Characters with disabilities always seems to be the last thing writers or readers seem to include in terms of diversity. We ourselves, don't get a WHOLE lot of requests to review books that include disabled protagonists and finding the few YA, Fantasy, MG, or Sci-Fi books that are out there and capture disabled people in a multi-faceted, 3-Dimensional, Flattering light is very few and far between. There are a ton of amazing blogs out there that are dedicated to dismantling the negative connotations that are usually associated with disabled people. Today we're happy to be sitting down with another one of them!!!
We got in touch with Kayla @ "Disability in Kidlit", a diversity blog dedicated to exploring disabilities in books particularly YA, MG and Children's Lit. Not only was she was really interested in hopping onboard, she was very patient and understanding of what kind of message we were trying to get across with this particular post.
So much goes into what not to do with disabled characters in novels, that "Disability in Kidlit" could go on forever about the do-nots! Instead she's chosen to give us, and others where the future of disabled characters can and should go!
I can't say this isn't beneficial. I've learned so much about the stigma behind disabled characters just through these highlights alone. Some of the best and memorable characters in SF/F are disabled(check the best ones out!)
At Disability in Kidlit, we spend a lot of time dissecting disability tropes. We outline what they are and why they’re harmful, and there’s immense value in that. It’s important to acknowledge what NOT to do. But sometimes it’s fun (and helpful) to talk about what we would like to see in terms of disability and representation—what TO do.
