cedrwydden:concerningwolves:If y'all want me to stop talking about disabled rights then you can tear
cedrwydden:concerningwolves:If y'all want me to stop talking about disabled rights then you can tear my desire to be treated with basic decency from my cold, dead hands. So have a meme that illustrates my feelings because as genuine as the arguments for disabilities in fiction are, I think that the point has gotten lost amongst all the focus on creating circumstances (mainly in fantasy) that “allow” disabled people to exist.And also, something being medieval fantasy absolutely doesn’t exempt you from writing disabled characters. I wrote a paper on disability in medieval England, so I have a lot to say about this. Disabled people absolutely could and did survive - and even thrive - in the Middle Ages. Sometimes the way they were treated was appalling (but let me tell you as a disabled person myself…nothing’s really changed in that respect) and sometimes they were cared for well. Rudimentary prosthetic limbs existed, as did eyeglasses from the late 13th century onwards. In illuminated manuscripts you can see depictions of amputees and people using crutches. King Richard III had severe scoliosis. It’s very likely that Henry VI was developmentally disabled. I know that if you’re trying to write medieval fantasy instead of historical fiction, you’re at liberty to bend the facts, but given that power, why erase disabled people? Humanity has never been and should never be without us. Instead use your creative powers for good, like putting in cool lady knights, diverse and well-developed settings, and fresh new takes on the dragon. -- source link