History Main / InspirationallyDisadvantaged

* Latula from ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' parodies this: she cannot smell, which apparently is treated as a big deal on Beforan society, and one character even talks about how, with great effort and diligence, she was able to approximate smelling with other senses. [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad Kankri]] in particular [[InnocentBigot seems to look up to her as an example of this trope.]]

** For Scootaloo, some wort of workaround [[BrokenAesop more likely than not would be possible]] (Other episodes also showed off a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E12CallOfTheCutie hang glider]], [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E7MayTheBestPetWin Tank's Magitek propeller]], and two [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E5GriffonTheBrushOff pedal-powered]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E22TestingTesting123 helicopters]].)[[note]]"You don't need to be not-disabled to be special" is a fine Aesop in and of itself, but passing off feel-good platitudes as a substitute for real solutions is pretty patronizing, even without explicitly playing the "Inspirationally Disadvantaged" card.[[/note]]

** Invoked in "Ceci N'est Pas Une King of the Hill": Peggy starts making sculptures out of discarded propane tanks, which draws the eye of an art dealer. However, at her first exhibition, she learns that the guy has been portraying her as an idiot savant hillbilly.[[note]]The exhibition is even titled "I Ain't Got No Book-Learnin'".[[/note]] Needless to say, she's not happy, and Hank is even less so, but her spirits get lifted at the end of the episode when a few people express honest love of her "pro-bots".

* Joe from ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' started as a straight example, before {{Flanderization}} made him as much of a jerk as everyone else.
** Averted in the infamous "Extra Large Medium", in which Chris's infatuation with his classmate with Down Syndrome rapidly dwindles as she spends the entire date being a rotten, demanding bitch. UsefulNotes/SarahPalin infamously criticized the portrayal, which provoked a response from the actress ([[DisabledCharacterDisabledActor who has the condition herself]]), expressing the opinion that Sarah was no less trying to invoke this trope by shilling Palin's relationship with her own Down Syndrome child for political gain.
** In "Petarded", Peter finds out he's functionally intellectually disabled. He even gets a social worker who makes a big deal over ''everything'' he does, saying "Good job, Peter! High-five! Alright!" Eventually, he uses his diagnosis [[DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery to get away with all kinds]] of {{Jerkass}} behavior, and when that puts Lois in the hospital the state takes custody of his kids from him...
* Deconstructed in "Run, Chris, Run". Chris gets elected Homecoming King...but then finds out he was elected only because his classmates felt sorry for his mental problems. Chris is upset at his classmates for only caring about making themselves feel better and storms off.

* The titular character of the ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Friendship Is Magic]]'' fan animation, ''WebAnimation/{{Snowdrop}}'', is an innocent, downtrodden, blind pegasus filly who sculpts snowflakes while trying to imagine what stars look like. On top of that, her conversation with her mother all but explicitly sends the message that being Inspirationally Disadvantaged is ''better'' than not having the disability in question.

* In ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode ''[[Recap/CommunityS1E09Debate109 Debate 109]]'', their debate opponent from City College is Jimmy "Soulpatch" Simmons who is rather aggressive about using his handicap status to win debate arguments.

* ''Fanfic/CodexEquus'':Averted and deconstructed. In the Codexverse, disabled people are depicted as well-rounded people with their own strengths and flaws despite their handicaps, and are no more good or evil for it. While some are [[HeroicSelfDeprecation willing to joke about themselves]], generally they hate being treated as 'inspirational' as it's [[CondescendingCompassion demeaning]] and implies they're lazy wastes of spaces who can't look after themselves if they don't work to compensate for their disabilities. Some deities who [[DisabledDeity have some kind of handicap]], like albinism, blindness, and mutism, have accepted their handicaps as part of them and use their powers to [[MundaneUtility make their own lives a little easier]].

* ''Fanfic/CodexEquus'':
** Averted and deconstructed with Prince Healing Song. Despite being blinded during infancy, he still managed to become a famous and beloved musical prodigy. And against all odds, he Ascended to godhood while on his deathbed, dying from cancer. At the same time, he's flawed like everyone else - while usually a humble NiceGuy, he's willing to [[SelfDeprecation joke about himself]], and can get rather sarcastic and [[BrutalHonesty blunt]], especially when people insult and/or [[CondescendingCompassion patronize]] him. He also [[MortalityPhobia feared dying one day]], but his friends helped him accept his mortality. Healing Song himself hates the "Inspirationally Disadvantaged" stereotype because it creates the toxic belief that disabled people who don't push themselves beyond their limits are automatically helpless and lazy. If a disabled person manages to Ascend to godhood like he did, then it happens and is not related to their disability in any way, though it's still an achievement worthy of praise. This motivates Healing Song to teach his students how to succeed while acknowledging their own limits.
** Averted with Guiding Light. While he's blind and has several abilities and skills to make up for it, it's noted in his entry that the Shinseina pantheon chose to Ascend him (as well as his friends) solely because of his compassion and altruism, and they taught him many things so he could fulfill his role as a Death god despite his disability. Their desire to turn him into a benevolent and proper god stems from the fact that they find a few of his flaws (namely his cynicism, morbid sense of humor, and opportunistic greed) off-putting and potentially detrimental to any good he might do as a demigod. Guiding Light also gets irritated whenever someone [[CondescendingCompassion pities him and/or gives him special treatment for being blind]], and is close to his friends in the BHCIT [[VitriolicBestBuds despite their constant ribbing]] because they treat him as part of the group rather than an invalid.
** Averted with Spell Cyclone. She is a paraplegic Magical Filly and requires a wheelchair to get around, which would normally make her an easier target in Meridia, so she developed her sniping skills and magic to make up for this. She hates the idea of pushing herself beyond her normal limits in order to be something of worth to others, a view shared by Prince Healing Song, who is blind and would later become her friend. She welcomes Maelstrom's insults because it means the latter really cares for her and treats her like an equal.
** Averted with Prince Crimson Star. Originally, he wasn't blind, but he was such an InsufferableGenius that after he was blinded saving a classmate from a runaway carriage, he was [[SenseLossSadness rather depressed by it]], and eventually [[CallItKarma came to believe that his blindness was a "punishment" for his own foolishness]]. He did manage to become an Alicorn demigod later on, but it's because he [[TheAtoner made amends for his bad behavior]] and used his knowledge and talents for good, not because he became disabled. In addition, despite his royal demi-divine status and great power, he is flawed like any other person, and his relationships with some of his brothers, like Fanged Paw, can get vitriolic.

* WebAnimation/SawtoothWaves: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omvhMGMp2qA&t=1s The REAL Reason Scootaloo Can't Fly]]" speculates on how pegasus flight works and why it doesn't quite work for Scootaloo. The video then acknowledges Rainbow Dash's [[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic wing]] from one of the alternate timelines of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E25TheCutieRemarkPart1 A Cutie Re-Mark]]", then mentions that there was no evidence Scootaloo ever bothered to look into anything like that (showing the scene from "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E26TheLastProblem The Last Problem]]" with her as a teacher at the School of Friendship). Sawtooth then states that it was "inspiring" to see Scootaloo give up on her dream of flight without bothering to investigate potential solutions. They justify that by stating that "fancy workarounds aren't always possible". While that may be true with respect to people with disabilities in RealLife, it doesn't change the fact that:

** By most standards, "If you're faced with a DreamCrushingHandicap, give up without even trying to find a solution" is not a particularly positive message to begin with.

** For Scootaloo, some wort of workaround [[BrokenAesop more likely than not would be possible]] (Other episodes also showed off a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E12CallOfTheCutie hang glider]], [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E7MayTheBestPetWin Tank's Magitek propeller]], and two [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E5GriffonTheBrushOff pedal-powered]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E22TestingTesting123 helicopters]].)

** By most standards, "If you're faced with a DreamCrushingHandicap, give up without even trying to find a solution" is not a particularly

* WebAnimation/SawtoothWaves: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omvhMGMp2qA&t=1s The REAL Reason Scootaloo Can't Fly]]" speculates on how pegasus flight works and why it doesn't quite work for Scootaloo. The video then acknowledges Rainbow Dash's [[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic wing]] from one of the alternate timelines of "A Cutie Re-Mark", then mentions that there was no evidence Scootaloo ever bothered to look into anything like that (showing the scene from "The Last Problem" with her as a teacher at the School of Friendship) with no evidence that she had ever looked into anything like that. Sawtooth then states that it was "inspiring" to see Scootaloo give up on her dream of flight without bothering to investigate potential solutions. They justify that by stating that "fancy workarounds aren't always possible". While that may be true with respect to people with disabilities in RealLife, it doesn't change the fact that for Scootaloo, some wort of workaround [[BrokenAesop more likely than not would be possible]][[note]]Other episodes also showed off a hang glider, Tank's {{Magitek}} propeller, and two pedal-powered helicopters.[[/note]]. Or that regardless of what remedies may or may not exist for someone's disability, calling them "inspiring" for leading a perfectly ordinary life is often regarded as patronizing. (see above)[[note]]Especially considering that Scootaloo's disability has relatively little impact on her day-to-day life -- most of the other ponies in her home town can't fly either.[[/note]]

* WebAnimation/SawtoothWaves: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omvhMGMp2qA&t=1s The REAL Reason Scootaloo Can't Fly]]" speculates on how pegasus flight works and why it doesn't quite work for Scootaloo. The video then acknowledges Rainbow Dash's [[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic wing]] from one of the alternate timelines of "A Cutie Re-Mark", then mentions that there was no evidence Scootaloo ever bothered to look into anything like that (showing the scene from "The Last Problem" with her as a teacher at the School of Friendship) with no evidence that she had ever looked into anything like that. Sawtooth then states that it was "inspiring" to see Scootaloo give up on her dream of flight without bothering to investigate potential solutions. They justify that by stating that "fancy workarounds aren't always possible". While that may be true with respect to people with disabilities in RealLife, it doesn't change the fact that for Scootaloo, some wort of workaround [[BrokenAesop more likely than not '''would''' be possible]][[note]]Other episodes also showed off a hang glider, Tank's {{Magitek}} propeller, and two pedal-powered helicopters.[[/note]]. Or that regardless of what remedies may or may not exist for someone's disability, calling them "inspiring" for leading a perfectly ordinary life is often regarded as patronizing. (see above)[[note]]Especially considering that Scootaloo's disability has relatively little impact on her day-to-day life -- most of the other ponies in her home town can't fly either.[[/note]]

* Creator/{{Seanbaby}}:

Disparagingly known as the "super-crip" by disabled people, these are characters with disabilities [[DisabilitySuperpower shown as going above and beyond the level of even non-disabled people]] in spite of their disabilities. This [[TheCSIEffect has led to the belief]] that a wheelchair user ''should'' be training for the Paralympics or a GeniusCripple, the mentally handicapped and blind should be practicing to be famous artists, and that having clinical depression should turn you into an awesome writer. In some cases, the character turns out to have a special talent or skill that no other character can beat, sometimes implicitly [[CursedWithAwesome "making up" for the disability]], sometimes bordering on DisabilitySuperpower. In certain cases the story goes out of its way to paint the handicap as a good/bad thing that influences (or is influenced by) the character's capacity to interact with [[MagicAIsMagicA whatever magic is in the setting]], meaning that NeurodiversityIsSupernatural.

See also IdiotSavant, WaifProphet, IronicallyDisabledArtist and its subtrope DeafComposer, and WhoopiEpiphanySpeech. DreamCrushingHandicap is essentially the inversion of this trope. Also somewhat related to LittlestCancerPatient. Can result in {{Glurge}} if handled poorly. Compare GracefulInTheirElement, contrast EvilCripple.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' has Bender during the episode Recap/FuturamaS3E13BendinInTheWind. After getting paralyzed from the neck down in a can opener accident, Bender joins Music/{{Beck}}'s band as a washboard and becomes a voice for broken and malfunctioning robots. His malfunction heals the night before a big charity concert, and he accidentally reveals this in front of the entire crowd, causing his fanbase and Beck to turn against him.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' has Bender during the episode Recap/S3E13BendinInTheWind. After getting paralyzed from the neck down in a can opener accident, Bender joins Music/{{Beck}}'s band as a washboard and becomes a voice for broken and malfunctioning robots. His malfunction heals the night before a big charity concert, and he accidentally reveals this in front of the entire crowd, causing his fanbase and Beck to turn against him.

* Corky, a kid with Down Syndrome who goes to high school, from ''Series/LifeGoesOn'' at the beginning of the series. This changes in later seasons when despite being a good person he is not the perfect little angel others hoped him to be because *gasp* he is human. (The actor himself, Chris Burke, has the syndrome).

Sometimes a GirlOfTheWeek or part of a VerySpecialEpisode or MadeForTVMovie, the Inspirationally Disadvantaged Person superficially appears weak or downtrodden but has hidden reserves of strength which often results in AnAesop.

* ''Music/{{Tommy}}'' is actually ''not'' about a "deaf, dumb, and blind kid (who) sure plays a mean pinball!" and is an aversion of this. Tommy's father was a WWII soldier mistakenly listed as dead. His mother became involved with another man. Then his father returned home and was killed in a fight with the lover. Tommy saw this and was told repeatedly not to tell anyone, that he didn't see or hear anything. His life from that point was anything but inspirational or idyllic. His ability to play pinball well was not an inspiring message, it was just the last tenuous link back to the outside world that he had left before finally breaking through his mental block.
** The stage adaptation ''The Who's Tommy'' (written in TheNineties) has the post-recovery Tommy telling Sally Simpson that she and others who see him as an inspiration shouldn't want to be more like him, given what he went through. Since he won't give them the answers they're seeking in life (and play this trope straight), they turn on him. Ironically, he almost regresses back to his old state after this rejection, but pulls himself out of it and reconciles with his family instead.

* Creator/MarvelComics:

* Felix from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''. Kim [[CompressedVice treats him as a disadvantaged boy]] through the episode, until [[FantasticAesop she learns to accept]] that he kicks ass. It's also played for laughs with Ron, who treats Felix like any other guy. Felix is glad Ron doesn't give a wet slap, but it seriously bugs Kim.