Representation

Disability Studies: It is an academic field that examines disability as a social and cultural construct, analyzing its representation and portrayal in various media.

Literature and Disability: It is a subfield of Disability Studies that focuses on the representation of disabled characters in literature and how their disabilities are used as a thematic element.

Representation: It refers to the portrayal of disabled characters in literature and the media, examining how they are depicted and the impact of these representations.

Stereotypes: It refers to the oversimplified, often inaccurate beliefs about disabled people, such as the idea that they are always heroic or always dependent.

Authentic Representation: It is an accurate portrayal of disabled characters in literature that avoids harmful stereotypes and misrepresentations.

Misrepresentation: It is a portrayal of disabled characters in literature that perpetuates harmful stereotypes or inaccuracies that are detrimental to the disabled community.

Intersectionality: It refers to the way in which disability intersects with other aspects of identity, such as race, gender, and sexuality, affecting the representation and experiences of disabled people.

Inspiration Porn: It refers to the use of disabled people as objects of inspiration rather than complex individuals with their own agency and desires.

Empowerment: It is the idea of empowering disabled characters in literature by giving them agency and encouraging them to challenge societal norms.

Universal Design: It refers to the design of spaces, products, and services that are accessible and usable by all, regardless of disability status.

Ableism: It is a form of discrimination that privileges able-bodied people over disabled people, in which the systems, policies, and practices assume that being nondisabled is the norm.

Healing Narratives: It is a narrative in which the disability is cured or removed, creating a narrative that reinforces the idea that being disabled is undesirable.

Disability Justice: It is a framework for disability activism that seeks to address systemic inequalities, including those related to race, gender, and class.

Disability Culture: It refers to the shared experience and cultural identity of disabled people, including language and traditions.

Disability Rights: It involves the advocacy and activism efforts to achieve equal opportunities, accessibility and independence for disabled people.

Medical model representation: This model views disability as a personal defect or medical issue that requires fixing or curing. Individuals with disabilities are often portrayed as helpless, tragic, or pitiable.

Social model representation: This model recognizes that disabilities are caused by social and cultural barriers, rather than individual or medical factors. Individuals with disabilities are portrayed as having agency, strength, and resilience.

Supercrip representation: This stereotype portrays individuals with disabilities as heroic, extraordinary, or exceptional. This representation is often used to deny the barriers and discrimination that disabled individuals face.

Disability culture representation: This representation emphasizes the ways in which individuals with disabilities create their own culture and community. The focus is on the resilience, creativity, and ingenuity of the disabled community.

Disability identity representation: This representation emphasizes the ways in which individuals with disabilities self-identify and form identity. It recognizes the diversity within the disabled community and emphasizes the agency of disabled individuals to define themselves.