We need more disability representation in books—why am I writing this again?
I can’t believe that it’s 2020 and I’m still talking about this. I’ve been advocating for more disability representation in books, especially YA for as long as I can remember now. And I feel like I’m never heard. I feel that sometimes it gets lost when people talk about diversity – and that should never be the case. It’s like someone talks about disability in books, there is a little commotion – and then nothing. Nothing at all. And that is sad. It’s sad because we shouldn’t have to dig deep in the abyss for disability, it should be present all the time.
The mental health side of disability has a pretty decent representation in books, especially in YA – but even then it’s still not very present. But physical, chronic and genetic disabilities are very rarely seen.
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But what we need more than anything is the intersectionality of disability with other minorities. We need Black disability rep, POC disability rep, LGBTQIA+ disability; there just needs to be more. We need it in every shape and form – and it’s rarely seen in any form at the moment. And my question is why? Why don’t we see any disability rep, especially in young adult literature? There is always talks about needing it, but there is never a real push for in. Especially intersectionality disability.
Ely and I were talking recently, and we noticed something. Something that has become very, very clear to me. Books with a disability have significantly lower ratings than those without a disability. It’s a hard pill to swallow and try to understand. It’s not even the ratings that I have an issue with, but the reviews in themselves. Sometimes reviews don’t even mention the disability that a character might have. And that is what is frustrating. It’s just brushed over like it’s nothing. While I do want the review to be more about the book, and what the reader liked and didn’t like. It disregards the disability completely is frustrating. But what is worse is treating it like a spoiler.
I just want the notion of talking about disability in book reviews to become natural. I don’t want it hidden right at the end of a review or not even mentioned at all.
Something else that I have noticed in regards to reviews of books with disabilities is that they are more harshly judged. The thing with disabilities is that everyone experiences things differently. So when I read reviews of books that say something is wrong – it isn’t always the way. I think people do forget that everyone is not the same. And the same condition can be different for each person. Especially in regards to mental health.
We also need more of a range of disabilities. I’m not just talking about mental health and physical disabilities here. But what the disabilities are. I want to see different sorts of physical disabilities, visible and invisible. I live with multiple disabilities – both invisible and somewhat visible. But if you see me on the street, you won’t pick it up. We need to make reading about invisible disabilities just as comma as everything else.
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Own voices is something that I also want to talk about. I mean it’s great to have disabilities in books. It’s what we want. But we also want to have own voices authors writing these books. Not only do they add something personal to the book. The experiences are more real; they are more natural. Things aren’t forced. Yes, authors can research all they want. But the thing is, they won’t always get all those emotions right. They won’t know those small details that someone living with a medical condition will.
In a time where we are constantly talking about diversity and inclusion. I feel more and more the divide in regards to disability representation. I just want to read a book, and it be there. Not something that I have to dig for. I just wish that it could become part of the norm. So please pick up books that include disabilities. Read it and share it.
In reality, I know this is a long road. And I know that we have a lot ahead of us. But it’s something that I have pushed for a long time, and I won’t stop.
So please, read, promote and share books that include disabilities. Encourage publishers to pick these books up. To believe in them. Because people want to read them, people want to love them. And people need them.
