any perceived “issues” or triggers that they believe the actor MIGHT have. That they misused something that *can* be so affirming and cathartic for an actor or student in general just to be sh*tty, (doesn’t matter if they mean to be or not), makes me pretty p.o. ‘d on your behalf. That doesn’t mean much but, yeah. I really wish you didn’t have to deal with that and that it had been a better experience for you. This comment seems a little pointless and I’m sure I made some mistakes here, so if anyone is up for correcting me after reading this doozy of a rant, please please feel free! ❤️

[@emcrolls]

@@lizabee484 wow this is well written & thoughtful.

[@catbowserfantasytherapist3132]

I really appreciate you mentioning albinism. My husband has albinism and one thing he mentions frequently is “the albino is always the bad guy.” He was bullied relentlessly as a kid for it and remarked that he still can’t really think of a positive role model or character with albinism. There certainly are some but they’re so small in comparison to the vast amounts of “bad guy” albinism. Hence, in my writing, I always include a positive or “good guy” with albinism and I always encourage the inclusion of more in media.

[@teteteli107]

@@ChantelCarter-cc7cu I'm sorry, I may have missed it

[@listerjne]

right right! they did that in black lightning and they Really did not want to humanise that man... they were just thrilled to have a """white""" (hes not white) villain amongst the black heroes, someone who was allowed to be racist basically. But krondon is an icon and he did a fantastic job in the show, despite the ridiculousness they put him through

[@katherinemorelle7115]

So, love this. I’m a wheelchair user who became disabled in my mid 20s due to an inherited condition, and a complication arising from that condition that wasn’t caught in time to prevent permanent nerve damage from the waist down. I was having an argument with an abled (of course) about why it’s such a problem that so many disabled characters are played by abled actors. “Well the disabled actor wouldn’t be able to play the before part” they said. And isn’t that telling? That they just assumed that any story about disabled people must include a before, that the framing of the story must be about becoming disabled? When I pointed that out, they said “well that’s the only interesting part” and it made me think- I became disabled at 24, exactly 10 years ago. It did take me a little while to adjust, a couple years. But then what? I’m still in my mid 20s amd nothing interesting would happen to me for the rest of my life? Just that grieving process. Oh, and I should work harder on being an inspiration, I’m a bit too much of a burden because I can no longer work and earn my own money. Though according to one person a few years ago now, I’m super brave, because if they were me, they’d have killed myself by now! Anyway, this comment isn’t going to become a vent about all the ignorant things the abled say to disabled people (though if people could stop talking to my cater instead of me that would be great). Just- great job on the vid, I’m so happy that you tackled this issue, it’s really rare to see anyone talking about it. Though Snappy Dragon (normally a dress history/costuming channel, and very funny) has done an excellent video on disability tropes in media. Also Jewish tropes in media, as V is both disabled and Jewish. And for anyone still reading, I want everyone to go watch the TedTalk that Stella Young did on Inspiration P0rn. It’s the best TedTalk that has ever been. She is greatly missed.

[@moniqueforrester674]

It drives me crazy how disabled characters are rarely played by disabled actors too!

[@jlbeeen]

That reminded me of how upset the autistic and neurodivergent community got with Sia over her movie... That was so bad I didn't even watch it, I couldn't. But I've been watching Star Trek Deep Space Nine, and one of the characters loses a leg in it, and watching him struggle with the mental effects of becoming disabled was really helpful to me. I have genetic conditions (still waiting to find out if it's EDS, or something else), and they got worse during puberty, so now in my 20s, dealing with multiple chronic conditions (allergies, food intolerances, POTS, and joints going out of place somewhat frequently). It's obviously not the same as losing a limb, but the process can be very similar with coming to terms that you have limits, but that doesn't mean you can't still do things to enjoy. It's taken me longer, but I get a degree this year, and I found ways to work around my challenges to still be able to sew my own clothes which I enjoy. It just took a while to figure out what works, and what doesn't.

[@dhruvgeorge]

Do they even have disabled characters who were born that way?

[@BarbBondVO]

You hit so many nails in the head. Did your friend ever get what you were trying to tell them?

[@JennyMorash]

Okay, final comment now that I've watched: No, you didn't screw up. :) I agree with pretty much everything said here. In particular, the section on the overcoming adversity trope. I am blind (I can see light, "blind" is rarely an absolute, but seeing light does me little good). I am a massage therapist, and according to my clients I'm pretty good at it. But I absolutely hate being praised for having a career as a blind woman. Or when people claim that I am good at it because I'm blind. No. I'm good at it because I put a lot of work into first learning and then perfecting (not that I'm perfect) my chosen career. Not because I overcame a disability. And don't get me started on inspiration prn. I'm not here to be anyone's source of inspiration.

[@CapriUni]

I like to reframe it as: "I didn't overcome my disability, I overcame your bigotry / systematic marginalization"

[@ahlimahs]

My best friend when I was a kid was blind & her parents used to have her sleep on a mattress on the floor because "what would happen if she fell of the bed in the middle of the night" and she would yell "the same thing that would happen if I fell off my bed in the middle of the day, I'm blind, not stupid!" I get that they were concerned for her, she was newly blind, but jeez, think things through

[@JennyMorash]

@@ahlimahs that makes me genuinely sad. Although my own inner Snark has a different answer. The same thing that would happen to you, dumbass. Who can see in the dark? Note: I am not calling you a dumbass, just the theoretical person telling me that I should sleep on a mattress.

[@jonaskoelker]

@@CapriUni I think that's an excellent way to get some anger and/or frustration out of your system and put the other person on the defensive. I don't think people are maximally receptive to your ideas when they're on the defensive. Do you think the venting function would be served less well if the word "your" was replaced by the word "society's"? I think that might be more efficient at changing attitudes. Not that I have hard evidence to back it up, just horse-sense. And maybe your priority is just to vent, in which case it doesn't matter.

[@Lil-Dragon]

As a disabled person, physically disabled with cerebral palsy and fibromyalgia, I am glad to see those outside the community discuss disabled representation and asking a person who they know to help rather than going it alone. That's good to hear from the start. Glad to see the patterns and issues being brought up, the villain trope, and disablity from birth or gained during life and those degenerative over time. I have greatly enjoyed the video and the way the topic is discussed.

[@TheGameObjective]

Ay! I have cerebral palsy and fibromyalgia! there’s two of us! I have spastics diaplegia and fibromyalgia and sleep apnea! I have some many questions. When did you get fibromyalgia ? I got it at 26, 31 now, I saw your comment randomly whilst looking for this topic, never seen anyone else or heard of it with both! I hope your doing okay. I know it can be tough.

[@kylejones8289]

Another example, of a somewhat heroic character with a severe facial disfigurement. Spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender below. Zuko could definitely be considered one. He definitely starts out a villain, but his scarring is never really used as an element of fear, and is more the result of remnants of abuse from his father than a direct motivator from him, as his banishment is the motivator rather than getting revenge for what his father did. And while he starts out a villain, it quickly becomes clear even in season 1, that Zuko's natural instincts are to be a good person, but he was trapped in an upbringing that didn't allow him to be until he could get away from it, and even when he did, it took time to unlearn what his father taught him. You strangely root for him even in season 1 when he is almost always in direct opposition to the heroes, hoping that he becomes a better person, and by the end of the show he goes from anti-villain to full on hero. I wouldn't even call him an anti-hero by the end; he really does become a full-on hero. Also, I don't know how far Nathaniel is on season 2 of Avatar, but Toph is definitely an interest example of someone with a disability that has an unrealistic aid, but unlike most such examples, she is still hindered by her disability in ways that feel pretty natural with the rules they set up from it. It's not that Toph's disability flairs up because the plot needs more tension, it's more that the characters naturally end up in a situation through the plot, and Toph's disability naturally gets in the way of getting out of the situation because of its nature. Examples that come to mind include them getting trapped on ice in the middle of the water in The Serpent's Pass, or them becoming trapped in the desert. It may be the best use of both tropes that I've seen.

[@clariztbelflores6377]

Almost 21 years living with chronic kidney disease caused by Lupus, most of them spent in dialysis. I'm sick and tired of movies and shows where some character has an unspecified kidney condition and "it's a race against time to get a transplant so they won't die". I have no doubt there are cases like that, but most of us spend years and years in dialysis, waiting for a transplant. I was in dialysis for seven years before I got my first transplant, which worked for eight years, and now I've been in dialysis for almost 6 years, on the waiting list for a second one. I guess that having to get connected to a machine 3 times a week, usually for four hours each time, and then going on with your life is not as sexy for a movie or show as the "race against time".

[@darlalathan6143]

Perhaps Hollywood should substitute a ticking time bomb for that?

[@Stargazer_Ley]

Someone on twitter pointed something out that I never considered before, I am disabled. I have glasses. I need them to see and navigate life but the pair I have is almost 10 years old because exams and glasses themselves are expensive. Finding a pair that fits my face right is hard. I never considered myself disabled because my disability aid (my glasses) are so normalized that people don't see it as such. Hell, vision insurance isn't considered health insurance. It's different. That said I understand how having a visual impairment that's easily compensated for can seem innocuous. Even so there's still that trend of "glasses as fashion items" and games not having them available from the start. I become all too aware that people consider glasses "accessories" and not something people need in everyday life.

[@nimadarillian8573]

Also although it is in comparison extremely minor, there arguably even exists something like a very mild form of ableism concerning glasses. While glasses have become a bit of a fashion accessoire in recent years it has been pushed in media for many years before that wearing glasses basically makes you ugly and completely unattractive. There are tons of examples in movies where people get a make-over to get from "ugly" to "beautiful" and often the most obvious thing that changes about them is that they just don't wear glasses anymore. Also as someone who has needed glasses from a very young age (since I was 4 I think) I got made fun of for it by other children quite a bit. As a result of both of those things I've always felt very uncomfortable/ugly wearing them and switched to contact lenses as a teenager as soon as I got the opportunity. It just gets more normalized as people get older so seeing someone wear glasses gets more common as more people start to need them.

[@garrettwhite5943]

Remember when Ryan Sinclair was advertised as Doctor Who's first disabled companion, and Chibnall forgot how dyspraxia worked by episode 2? I was so excited to have some kind of disabled representation on my favorite show, being a fan with cerebral palsy, but by the end of it I was just waiting for him, and for Chibnall to leave.

[@rebekkahill4664]

Chibnall so was so clueless when it came to representing dyspraxia. Firstly, his Nan in the first episode essentially pressured Ryan into 'overcoming' his disability in order to ride a bike. Then his disability was completely forgotten about except for the odd scene here and there, often to add greater tension as an extra thing Ryan needed to 'overcome' (e.g. jumping onto the railways in Kerblam). When it was brought up it was always framed as a negative and never a part of who Ryan is as a character.

[@blepblop6256]

I know recently in the dnd community there was a big argument about ramps being used in dungeons. About "its a fantasy world, why would you add something like that? It's supposed to be a fantasy!" While they also have things like slaves in their world building.

[@Parker8752]

Of course, it makes perfect sense for there to be ramps and mechanical elevators in dungeons because the people who dug them out needed a means to get rid of all that rock and dirt they were removing, and ramps/elevators for carts are just more practical than anything else. In addition to the obvious of "disabled people want to play games too, and why wouldn't they want to see people like them as possible heroes?".

[@blepblop6256]

@@Parker8752 exactly!

[@otakubullfrog1665]

I think this boils down to whether a swords and sorcery setting is trying to lean into being fantastical, whether it's trying to be a historical recreation of the Middle Ages (often with certain conceits like magic and monsters added into the mix) or aiming somewhere in between. There's no right or wrong approach in a D&D game so long as everyone is enjoying it.

[@maurinet2291]

It should logically flow out of what that society is, what stage of development it's at, that kind of thing. For instance, a society that uses slaves has a class system and may have litters to get people around the city. If the nobles' primary transportation are litters then you don't need ramps--as seen in ancient cultures here on earth. Litterbearers can manage stairs and no one else other than nobility have needs that matter. And it depends how that society treats their disabled too. Many subsistence cultures have a tradition of euthanasia that may or may not be altered once the culture becomes more sophisticated. Also, how advanced is their medical treatment? Do people even have access to anything like a wheelchair? Ours wasn't invented until 1655, developmentally well after the scope of many fantasy worlds.

[@blepblop6256]

@@maurinet2291 the main issue is people that: 1. Act like a dnd world could never have ramps for any reason 2. Don't add a little thing for people that are playing amd disabled. Like maybe someone has a character with a wheelchair like them and wants a little smidgen of rep in some way. I dont think it's that big of a deal.

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

One of the most famous examples of the Villain With A Disability, Shakespeare's "Richard III" is problematic not only because the historical Richard of Gloucester didn't actually have all that serious a disability - he had a slight curvature of the spine, which was so minor it still allowed him to ride and fight and all of that - and his minor disability was preposterously exaggerated by Shakespeare *in oerder to make him seem more villainous* . A huge problem is the fact that he is usually played by perfectly able-bodied actors who wear fake humps and stuff like that for that purpose - "donning crip-face", I have seen it called. What I'd love to see is a producton of "Richard III" with the title character played by an able-bodied, handsome, muscle-y guy as an able-bodied, handsome, muscle-y guy, to show that his villainy is actually rooted in his narcissism, his Incel-esque delusion of supposedly being hard done by. What the hell, have him do the "Now is the winter..." soliloquy shirtless or fully nude, showing off a body that exposes his self-justifications for the horsehockey they are, that has the audience going: "Bro, what are you on about?" Sorry, gotten really off-topic here, but I really hate this "I'm not conventionally attractive and I have a disability, therefor I get to be evil!" thing.

[@eshbena]

Richard III was a pure piece of political propaganda that was designed to make the Tudors look better. It is pretty disgusting in it's portrayal of the disabled.

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

@@eshbena You are correct.

[@FrogsLikeFruitSnacks]

i find it really funny that you dislike the character because hes a villain and is disabled but then you go and say that instead of having a physical disability the character should be shown as a villain because he has symptoms of mental health disabilities, narcissism and delusions

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

I find it funny - and by funny I mean ignorant and ableist - that you assume that a distorted self-image automatically means that someone has a mental health disability. This is not the case. And the character IS a villain due to his distorted view of himself and his position in society, that's literally in the text: It's not enough for him to be as high status as he objectively is, being fourth in line for the throne and all, and a war hero to boot, it's not enough to be as powerful as he is, no, he MUST be the most powerful person, even if that means he must murder his brothers and nephews to be so.

[@FrogsLikeFruitSnacks]

@@gozerthegozarian9500 are you seriously going to argue that narcissism isnt a symptom of mental health disorders?? in the book the character is a villain due to his symptoms of physical disability and you dont live that and instead say its ok to demonize symptoms of mental health disabilities. tell me how is it ableist to think its wrong to demonize symptoms of a mental health disability? narcissists are not automatically evil or bad people just like how people with physical disabilities aren't automatically evil, so unless your ok with them both being shown as the route course of someones vilanry you are the one being ableist. you learn what narcissism and delusions are instead of misusing them and perpetuating stereotypes and stigma

[@theantichick]

As someone with a couple of invisible disabilities who struggles with internalized ableism I think you did a great job breaking down the trends and tropes in media around disability representation and how much of it can be harmful to the disability community. It’s something that needs a lot more attention and amplification from everyone - disabled and non disabled alike - so that more people begin to be aware of how our society blocks people with disabilities from participating as much as they could if access were the default. And access helps everyone.

[@alguemalguem]

Would Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender be considered a good representation? Within the universe's framework, it's easy to equate her to Daredevil in that she compensates her blindness with her earthbending, to the point they feed into each other in a sense, but every so often, they do show instances where that is not the case. Despite being from a rich family, in a world with no equivalent of braille she is illiterate, she has some self-confidence issues trying to not think about her appearance, and there are often instances where her earthbending can't fully or partially compensate for blindness, like when there's stuff in the air or when she's in non-earth/non-firm terrain. There are other characters with disabilities in the franchise, but I singled her out as hers is more in the forefront of the character. She's not the protagonist, but is a main character, and while being blind is a big part of her character, it's not really what her character is about.

[@slashandbones13]

I am not blind so take this with a grain of salt but I would say yes. It is acknowledged when relevant but doesn't take up every scene she is in, creates realistic limitations but still a strong character

[@WhitneyAllisonGG]

The Dragon Prince does good job.

[@haileys5224]

Off topic but Toph talking about feeling insecure about her looks stuck out to me so much when I was younger. I was also tomboyish, but in that label I limited myself. I felt insecure in my femininity so I never engaged much with it. I pretended I didn’t care about being pretty, but of course everyone wants to be beautiful. I like seeing a “tough girl” open up about that issue.

[@JaneteB]

I’m not blind but have a physical disability and toph is my go to good disability representation, because there is a lot more about her than just her blindness and although she is super powerful they still show us her clear limitations (she can’t earthbend/“see” things in the air) which is regularly shown. Compare that to the deaf character in eternals, she didn’t actually show any signs of deafness apart from sign language speaking and that (at least to me) did fall into that flaw of superpowers fixed it category.

[@Newt.--.Jaeden]

I have dyspraxia (I'm sure you can see *exactly* where I'm going with this), and while there isn't that much representation for people with our disability, the only example I have seen (Ryan Sinclair) was used purely as a "Hey, this thing exists, love us now" type of deal. While I don't believe that disabilities should define a character, they also shouldn't be ignored. I feel like a decent example of Disability Representation is probably Walt Jr. from Breaking Bad. (Before I continue, I do not have Cerebral Palsy, nor do I know anybody who does, so I am speaking purely objectively here). [Spoilers for Breaking Bad] Walt Jr. is shown to have a disability, but it doesn't get brought up outside of when it would *naturally* be brought up in real life situations (Take when Hank is paralysed after being shot, and Walt Jr. tries to convince him to get over his ego and move or, or when Walter is refusing Cancer Treatment, and Walt Jr. uses the fact he never gave up as a reason he disagrees with the decision). Now, I'm not saying you *can't* have a story focused on the disability, but the disability should *not* define the entire character.

[@fairynerdy]

The unfortunate thing about Ryan was not the depiction, but the reaction I saw among supposed fans of the show. SO many people didn't want to hear about Ryan's dyspraxia in the show because it was too "political" and they just wanted to "escape." It was really frustrating to me because although I'm physically disabled and don't have dyspraxia, their reaction was essentially saying that disabled people don't have a place in fantasy or science fiction, or media in general. And it wasn't even like his dyspraxia played a huge part in the show. Other than a few casual mentions, it hardly came up at all. So now I'm on a low-key mission for the Doctor to have a companion who uses a wheelchair and kicks major ass.

[@micheledeetlefs6041]

You did it!!! You're covering this!!!! OMG, thank you! I am hearing impaired and my husband is wheelchair bound. We flinch so often when able-bodied content producers think they're being inclusive by tossing in some disabled characters, but because they haven't researched reality with those disabilities, they end up being exclusive or offensive if not both.

[@CritterKeeper01]

Doctor Who's latest series, Flux, has a character who is the new companion's love interest, who has a malformed left arm. Not only is it not central to her story, she's still seen as desirable romantically (and by implication physically). It's never remarked upon, it's just there, like her hair color or her height. Representation as a normal human being, not "the disabled chick".

[@acidsupernova]

Thanks so much for doing this! And I appreciate that you noted a disabled friend of yours consulted on this. I'm a disabled person with Usher's Syndrome (I was born hard of hearing and am gradually going blind) which means that not only do I have two disabilities, but I have two different disability experiences. I am well aware of how differently those things affect a person emotionally and shape perspective so I'm particularly glad you noted that disability isn't simply, "person has x" but that there are so many factors that shape a person's experience with disability. One thing I would love to add to the conversation which doesn't really fit into this particular video because then the scope of it could become unwieldy, but just how often disability representation is done by white, cis, straight people [full disclosure: I am white, cis, and straight] but how many disabled characters who were the lead or co-lead of a story were POC? How many were LGBTQIA+? There's a whole issue of intersectionality that needs to be addressed in disability representation.

[@AmyWarriorPrincess]

As a person with Cerebral Palsy, and other health conditions; I'm SO happy and relieved someone is finally stepping up and talking about this. It's because the media portrays us in such a negative light people think it's ok to look down on us. Thank you for sticking up for us, Vera.

[@lordgamermon]

If you're looking for a show with really good disability representation, the anime Ranking of Kings has a main character who's deaf and it's handled with a lot of respect

[@zangoon4546]

Prince bojji is such a refreshing and charming character and so is the show itself

[@kaworunagisa4009]

I was wondering if they handled it well. Although, to be fair, his story is textbook Overcoming the Adversary and currently going straight into "superpowered disabled person". And then on the villainous disabled person side, there's you-know-which lady, at least in a magical way. I do like Ousama Ranking, and I'm able-bodied, but that's how it looks to me.

[@ACloudCat]

@Kaworu Nagisa, I really like ranking of kings! and in a show where Giant and Demons and Magic Flat Disc People exist, I don't see how giving your main character a unique power is a bad thing? it's not tied to his disability, as far as I remember, so I don't quite get your point

[@mumsageek1883]

I've always hated the trope of someone with chronic back pain as being someone who abuses drugs and alcohol and is either negligent or abusive to their children. Made me feel like I needed to put up with excruciating pain rather than go on medication.

[@tgif1345]

As someone who is physically disabled and autistic, I have to say you did do a good job on this video. One of the things I've always loved about this channel is how thorough you are in your research when doing this type of video. It's not easy to do a video on a topic you're not familiar with due to you not being part of the group you're speaking about. Sadly, disabled people aren't well represented in any medium, especially because writers don't know how to write action scenes with disabled people in them, and many of the entertainment that we consume are action oriented in some form or another. Which is why I loved seeing Freddy Freeman in Shazam! and why I love Barbara Gordon as Oracle. Basically I don't have high hopes for good representation of disabled people in any form of entertainment.

[@apteryxdrake9959]

I think you did pretty well. :) I have multiple chronic illnesses and I was born with a spinal condition (Also I have multiple mental health issues and I'm autistic). So I've come across a lot of different kinds of ableism. I think the worst one I've seen in media and in real life is the assumption that a life that isn't "normal" isn't worth living. I hate it when a character is disabled and the "happy ending" is when they die. Often so they can cease being a "burden" on their loved ones, or because they don't believe they can have a life of value with their disability. I had back surgery in 2018, it was a very long healing process, and sometime just after I was able to leave the house but wasn't very mobile and couldn't move without a walking frame, I was resting in a public place, and a random older lady rocked up and told me that I was brave, that if she was as disabled as I, she would have killed herself. I think out of all of the ableism I've personally encountered, that sort is the worst. Just because I have a lot of pain in my life, just because I'm 43 and need a mobility scooter and a walking frame to get around when I leave my house, doesn't mean my life is worth nothing. And seeing a story with representation that directly counters that specific form of ableism is one I would love to see. And is one I'm working on in my own writing.

[@brookejones4889]

9:32 I haven't finished the video yet but hearing this hit me hard. TW: thoughts of unaliving myself ... ... I recently got into an argument with an ableist on Reddit (rookie mistake, I know). They had come to the autism subreddit to ask about their autistic friend's behaviour but whenever someone would offer a possible explanation for their friend's behaviour and suggested that they just talk to their friend about what was bothering them, they would get mad. Their view of what autism is was essentially this: there are two types of autism. One is when someone is "essentially normal" and the other is when someone is "like Rainman bashing your head against a wall." They wouldn't accept that their friend might not automatically know that what he's doing is bothering them because of their autism, because their friend was "high functioning". I tried to explain to them that functioning labels are problematic and used myself as an example. I am considered "high functioning" and lived nearly two decades before anyone realised I was autistic, but I am also currently unemployed because working full-time in an office distressed me and burnt me out so much that I wanted to not be alive anymore. When I return to work, I am going to be limited in how many hours I can work and what type of work I can do in order to not have a repeat of this. I haven't felt very "high functioning" for a couple of years. I can't even chop vegetables right now without burning myself out. This person somehow interpreted this as me saying that all autistic people are the same and then called me lazy. I should have stopped here but I was incredibly angry at this and continued (again, rookie mistake). I told them that they had no idea what they were talking about when they called me lazy because I was s**cidal while I was working. They then replied, "You called yourself lazy when you said that all autistic people are the same (I never said that) and that every autistic person who works is struggling but acting like they're not (I never said that). Maybe be a better actor?" If one disabled or neurodivergent person makes it work under capitalism, people suddenly think all of us can and tell us to work harder or "be a better actor".

[@Ercarret]

I was actually thinking about the whole "disability is always tragic" trope recently, since I'm in a wheelchair myself. When I tell people that (assuming we don't meet face-to-face and they immediately see the chair), they tend to be a bit taken aback and sad. Which is fair enough and not something I mind terribly, but it also misses a huge part of my own relationship to the chair. It is a tool that allows me to be more mobile than I was previously. If you want to be sad about anything, be sad of my life prior to having the chair. While I lived my first 27 or so years without much trouble, some kind of disease began setting in after that and gradually weakened my muscles (especially in my legs) to the point where I couldn't walk. For quite a few years, I became more and more immobile. The wheelchair was, in many ways, a savior from that state of being. I can't do everything I could do before my troubles began, but I can do a hell of a lot more than I can without its help. My goal is still to get back up on my feet and leave the wheelchair behind me, but it is nonetheless not an instrument of tragedy in my symphony but rather one of joy. Great video overall. I think the main thing is to write disabled characters well. If I were to write a story about my life, I would probably dip into a lot of these tropes myself. You just have to navigate them with care and be cognizant of the pitfalls within them.

[@chia7794]

Your description of your wheelchair is honestly so beautiful ✨ Thank you so much for sharing!

[@gideongrace1977]

As a disabled person, I appreciate that you stressed repeatedly that you don't know a lot about this subject but that you tried to address it anyway. Because you had a few off points and a few good points. You even mentioned some disabled characters being villains that I didn't notice at the time. Like the stuff with Arcane. I hadn't thought about those as being problematic before. But they definitely are. So thanks for bringing that up. There is one thing I wanted to bring up, that you kind of didn't really say yourself but that I wanted to mention because you got kind of near it... And that's the idea that "Disabled people don't need to be cured! There's nothing wrong with them!" And... yes? If the disability is autism, or deafness, or blindness or something else that doesn't actively in and of itself put the disabled person's life at risk. Because that's actually a dangerous statement when it comes to chronic illnesses. That's the kind of statement that leads to books like "The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue". A story with a disabled person going after a cure, then turning it down. And the disabled person in that story has epilepsy. A disease that can cause a lot of pain and suffering. And the message there ultimately winds up being that if you're chronically ill, it's more noble to suffer. Or to use another example, there's x-men. And the concept of the mutant cure. And the mutant cure is always sold as a bad thing, right? That all mutants should be proud to be mutants and the cure is just and only a tool of suppressing mutants. But then that statement is said by characters like Storm. Whose mutant power is controlling the weather. To mutants like Rogue. Whose mutant power means she can never, ever, ever touch another person skin to skin without killing them. Or mutants whose powers cause them even worse pain than that. And it's really not fair to lump the two together. People who aren't in constant pain shouldn't tell people who are that it's better for them to just live in pain. This doesn't mean that in all sci-fi and fantasy settings that all chronic illnesses should be hand waived away, but... blanket statements like all disabilities don't need cures are really not good.

[@youtubeuserremainsanonymou9022]

Based on what I heard a hearing impaired youtuber Jessica Kelgren-Fozard state,, Clint and Echo/Maya in Hawkeye are a decent depiction of hearing impairment. Alaqua Cox who plays Echo/Maya is deaf. I think that an important part of disability depiction seems to be about including people with the condition depicted. They know how it is to live with the disability. Most fully able people need to listen instead of project their own feelings

[@000Dragon50000]

Hmm in terms of characters with magical disability aids, one of my Pathfinder character uses Necromancy (she's true neutral, it's chill, not evil at all) to animate basically a wheelchair made of finely carved and painted bones (with some added perks like being able to go up stairs or smooth out rough terrain.) but at the end of the day this undead companion is ALWAYS very fragile for her level, so if it were to say, die (again) in combat, suddenly her being unable to use her legs comes back in full force. It's lead to some interesting challenges for our party and has just in general been really fun and interesting. It being something that is easily and regularly destroyed (temporarily, she is a necromancer and those are still bones) helps it remain a little more regularly relevant than "just when the plot demands."

[@bevinbrand4637]

I am not someone with a visible disability myself, but several members of my family are/were, including my dad who was missing one leg from the hip down and his right hand. He's also where I got my love of movies from, and he's the one who instilled the importance of media literacy in me from a young age. These specific issues with portrayals of disabilities were never raised by him, or at least rarely were, but I don't know how he really felt about them, either. But there have been a few shows that he really enjoyed that showcased disabled characters, the one I most remember was the anime One Piece. For all its shounen anime tropes, it has multiple depictions of characters with various disabilities who are all still treated as full characters with lives and motivations that extend far beyond that one aspect. For some, it's not an issue that ever comes up and doesn't seem to affect their ability to function at all, while for others it has affected the course of their lives. Some are heroes, some are villains (though honestly, most characters in the series exist in some gray area), but the disability itself is not a factor in such distinctions. It's never a subject that gets delved into or even acknowledged most of the time, but my dad found that sort of refreshing. Like he could see characters missing arms or legs or who had prominent scars who still got to be interesting and strong, and never looked at with pity, so it was a nice sort of escapism for him, I think. Two other series that he never got to see but that I think he really would have resonated with were Game of Thrones, particularly Jaime Lannister and his entire journey, and Doom Patrol. The latter of which really resonates strongly with me as an outsider but who recognizes a lot of the internal and external issues with disability from multiple characters in the series as looking a lot like issues I remember my dad dealing with. And I've also seen reviews from people online with disabilities giving the show high praise for how it portrays these things as well. Every main character on the show deals with different sorts of disabilities and has different challenges and experiences with them. Some are very visible, some are not, and all of them are handled with a level of nuance that I find really rare in any sort of media. Plus it's just a really great show in general and I wish it got more attention. But yeah, it's one that I wish my dad could have seen because I think it would have meant a lot to him. But, like you, I'm an outsider looking in and ascribing feelings to someone who can't speak for himself, so I dunno. Regardless, I'm always really happy to see people with platforms raising awareness on these topics, as they really do get sidelined quite a lot, despite more onscreen representation over the years.

[@JennyMorash]

OMG, so much yes on the "triumph of overcoming adversity" problem.

[@thecinematicmind]

It’s interesting that in mainstream cinema the How To Train Your Dragon films went above and beyond that trope and continued giving the disabled characters humanity. It genuinely is refreshing.

[@Amanda_Butterfly]

Interesting point on "tragic framing" I often feel people think I'm strange/not "normal" for my feelings that my fibromyalgia actually brought some positive stuff into my life (including my own business instead of 30+ hours a week as a care assistant!!)

[@happyascheese]

I have spastic diplegia cerebral palsy. I wanted to say great job with the video! I tend to watch/read more science fiction than anything and as a young kid watching Star Trek TNG, the character of Geordi was one of those watershed moments for me because he was a disabled person with a career. (That's not something I got to see growing up in the 90's and there were hardly any children's books about disability to be read.) However, I don't think I had paused to consider the impact of technology and how much fixing the disability was apart of the narrative. It just goes to show how much we all internalize the media we are given without really analyzing it with a critical eye.

[@Wurmze]

Geordi seems to be an interesting case because on one hand there’s Vera’s point about making the character functionally not have a disability, but I’ve also seen people make the point they like him as a futuristic blind character because in a futuristic setting they could’ve “fixed” his eyesight but instead gave him an assistive device. So to combat the issue Vera brought up would you give the device some limitations? Sort of like Toph from AtLA where for the most part she can functionally see but still has the limitations of reading and being in areas like the desert? Genuinely very interested in this case specifically

[@lucypreece7581]

Moving forward it is important for media to have people with disabilities be part of the making of that piece of media both in front of and behind the camera. that way stories will have more nuance and will show a more accurate depiction of that disability.

[@mopetmaddie]

can't believe i only just watched this! as someone who has ehlers danlos syndrome and often used kt tape, braces, and a walking cane, i loved your take on these movies/shows and the issues within them. it was so refreshing to hear someone else talk about disabled characters in a positive light :)

[@micheledeetlefs6041]

Thank you. THANK YOU!!!!! You have done a beautiful job here. In fact, you even opened my eyes to the realization that Bucky Barnes is disabled, something I never caught on to before. It may not seem like it, but dialogues like this help. Now. Now the next step would be for people who have seen this video, and who go to Comic-Con and other events where they have an opportunity to talk to writers and actors and producers, even if just for a few seconds, to bend their ears. Their ears. To show them these videos and say okay you're guilty, what are you going to do to make it better? Once Hollywood realizes it can no longer hide behind its shield of ableism, you will see disabled content producers, writers, directors, producers, and actors making realistic stories in which characters are disabled. And that is when we will say true change I will leave you with my husband's personal suggestion for two of the best representations of his own disability of cerebral palsy, Jimmy and Timmy from South Park. What he loves about them is that yes they are disabled, and occasionally the disability is addressed, but mostly they're just shown as two of the boys doing this sort of things the boys in South Park do. And that is ultimately what I hope to say one one day, people with disabilities being shown as people. We don't make a big to do about people who wear glasses, even though that means they are visually impaired. We don't make a big to do about people who are redheads, unless you're in England and then you call them gingers and insist they are soulless. One day being disabled will be like that too, just other case of red hair or glasses, not a defining characteristic. I'm not really a big deal. Oh and before I forget, my example of the best person with my disability, hearing loss, is undoubtedly the A Quiet Place series. Not insignificantly, the producers of that film allowed the disabled actress to have agency to change, not just the character, but the film itself to be more realistic. As a result, we get a fabulous piece. Her hearing loss does provide the family a better means of survival because they know sign language, but in the end she herself is not defined by her hearing loss. Rather she is defined by her cleverness her bravery and her love for her family.

[@jasper8293]

as a disabled person, I really liked your video! you did a very good job of being educated and respectful. Also, (I'm a big fan of arcane, so please note that this is my personal opinion!) I think Viktor is pretty decent representation over all. Obviously he has some issues and plays into some tropes (Mysterious Coughing Disease, for example) but since he is based off a villain from the game, it would've been very easy for the show writers to really play into the whole "evil disabled guy is jelous of his business partner" thing. Instead, they made him a genuinely good, smart guy who wants to help himself and others. Anyway, good video!! :)

[@jasper8293]

(obviously he does end up turning evil still, but its a lot more "gets carried away trying to achieve his goal and then realizes what he's done after" and less "oooo he's evil because his leg is messed upppp"

[@janescott7605]

Thanks for your thoughtful solidarity. I have cerebral palsy. i really appreciate the fact that you took the risk of maybe getting something wrong but chose to speak up anyway. We can't progress if people stay silent. And actually, I think you did a brilliant job. Thanks.

[@catherineelmore2004]

Vera, I nearly snorted my soda when you got through the “why are you stealing this gag?” joke! As an Abigail fan I was not expecting that, but I loved it. Great job on a very important topic.

[@StephenMatrese]

Giving villains disabilities feels like it comes from the same vein of bury your gays

[@michaelkeller5555]

Honestly just your acknowledgement of "things people like me take completely for granted" means a lot to me, and it's a fantastic thing to bring up.

[@lankyjuggler]

Always find your critiques so enlightening. Thanks!

[@PogieJoe]

This channel continues to be invaluable! Thanks for making this one.

[@urbanhawk2886]

You honestly did a wonderful job with this video and even brought thing up that I didn't even realise as a disabled person in a wheelchair. I think one thing that does stand out to me sometimes is that it would be nice to see more disabled actors getting roles. Where as there are many instances it is abled bodied and more well known actors playing the parts, especially if it is a lead role.

[@andreaarseneau5174]

As someone with a disability, you got it. Thank you for using your platform and influence to discuss other marginalized groups as well!

[@megandmauiguidingpaws]

I think you did great I am a blind autistic women who has other chronic issues and find that your try so hard to be respectful which is appreciated I always come to listen when I need a good respectful discussion of many topics so thank you

[@PanelHopper]

Hey, as a long time subscriber with diaplegic Cerebral Palsy, thanks so much for this. It’s great just to see larger channels doing this sort of thing. There’s not enough disability representation, even when we discuss representation. It’s not related to your video but I just wanted to also give an shout out to two pieces media that I think do it well, both on Netflix at the moment: Special, which despite the title, deserves attention and the Japanese film 37 Seconds, which offers a Japanese perspective on many of these issues. Both feature actors who have the disability that their characters are portrayed as having, a massive bonus.

[@k-majik]

I have ankylosing spondylitis, I appreciated the section on invisible disability as well as the video more widely, I think you did a great job!

[@twilightsmum24]

Hi Vera. Thank you for this. As someone who has mobility issues, uses hearing aids (thank you for always having subtitles enabled!) and for a while couldn't see properly, this is important. I am also writing a book and while the characters are just existing and not fundamentally about their disability/ colour / LGBT+ status I did have to make sure it was a realistic world for them in ways it did or didn't work.

[@drewlytle2281]

A subject I was wondering would come up was House MD. Throughout the 2000s it was must watch television and the focus was on a disabled character. At the same time, it was a disabled character who you usually liked for the wrong reasons (his obvious antisocial and insulting personality) and at times didn't like at all (the finale to second to last season, a finale thst made me stop watching). Now granted it's shown that he was this way before his accident and his condition involves chronic pain to severe degrees. Still, now that we are almost a decade removed, I wonder what view is on its portrayel of disability and having such a character type portray it.

[@impastomusic]

Thanks so much for turning your always-interesting analysis to disability in media! I’ve got cerebral palsy and sundry other physical disabilities, chronic illnesses and mental illnesses, and you’ve really covered most of the tropes and pitfalls beyond inspiration porn. One major gripe is that for most of the history of film and TV, disabled characters have been played by able-bodied actors and, much like straight actors playing gay, crip drag was almost a surefire way to be noticed come awards season. We are just starting to see a bit more portrayals by disabled actors, but it’s so slow. I think most temporarily-able-bodied folks are discomfited by the idea that everyone will become disabled at some point if they’re fortunate to live long enough. We’re the biggest minority and we’re growing every day, but no one wants to think it will happen to them. Some of my favourite representations of disabled characters are RJ Mitte in Breaking Bad (of course), Geri Jewell in Deadwood, and the sitcoms Speechless and Special. They all, not coincidentally, feature actors with disabilities. In the theatre, I’ve been fortunate to see several productions with Deaf protagonists (though I recognize that many Deaf people don’t view it as a disability, but they still live in a world not designed for them). Deaf West’s production of Spring Awakening made it to Broadway, and I’ve seen Deaf actor Joshua Castille play Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, with a sweet added scene of Juliet trying to learn ASL. There are clips of all these plays on KZbin, and I highly recommend them!

[@bowtiesrcoolmonksrnot3272]

As a wheelchair user I’m wondering if this will basically give me a list of movies to personally be wary of

[@legzfalloffgirl5148]

I can tell you some good ones, Saved! With McColly Culkin The Guild, with Felicia Day- watch for the character of Venom Avoid the film Avatar, it blows. Or, watch it if you want to see some tropes.

[@bowtiesrcoolmonksrnot3272]

@@legzfalloffgirl5148 I personally loved avatar. What’s wrong with it?

[@Yan_Alkovic]

Hawking didn't invent String Theory, he worked on cosmology and Black Holes in particular. String Theory was a collective effort by different groups of physicists across the decades.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Bad wording on my part.

[@Yan_Alkovic]

@@CouncilofGeeks No pressure, just doing my solemn duty as the representative for the minority of physicists here!

[@eshbena]

@@Yan_Alkovic You saved me the effort of typing in a three paragraph reply. Thank you. XD

[@superslammer]

And decenterting the actual topic.

[@Yan_Alkovic]

@@superslammer Absolutely, that’s another one of my solemn duties!

[@tonjeacupoftea6120]

Your essay's get better each time! keep up the good work! But you got a few of the specifics around the characters wrong, so hopefully this will get som extra engagement from their stans XD

[@brannadov]

OMG, as soon as you started the "define our terms" bit, I was like, wait, Abigail's thing? and then you did the joke. Very nice xD

[@MrApolkov]

An artifact of my long-ago Soviet upbringing was my family members using "not normal" as a delicate way to avoid unspoken things. "Did you hear? Mina's baby was born... not normal." "The last house before the big road, the dad is not normal. Just, I don't know, something." It drove me into a rage. Is it pertinent? Then name it. If it's not, just ignore it. "Normal" really can be a four-letter word. Metaphorically. Thanks, Council dude. And I mean dude in a gender-free sort of way. Your deep dives make for a good listen.

[@rosesolovitch4516]

As a disabled person I’m very impressed with your critique! I think you did a mostly comprehensive and excellent job. Well done!!

[@SavageBroadcast]

Given the subject of the video, I imagine there will be some who'd like to know this: if you're disabled and wanting to get into creative media, looking for help or support, look up 1in4 Coalition (for the US) or if in the UK, try DANC (Disabled Artists Networking Community).

[@grumpyoldman3458]

Thanks

[@Redboots]

you made a really respectful and well-made analysis with this video! it's important to point out that while nuance and variance exists, the use of these tropes can very well be harmful especially when these are prioritised over actual disabled voices. I think one way to combat something becoming a negative depiction is by having more than one disabled character and showing just how varied we are, like how I have arthritis and deformed legs and that's a very different experience to my own mother for example, who can't walk for very long because of her disabilities, but that's just my thoughts

[@sarahconoir]

Amazing job, I am always happy if someone simply refers to the fact that disabled people exist so I really enjoyed this. I would love you to do more

[@visionary202]

Thank you. I really appreciate you bringing more attention to this

[@snickerdoodlez9210]

Thank you for making this! I’m not disabled, but I like to put as much representation for those kinds of things in my fiction as I can- so I like to listen to as many videos as I can find about the topic so I know what to do and what not to do- and I’ve learned a lot! It takes a bit of time to really understand the nuances of it, but it’s much easier to make representation that’s at least not harmful than these movies and tropes would lead you to believe…. I sure as heck ain’t perfect in my writing yet, but videos like this are really helpful in understanding the do’s and don’t’s (*especially* the don’ts) I’m trying to subvert the “villain being scarred” trope by having a perfectly able-bodied villain of mine be severely scarred during his downfall (by severely scarred, I mean like two-face lookin’ scarring) and have that injury in a way signify that this is a turning point in his story, and sort of brings him back to reality and leads him into his redemption arc. I didn’t actually mean to subvert the trope when I first wrote it, but to be honest I’m sort of proud of it, even if it was unintentional 😂 Shameless-insertion-of-my-own-story-into-this-comment aside, this is a really good video (in my able-bodied’s irrelevant opinion) and thank you so much for making it! 😊

[@maurinet2291]

I actually thought the wheelchair bound character in Sex Education, Issac, was well done. His brother is his main caretaker and does his job fine, but is very much a side character. Issac is not particularly sympathetic, which I don't know that you dealt with head on, but it took me by total surprise. Even villains with disabilities are painted that way for depth, as an easy way for the audience to empathize. Issac is a real person who has had a hard life and makes questionable decisions and does some crummy things. It's up to you whether you feel for him or not. (I can't remember if you said you'd watched Sex Education, but you absolutely should. It's on Netflix.)

[@arin2747]

I largely agree with you here, but one big thing I'd point out that bugged me about Isaac is that virtually every other character in sex education is having sex and Isaac doesn't really. Sure he has a couple of moments with Maeve in the 3rd season, but when every other character is having a lot of sex (except the one asexual character who was entirely forgotten the 3rd season), leaving Isaac out seems to perpetuate the desexualization and infantilization of disabled people. For all the other teachable moments in the show about various ways to have and enjoy sex, it would have been a cool opportunity to show how disabled people can and do have sex. That said, I do like a lot of the other aspects of Isaac's character and agree with your assessment about the rest of his personality and characterization. And in any other show I think that would have been great. But in a show so focused on a lot of people having a lot of sex in a lot of different ways, leaving Isaac out of that was obvious and not ideal in my personal opinion.

[@maurinet2291]

@@arin2747 That actually is a great point. I hope he'll be back next season and they'll have a chance to rectify that.

[@KierTheScrivener]

I really appreciated this video and as someone with fibromyalgia, I appreciate your inclusion of it. It is very debilitating and in many ways has uprooted my life but I think I will always hold the stance that the stigma and lack of accommodations and accessibility is ten times worse than the chronic pain, fatigue and other affects. I went through transition, through mourning and though it isn't as 'easy' as it was before my major and consistent obstacles are all rooted in ableism not disability.

[@koleenhansen9888]

As someone with cerebral palsy I thought you did really good job and you were clear and pretty kind

[@davidabercrombie5427]

This has definitely given me something to consider when consuming media in the future. I've never really thought about the reasons/messages implied when my disabilities (or others I'm aware of) are depicted on screen.

[@ronjaj.addams-ramstedt1023]

Thank you & well done! from a daily user of forearm crutches: a queer, AutDHD, asthmatic & more Finn. I am trilingual, both hyperlexic and dyslexic, non-binary, demiromantic and omnisexual, have multiple food intolerances and have been living with migraine, unstable joints and intermittent pain since I was 12 and with daily chronic pain for the last 15 years or so. Reactions from some acquaintances and sometimes even strangers to any one of these realities of my life can be pretty clearly "your mind/body looks / sounds / moves / functions WRONG and I cannot handle that." It is sometimes weirdly entertaining afterwards. Thank you for allying with empathy, passion and correct facts. We need all the allies we can get, because too many abled (and some disabled, chronically ill and/or neurodivergent) people still subconsciously believe in hierarchies of prestige and stigma for different disabilities and diseases, and thus your physically abled opinion is needed for our lived experiences to appear more valid to them. :-/ [mini-infodump] What I mean with hierarchy: based on comments I have observed and research I have read, typically close to the very bottom of prestige & top of stigma are schizophrenia, intellectual disabilities and being HIV positive (even when one's viral load is too low to measure). Using a visible mobility aid, like my son and I do, is kind of "average bad." ADHD often barely registers as a disability, because so many people ignorantly believe that we can completely "fix" our brains with meds (I wish someone would convince my working memory of that...)[/infodump] Last but not least: Thank you for all the education, insights and FUN that you so generously share on your channels! And please don't exhaust yourself, however much is currently happening with Dr. Who.

[@literaterose6731]

Really good work! I have several chronic disabilities, most invisible (though a couple are becoming visible with age and progression). Just jumping in to note a couple of representations I have liked: I really loved the sitcom Speechless (and am still sad it ended much sooner than it should have), about a family that includes a teenager, JJ, with CP who is both significantly mobility limited and non-verbal. While it did address real world issues and challenges for JJ, the show focused on the family as a whole and very much normalized the way they’re portrayed. Totally recommend finding it and watching it if you never caught it. I also appreciated how a major character, Emma, was handled in one of my all time favorite shows, Bates Motel. She has CF, and while the ways in which that sometimes complicates her life are depicted very naturally, for the most part her character is fully realized without that as the focus and without a tragedy trajectory. Finally, there’s a pair of sf novels that include disability in a variety of different ways, some a little cringier, some really interesting; they’re also among the best first contact stories I’ve ever read. (Heads up: the first book is definitely better than the second, a truly remarkable world building accomplishment, though there are things I like a lot in the second around societal structures- it’s just a somewhat less cohesive story overall.) They’re by Amy Thomson, The Color of Distance (1st book) and Through Alien Eyes (2nd book).

[@katherinemorelle7115]

Strangely enough (given all of its many, many, many other issues) Supernatural had great representation of a Deaf character. There wasn't any triumph over adversity, she was just portrayed as a very competent and skilled hunter. She was also portrayed as an attractive love interest for one of the brothers, without it being a big issue. And she was portrayed by Deaf actress Shoshannah Stern. The show did so well with her (for the most part, it is Supernatural after all)

[@literaterose6731]

@@katherinemorelle7115 oh my gosh, yes!! Can’t believe I overlooked that one, you’re absolutely right. And Stern is one of my favorite actors-I’d also recommend Jericho, where she similarly played a competent, normal young Deaf woman, Bonnie, who manages quite well in a post apocalyptic environment. Bonnie was my favorite character from that show (well, her and the character Robert Hawkins, because actor Lennie James is yum!). In Deaf representation there’s also the series Switched At Birth, with one of the two main leads a Deaf adolescent, and lots of Deaf supporting actors/characters as well, all handled reasonably well (except for the inevitable Magical Lip Reading trope, sigh…🙄).

[@layneathebutterfly4959]

My favorite disabled charecter. Hiccup (How to train your dragon) Nemo (Finding Nemo)

[@rachelbecknell4259]

I have several "invisible" disabilities (i.e. not visible without medical knowledge/examination etc.) but your discussion of how harmful the "triumph over adversity" trope is brought up how I feel about the ads I hear about cancer treatment. They also often portray cancer survivors as "fighters" ... as if people like my mom, who died of lung cancer in 2016 and had plenty of damn fight in her, deserve to die because they didn't "fight" hard enough. I absolutely HATE this trope and can't describe how angry and hurt this kind of framing makes me. I have adored numerous people in my life who cancer has stolen from me, my mom included, and this kind of trope insults them for (for example) late diagnosis, inadequate care, discoveries in medicine that were too late to save them, and so on. Thank you for bringing this up. No matter the intention of those framing the issues this way, whether to encourage people with a recent diagnosis to keep trying or whatever, it HURTS us who deeply mourn our lost friends and loved ones and I am completely intolerant of it as a result. This does such good for my soul. Do not think this isn't helpful. It is.

[@Anna-yy9so]

Great video as always! I wish you had mentioned Doom Patrol when you were talking about superheroes with disabilities. Most of the heroes' superpowers in that show function more like disabilities, especially in season 1, and I love how the show handles them. I'm not physically disabled, but I'm neurodivergent, and Doom Patrol was the first show I've ever seen where I actually felt represented by the characters.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

I still need to see that one.

[@LovelyRuthie]

Thank you so much for diving into this - I am disabled (sometimes physically) with many years of working for the physically disabled & with physically disabled family members. Whilst you may not be part of this marginalised group, your sensitivity shows a deep understanding of the issues by dint of, I am guessing, being part of another marginalised group. When people say good representation isn't important, for years the autistic community were Rain Man or nothing. Representation of the disabled needs to be more nuanced, more varied & ultimately informed by that community if at all possible. And it's possible. We're here.

[@emcrolls]

This

[@Welcometotherox]

I would absolutely welcome a video from you on depictions of neurodiversity. I also have ADHD and ASD and I love your videos.

[@theamyway4832]

Same here. I have only recently discovered that I very likely have ADHD, and really appreciated her video on procrastination - related to it A LOT. It would be lovely to see a full neurodiversity-related video.

[@Hannah-iv9ek]

I was very happy when you briefly brought up skin conditions. I have Ichthyosis which is a skin disability and I never hear people talk about them 😩

[@BluetheRaccoon]

Thank you so much for drawing attention to invisible disabilities and neurodiversity! I have EDS and ASD, and feel very acknowledged positively ^_^

[@Purplenightshades]

Thanks so much for covering this topic, it’s so often ignored.

[@FortoFight]

I think for this type of video (i.e. making a video about a demographic that you're not a member of), the format used by "Xiran Jay Zhao" regarding South East Asian representation is a good one to look at. Being East Asian and not South East Asian, she was convinced by South East Asians to use her Raya video as a platform for South East Asian voices on the topic of representation of their demographic in the movie industry. She gathered an array of SEAs and together they created presentations that formed the format of her video. She even got some of them to speak in the video it seems, although the audio quality wasn't amazing because they weren't professional content creators with good microphones.

[@IceNixie0102]

This is very well done, thank you. Molly Burke and Jessica Kellgren-Fozard have both spoken on similar things, though not as in-depth.

[@jacksparrowismydaddy]

this really helps thanks. its giving me food for thought regarding my characters.

[@kurathchibicrystalkitty5146]

This is such a hugely, hugely important and insightful video, and I really want to say how much I appreciate, not just all the videos you make, but how concise and detailed each one is. I've been struggling a lot with disability representation in my own stories, as they take place in my invented universe, which is full of utopian fantasy planets where all basic needs are met and people are free to live in peace and simply enjoy life. The trickiest part of it is that before incarnating, every soul maps out a few details of their next life, and I keep being super worried that someone would take offense to the idea that logically comes from that: that someone would willingly choose to incarnate with a disability. I really don't know how to fix this at all, and some advice would be greatly appreciated.

[@WoohooliganComedy]

Thanks, Vera. 💖 I don't really have anything to add. I think you did a good job, and I noticed you pointed out that neurodivergence isn't illness, although it is disability, not because there's anything wrong with being autistic (me) or ADHD (you) or etc. but that society's unwillingness to accommodate difference is what creates the disability (the social model of disability). And in particular because neurodivergence is usually invisible, our accommodations are harder to get... unlike a wheelchair user, we can't just say we need ramps. This is a central theme in an upcoming video I'm making about how the myth of meritocracy hurts people with invisible disabilities. I know it was off-topic here, but I would love to see some media analysis of how neurodiversity is represented (I touch on that in my script, but I don't get into it in depth). If you decide to make something on that, I would love to collaborate or assist with that in any way. The easiest way to reach me is a DM on my twitter @datafaucet.

[@jai-jaigrant-said4662]

I absolutely love your video - I agree with a lot of what you said - I have cerebral palsy (I can stand for a little bit and can walk with aid) - you've highlighted some very good points, especially the, overcoming adversity trope and the disabled character being a villain trope, as well as the wanting to find a cure. I have, in the past, been asked if I'd want to be "normal" and if there was a way, would I take it? The answer? No. I think, in my own personal opinion, that having a disability makes me unique - not in the sense of being special but more in the sense of, given me a different understanding of life that I wouldn't have if I were able-bodied. My disability has gotten me to understand certain things better and it makes up a part of who I am (for the record, I'm not saying that my disability is my defining trait, merely that I'd be a different person without it, at least I think so.) Also, disabled characters should be portrayed by disabled actors. It's appalling how many abled-bodied people play disabled characters.

[@lollydolly4590]

I have an invisible disability, and I think that you did a great job covering some issues with this. I feel that if more creators and actors with disabilities were involved, we might see more stories that don’t just paint disabilities as a hurdle to normal life

[@lamoravicious2519]

I am disabled. I have multiple disabilities. What I love doing is proving people wrong, or exceeding their expectations. At the same time it also sucks that I have to do that. It is something I love, and hate.

[@RealJonDoe]

First off, thank you. This was well thought out and intentioned. I do, of course, have a few places where I see an issue, from my perspective. Someone, by virtue of recognizing that I have a condition, does not have a right to my medical history. That is more emotional energy than I am willing to dedicate to everyone I meet, and, frankly, it's none of their business. I give the same grace to those characters I may relate to in media. The character of Garrett, in Superstore, is obviously in a wheelchair. While his roommate and friend tries to find out why, it is never disclosed in the 6 seasons. Instead, we see him, working his life, doing the minimum possible not to get fired from his job, and showing personality, while sometimes outlining that he cannot do one thing or another. I am not in a wheelchair, but I can relate to the character who is, as I have related to those around me who are. I do have a tic condition. Sadly, this is something that, while seldom faked, is more often accused of being faked. I do not need to know the specifics of someone with a similar condition to feel some recognition. I can relate to the symptom if not to the specific disorder, and in some ways, the lack of disclosure may lend more feeling of representation to a wider array of people, even if the general public does not get a name to gawk at. Thank you for reading.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

I really appreciate that perspective. It would be my hope that if a condition is unspecified that they creators and actors still have a well researched one in mind (ideally which the actor has, but that’s a whole other can of worms) if only for the sake of not just piling disparate symptoms willy nilly onto a character. That’s assuming it’s not just a deliberately made up condition, which can have its place in fantastical settings but again can lean into a lot of the stuff I talked about.

[@101spacemonkey]

Hey so many disabled people prefer identity first language. I'm disabled and while I dont mind persom first I dont use it personally. Being disabled is a core part of who I am and when people say "with" it distances it from me. Sort of like when someone says I see you not the wheelchair. When they do that they dont think about my access needs.

[@katherinemorelle7115]

I tend not a be a fan of person first either. Two main reasons, first is that my disability is not "with" me, like some baggage I drag around behind me. It IS me. Secondly (and this is the most important one to me), the most common reason I hear for using person first language (and this is always from ableds, mind) is "to remind us that we are talking about a person, first" And hoo boy does that make me angry! Because if someone needs to say "person with" in order to remind themselves that I am indeed a person, that seems like a major problem that a little change of language can't fix. But anything is better than differently abled or handicapable! I'd almost prefer actual slurs over those. Ugh. So incredibly patronising, (as if I'm some 5 year old that needs to be patted on the head and told that I'm "special") and greatly increases the stigma of disability. At least person first allows for a handy little acronym (PWD).

[@benw9949]

Thank you for this! I'm legally blind / vision-impaired (and gay). There are so many good and bad points of how people with disabilities are portrayed in fiction, particularly video. But it's a symptom of how the non-disabled majority do not understand the situation because they haven't been around it, they do not themselves live with it. Allies, friends, support are vital, and when we don't have those, it can really be rough for us, just like it's vital for LGBT folks. (I've been going through a terribly difficult and hurtful time because of lack of enough local support and friends network. (I'm back online for a while at least, and that in itself is a major win and relief.) Thanks, Council of Geeks! As always, you rock, and your balanced critiques are very welcome. Thank you for caring to address a difficult topic and for the inclusion.

[@StephenMatrese]

I have both physical and mental disabilities, as well as being neuroatypical (ADHD and Aspie). My physical disabilities used to only be what are considered "invisible disabilities" (the fact that you mention these

[@vickymc9695]

With the lack of accommodation and access to public spaces, I've gotten some people to understand by pointing out it's a type of segregation. If a shop, doctor office or restaurant don't bother to adapt; they are making a decision about who they feel are valuable people.

[@WhitneyAllisonGG]

I appreciate you are covering this subject. The look at the US workforce and the lack of people with disabilities in it. It's really hit or miss when comes autistic person. I find that physical is much more easier to accommodate not so much as invisible one.

[@hilarymajor3983]

Thank you. I’m an able bodied person (also with ADHD) writing some fanfic with an original physically disabled character, and I really want to do it right.

[@chryssoie]

This is just me, but to be honest, as someone with a couple of invisible, degenerative disabilities I never minded "disability as motivation" storylines, in fact I often find them very relatable. I know why they're problematic, and I know that a lot of people are comfortable with their condition and the main problem is the world not accommodating differently abled folks. But as for myself, there's not a lot I wouldn't be willing to do to get rid of my conditions, or at least stop them from getting worse. :/ It's not a world vs me thing, I just don't want to get cancer or go blind.

[@freddiegormack-smith8060]

As someone who loves Freddie right down to sharing a name and disabilty u repped my issues with the character perfectly!

[@CreativaArtly]

As an epileptic autistic myself, I thought you tackled this pretty well and respectfully. Hats off to you for that.

[@AxelWedstar411]

I concider the stigma around my disability the most crippling part. Public awareness of social anxiety disorder seems next to non-existent smtms.

[@lauraswinton8458]

It’s been great to see what’s happening with Channel 4 in the UK since the 2012 Paralympics. They made a conscious decision to work with presenters who had disabilities. And since then I think there has been more representation with comedians and presenters. I see it a bit on the BBC too. It’s not enough but people like Ade Adepitan, Alex Brooker, Rosie Jones, Francesca Martinez, Nikki Fox and George Webster are putting themselves out there and changing the conversation. I think being comedians, presenters and journos also means we’re seeing real people and not just a representation in fiction. Of course, that I can pluck out a few people and name them doesn’t mean it’s enough or broadcasters get it right but the progress since I was a kid is night and day.