Resources for writers who want to include disabled characters in their work. Learn about common stereotypes and appropriate language, find research sources, and learn how to write fiction that includes characters with disabilities.
These links represent a portion of the resources available to students who attend a Writing the Other class or Master Class.
Tropes & Stereotypes to Avoid
- I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much – a TED Talk by Stella Young
- On Blindness and the Portrayal of Marie-Laure in “All the Light We Cannot See”
- Commentary on the film Me Before You. Content Notice: Contains discussion of suicide
- Representation without Understanding – Derek Handley
- But You Look Fine to Me: Invisible Disability and Flying by E. Amato
- I Am Strong; I’m Invisible by Nisi Shawl
- That “Crazy Bitch”: Women and Mental Illness Tropes in Horror by Megan Kearns
- Autism, Representation, Success – Ada Hoffmann
- Evil Albino Trope is Evil – Nalini Haynes
Language and Voice
- Be aware of ableist idioms
- Narrative Devices and the Autism Voice
- Alternatives to Help You Stop Using Ableist Phrases
Resources and Research
- Disability in Kidlit blog
- Space Crip | Disability in sci-fi, fantasy, and beyond
- Feminist Sonar
- Elsa S. Henry: So, You Wanna Write A Blind Character?
How To Do It Well
Master Class: Writing Deaf and Blind Characters
This class, taught by partially deaf and partially blind writer and editor Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, walks students through the process of researching and understanding both conditions for fiction writing.