Basic Trope: A disabled character is assumed incapable of doing anything on their own.
- Straight: Bob is blind. Alice insists on helping him with everyday tasks, talking loudly and slowly to him as if he were also deaf and intellectually impaired.
- Exaggerated: Bob has partial sight loss in one eye. Alice acts as if he can't even get out of bed on his own.
- Downplayed: Alice sometimes catches herself trying to help Bob along the street without asking, but for the most part treats him as she would anyone else.
- Justified: Alice has never met a blind person before and only has stereotypes to go on.
- Inverted: Alice assumes Bob must have Super-Senses and be hypercompetent because of his blindness.
- Subverted: Alice is shown doing basic chores for Bob, but it turns out it was just because he was sick that day. She knows he's capable of doing them most of the time.
- Double Subverted: But she thinks his blindness somehow makes him prone to sickness.
- Parodied: Bob temporarily gets a dislocated finger. Alice acts as if he couldn't do the simplest, basic functions on his own, not even breathing.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Lampshaded: "People assume that just because my eyes don't work, my brain doesn't either."
- Averted: Nobody thinks Bob is any less competent than he is.
- Defied: Alice refuses to give disabled people special treatment, other than reasonable accommodations, and only helps with tasks if asked.
- Enforced: The author wants to teach An Aesop about casual ableism and how damaging it is.
- Invoked: ???
- Exploited:
- Bob uses this stereotype to manipulate others into doing everything for him.
- Bob is a Handicapped Badass who takes advantage of his enemies' tendency to underestimate him.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Played for Laughs: When Bob tells Alice he's blind, she immediately switches to speaking in sign language. Cue awkwardness as she realises her mistake."Note to self, he can't see signs." (Remembers he can hear her and gets flustered) "Did I Just Say That Out Loud?"
- Played for Drama: Bob can't get a job because potential employers fail to recognise his skills, even though he has a university degree.
You poor little invalid, you must need assistance back to Disabled Means Helpless.
