Is the media doing enough to accurately represent the disabled experience?

This disability pride month, Wishbone Words wants to talk about the importance of disability representation in mainstream media. Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go until we can say there are equal and accurate depictions of disabled experiences in media. The need for disabled voices has not been fully recognised, which is why literary magazines such as Wishbone Words exist, to help disabled and sick people reclaim the narrative and have authority over their own experiences.

Why is disability representation important?

In the field of disability studies, there are many scholars who believe that literature and popular media don’t portray the reality of disabled experiences. This in turn often has a negative impact on those living with a disability.

A popular example of this is the 2016 movie Me Before You, which was adapted from a novel. The film depicts the main protagonist, Will, being unable to see his life as worth living since becoming a quadriplegic. In both the book and film, Will dies of assisted suicide. A similar example is the novel Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult. Willow, the main character, has Osteogenesis Imperfecta — a rare bone condition resulting in fractures. The story ends with Willow falling through a frozen pond in the backyard to her death. The ‘irony’ or ‘symbolism’ seems to be that in that instance, it wasn’t her that broke.

These are distressing representations for disabled audiences, implying that we have less worth, less right to survive due to our disabilities. In these instances disabilities are used as a narrative tool to shock and upset readers. Perhaps it’s because the authors feel that the typical disabled experience may translate as a ‘boring’ perspective to non-disabled readers, that the additional dramatization is necessary. An editor once rejected Hollie’s middle-grade manuscript proposal because it was just simply about the disabled experience. She was told that the story needed some grit, like a murder, to make it worthy of publication.

This is a problem. As a community, we want to see people truly living and experiencing every dimension of what it means to be a disabled person in a predominantly able-bodied society. That includes the parts that may seem ‘mundane’ to some. Not for the purpose of inspiration porn — but because audiences, disabled or not, need to see the hardships and challenges, as that is all part of the human experience.

Progress towards better disability representation

In comparison to Me Before You, a movie called The Upside (2019) was slightly more successful in its portrayal of the disabled experience with its depiction of the life of quadriplegic Philip Lacasse. It wasn’t without controversy, however: Bryan Cranston took on the role of Philip despite being an able-bodied actor. In response to feedback, Crane replied, “as actors, we’re asked to be other people, to play other people”. While we advocate the importance of hiring disabled actors (and there is no reason why a disabled actor shouldn’t have been hired into this role), we can also see the benefit in non-disabled actors stepping into the shoes of someone who does have a disability.

Regarding The Upside as a whole, there’s humor and a more accurate portrayal of the frustrations, and the toll disability can sometimes have on our closest relationships. Despite filmmakers making more of an effort to offer satisfactory and substantial representation, their efforts are often tokenistic and seem there more to check boxes than to give power to the disabled community. Recent examples include Wheelchair Barbie from Barbie (2023) and Dahlia from Disney’s Wish (2023) using a walking stick. While these are promising characters, they still don’t come close to what the disabled community deserves.

The dangers of stereotypes

Media throughout history has strongly implied that there is a connection between villains and disability. These characters often use their differences as their motive for their evil deeds. A common example is the stereotype of pirates (who are often antagonists) having missing hands, legs and eyes in movies such as Peter Pan (1953) and The Pirates of the Caribbean (2003). These tropes still exist decades after they were created, and they often promote ableism, especially in movies targeted towards the influential younger generation.

Disability representation for all ages

It is important to have disability representation in fiction across various ages, because disability can affect people of any age and there are different experiences associated with disability in each stage of life. The World Health Organisation’s 2017 statistics reinforce how despite 15% of the global population having a disability, only 3.4% of children’s books actually had disabled main characters.

When Hollie worked in a library, she noted that it was sad to see the lack of inclusivity within the children’s section. However, that doesn’t mean that representation in children’s literature is not improving. Recently, we have come across publications offering education and further understanding on disability. Examples include a picture book titled What Happened to You by James Catchpole and the middle-grade novels Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd and Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

Reading about different life experiences has made us feel less alone, but sadly it’s only been in the last five years that there has been a meaningful number of books published by and about disabled people. For Hollie, it meant the world to her at eighteen to finally have relatable books to read,but there were also times growing up when she needed that kind of comfort. When she was experiencing ableist abuse at school, a book like Elle McNicoll’s A Kind of Spark would have made her realise it was not, in fact, her fault that the adults who were supposed to care for her instead neglected her needs.

Disability representation in genre fiction

It is so important for different genres to tackle disability representation because there are so many layers to what it is to be disabled. Fantasy novels tend to focus on powers, strength and adventure. These stories offer respite and escapism from reality but often lack disabled characters. Seeing more representation in this genre has made us feel like we are deserving of adventures too. They show that disabled people can be resourceful and an asset to society.

Another genre that has gained more representation is romance. For Amy, discovering romance books with disabled characters helped her massively, since so often disabled people are seen as less desirable, a second thought, or not as worthy of a loving relationship. This is how Amy also felt – until her own love interest came along. She still reads romance novels but through a different lens; they offered her hope and showed her that the right person wouldn’t make her feel like a burden. We hope this is the same for other people.


Wishbone Words and the community we’ve built will continue to advocate for lesser told stories, and boost the voices of those who are so often silenced. We aim to be a starting point for disabled creatives to grow from, and we hope to see all our contributors succeed in their ventures. Throughout the last three years, we’ve been able to reclaim a corner of the internet and make ourselves seen but we still have a long way to go. Your support through reading and submitting is making more of a difference than you know.

Novels with disability representation:

Middle Grade

  • Wilder than Midnight by Cerrie Burnell
  • The Secret of Haven Point, the Stickleback Catchers and Lights Up by Lisette Auton
  • A Kind of Spark, Show Us Who You Are and the Like a Charm duology  by Elle McNicoll
  • The Little Bird duology by Karen McCombie
  • Casander Darkbloom and the Threads of Power by P.A Staff
  • The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet by Jake Maia Arlow
  • Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star by Laura Noakes
  • The Miraculous Sweetmakers and the Frost Fair by Natasha Hastings

Young Adult

  • Sick Kids in Love – Hannah Moskowitz
  • Some Like it Cold by Elle McNicoll (this isn’t actually out till October but I read a proof and it is WONDERFUL — big Gilmore Girls energy)
  • The First Move and The Boy Next Door by Jenny Ireland
  • Hits Different by Tasha Ghouri and Lizzie Huxley-Jones

Adult

  • Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros
  • Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
  • Cornish Clouds and Silver Lining Skies by Ali McNamara
  • The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth
  • Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones (sorry for mentioning Xhristmas in July, I promise it’s a great book though!!)

Non-Fiction written by disabled authors:

  • Samantha Renke – You Are The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
  • Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig

What are some of your favorite books and movies by disabled authors or featuring disabled characters?


Hollie (she/her)

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Wishbone Words

Hollie Bardgett is a 27 year old living in the Lake District, UK. She graduated in 2021 with a Creative Writing degree and decided to found Wishbone Words. Her life is dedicated to bringing more inclusivity to creativity and raising awareness for rare conditions and invisible disabilities.

Amy (she/her)

Book Reviewer

Amy is a 20-something blogger from not so sunny but still quite nice Scotland. She has a progressive genetic condition that produces tumours on her nerve endings, causing a wide range of unpleasant physical symptoms. She’s obsessed with books, animals in general but especially dogs, music, Disney, and rewatching all her comfort shows on a never ending loop.

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2 responses to “Is the media doing enough to accurately represent the disabled experience?”

  1. Wendy Avatar

    Great post! I would also add the novels by Jean Meltzer to your list of adult fiction. Jean writes joyful romances, each with a main character who is a Jewish woman living with chronic illness(es).

  2. Fiona Hutchings Avatar

    Really interesting and thoughtful post plus yet more books for my always far too big tbr pile.

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