Official Tumblr of We Need Diverse Books

“There are still a lot of common misconceptions about disabled people that affect how we’re represented in media, like the idea that we’re nonsexual and nonromantic by default, which lends itself to fewer stories about LGBTQIA+ disabled characters. “Readers may be surprised to see a wheelchair user revealed as a lesbian; they may not expect to see an autistic character casually talk about their sexual partners,” says Duyvis. It can be similarly unexpected when a disabled character is canonically asexual or aromantic, because that treats it as a valid part of their identity and confronts the audience with the idea that the character’s orientation may be completely separate from their disability.”

““Would I have to be disabled on every page?” I asked a friend who is also a literary agent when she suggested I write a memoir on mothering with a disability. The question, in its muddled state, made us laugh. But what I was trying to ascertain was whether the narrator — the “me” on the page — had to be thinking about cerebral palsy in every scene of her story when, in life, this was far from true.”

“Why do you feel it’s important to write books, specifically books for teens, about people with disabilities?Because romance, adventure, and heroism don’t just belong to the able-bodied.How do you think it might be empowering to a disabled teen to see a character like Kaz Brekker kicking ass while walking with a cane?I don’t know if it is. I hope it is. In fiction, disability is too often used as part of a character’s tragic backstory, the moment they became “broken” or embittered, or the thing that they oh-so-nobly endure. Kaz has plenty of things to get over, but his disability isn’t one of them.”

“When a deaf actor is not cast in a deaf or signing role, an opportunity is taken away from a person who has the life experience of being deaf.Each instance of a hearing actor playing deaf is grist for the Deaf West mill. We find ourselves increasingly motivated to create more opportunities for deaf actors, to create our own homegrown stars and to feed the talent factory with trained actors. We must continue to set an example so that others may learn from it.“

“There is immense power in sharing stories and in relating to others with experiences similar to your own. There is comfort in a book’s power to remove you from the isolation that can often accompany a marginalized identity. Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. Reading stories that accurately portray individuals from underrepresented populations helps boost the voices of the marginalized. And given our country’s current social and political climate, this is of vital importance.“

Like every other child, I asked questions: “Why can’t you drive a car?” “Will I be able to drive?” “How come I have trouble walking up the stairs and my best friend doesn’t?” My mom helped me navigate the early years smoothly, and even when we didn’t have all the answers — audiologists were continually confused about my trouble understanding speech, which we later learned was sensory processing disorder, because I passed every hearing test easily — my mom figured out how to accommodate my needs. We didn’t know at first exactly why I had trouble walking up the stairs, but my mom was happy to hold my arm as I ascended each step two feet at a time so that I wouldn’t fall.

She was my first role model for what a disabled adult looks like. We didn’t use the words accessibility and accommodations, but I learned what they were from firsthand experience. We took public transportation everywhere, and when we occasionally needed to go off the grid, my grandparents and my aunt stepped in as chauffeurs.

The idea that to be beautiful means to be good and to be disfigured means to be evil is not new. It’s a really tired, unoriginal trend in the movie industry, and only perpetuates damaging beliefs about individuals with facial differences.

“I keep expecting more from the plotline than what’s currently here,” one publisher wrote. “What if it was about sisters who were twins, and one had Charcot-Marie-Tooth and one didn’t? That would create a more important conflict.” Another said that Mia Lee’s character didn’t seem suited for a lighthearted story. Finally, my agent told me, “I just don’t think people are ready for this type of story for this type of character.”

What she meant is that Mia Lee, my sassy, YouTube-loving heroine, differed too much from the convention of what a disabled kid is supposed to be like. There are very few stories about kids in wheelchairs, and there are even fewer with a disabled person who is cheerful and happy. Disability is always seen as a misfortune, and disabled characters are simply opportunities to demonstrate the kindness of the able-bodied protagonists.

This is a fantastic interview with one of our members, Corinne Duyvis, who has some incredible things to say about disability in kidlit. Check it out!

-NT

fyeahdeafawakening:

Sandra Mae Frank, who stars as Wendla in Deaf West Spring Awakening on Broadway, wrote a great Op-Ed for the Washington Post. Highlights:

“#DeafTalent, the official hashtag to promote deaf artists and spread awareness about oppression in the theater, has had a big impact on the deaf community, but the story of its creation is an ugly one. The community has stood by and watched in frustration for years as roles for deaf characters have been filled by hearing actors: “Medeas,” “Listen to Your Heart,” “After the Silence” and “The Secret Life of Words,” to name a few.

In my career, I have started attending auditions for characters who are not written to be deaf. Does it change the story to cast a deaf person in a hearing role? Not necessarily. Look at the many updates to the plays of Shakespeare, which are constantly being staged in different eras with different gender actors and different settings. Which of his plays would work as a deaf production? Any of them. It’s about the director’s vision. That’s the beauty of interpretation.

Plenty of casting directors don’t have open minds or the imagination to make it work, but that’s where it becomes my job, as a deaf actor, to educate them. The hearing community can do its part too. One of the hearing cast members in “Spring Awakening” was offered an audition for a hard of hearing role recently. He politely turned it down, and explained that he works with amazing deaf actors who should be considered. That took tons of willpower. But we need more.

There are many deaf actors just like me, working hard to be seen. It fills my heart to see how we are finally being recognized. We are here to stay, and people should get ready to see us at auditions everywhere. We will show how we can bring the beauty of deaf culture to a character, but more importantly, how we can bring our abilities as actors. We are actors; we just happen to be deaf.”