Just a crip on here to geek about my favorite things
Tropes That Apply To Me
Brainy BrunettePet-Peeve Trope: Inspirationally Disadvantaged Okay, this is going to turn into a rant, so I’m just going to give the tl;dr now.
Disabled people are not children. We should not be treated as such. It is not amazing that we are able to go through life with a disability.
So, if you didn’t catch my use of the word crip, I am physically disabled. Before I was born, I suffered a prenatal hemorrhagic stroke near the frontal lobe of my brain. Because of this, I have hemiplegia, epilepsy, and I am partially blind in my right eye.
I really do not like it when people respond to me doing everyday tasks with “Isn’t it amazing that a girl with disabilities can do this!”. No it is not. This is just me going about my life. It is not “magical” that I can get a Jenga block out with one arm (That is something that has actually been said to me.). Also, when this is in the context of internet inspiration porn, people always seem to think that going through the day while disabled takes a lot of inner courage, that we must go through years of hating ourselves before we have some big revelation that we’re “perfect, just the way we are!”, because God forbid we find it completely normal to adapt certain tasks so we can do them easier. Even more unthinkable is that we like ourselves from the get go! No, that can’t happen!
I do recognize that, just by playing the numbers game, that some disabled people do probably go through a journey of self acceptance, so writing that arc into a character isn’t unreasonable. But, under no circumstances, should it be their only characteristic.
In Six of Crows, there are two disabled characters: Wylan and Kaz. Wylan is dyslexic, and his father abused him for eight years, until he tried to have his son murdered. Wylan goes through the series trying to unlearn the self hate that he’s internalized, and he ends the series being more comfortable with himself. This could easily be turned into Inspirationally Disadvantaged.
However, It isn’t, in no small part because Wylan is written as a complex person aside from his illiteracy. He is a very important member of the crew, and he gets his time in the spotlight, with his own personality, and he isn’t just a background character. When the inevitable “your disability doesn’t make you any less weak” section comes, it’s appropriate for the character and written well, making it not cringe worthy. I actually found that part heartwarming, something that usually wouldn’t happen if handled differently.
Equally annoying is the idea that we can “overcome” our disabilities to achieve our greatest desires. While (at least for me) it is better than viewing our lives as a complete shitshow, it is still irritating, partially because some disabled people don’t have lofty dreams about being overachievers, and, even if they do, this narrative ignores the fact that there are very real limitations that disabled people have to deal with. Acting as if certain medications, adaptations, or therapies don’t matter may sound more progressive and inclusive, because it sounds like someone is saying that disabilities don’t matter, but pushing us to do things without any kind of adaptation or support is not helpful in the least. At least for me, when people ignore adaptations I might need for certain tasks, I feel like they don’t care.
No, for the most part, disabilities shouldn’t stop a disabled person from their goals. But when said disability makes that goal hard to achieve, they will need to adapt their dream. A deaf composer is still deaf, no amount of brilliant, history making compositions will suddenly make that disappear. Beethoven couldn’t hear towards the end in his life, and I can bet he made some adaptations to deal with it. He probably didn’t wake up with hearing loss, then find out that because of it, he was an amazing composer. Skills don’t work that way.
If you are disabled, and have a special place in your heart for a disabled celebrity because you can connect with them more easily, or because there is finally someone that looks like you, or deals with the same conditions(s) as you, that is absolutely fine and appropriate. But that should be alongside their other achievements.
Be amazed by disabled people for the things that we do, separate from our disabilities. You should be amazed by Stephen Hawking because of his work in physics, not just because of his ability to live with ALS. Beethoven should be considered an incredible composer because, well, he is, not because he “managed to do all of this while deaf”. If you are a fan of Black Veil Brides (like me), you should look up to Jinxx because he is an amazing composer/musician/husband/person, not solely because of his epilepsy. If you also happen to be epileptic, it is fine for him to have a place in your heart because of him talking about his condition. But his disability shouldn’t be the only reason he’s amazing.
Our disabilities affect our lives, some more than others, but we deal just fine. Ask us if we need help, and respect our answer. If we need to adapt or step out of an activity, let us do that. If we participate, don’t be amazed at our strength.
Disabled people are imperfect. I can be a rude bitch sometimes. I am not little miss sunshine, here to teach the antihero a lesson about perseverance and positive thinking. Treat us like complex humans, please.
Deadpan Snarker: I can get incredibly sarcastic, especially when I’m annoyed or angry.
The Stoic: Somewhat in contrast to my music tastes, I’m not someone who wears her emotions on her sleeves
Team Mom: In my friend group, at least.
Genius Cripple: Humble Brag Time! Physically disabled. 3.9 GPA, one of the highest in my school. Will receive three Golden State Seal Merit Diploma when I graduate. I also accumulated over 300 school credits
