or - “Writing Characters with Mobility Impairments”
There’s a lot to be considered when writing a character with any kind of disability. One of the challenging things for a writer is writing a character of impaired mobility - i.e., a character who uses a wheelchair, a walker, canes or crutches in their daily life to get around.
Whether this character is the POV character, a side character or even just a character who appears briefly in the narrative, it’s easy to be insensitive. And that’s not the fault of most writers. It’s just the fact that most people haven’t lived with a disability like this - heck, many people haven’t been around people (especially younger people) with impaired mobility for a lengthy amount of time.
Even for those that have, it might be difficult to figure out how to properly write these characters too, especially when so much of narration is centered on characters w/o these disabilities.
Disclaimer: For the record, I don’t have a disability related to mobility. But I HAVE had many good friends who’ve used wheelchairs and/or crutches in their daily lives (and for a short time dated a man who used a wheelchair). I’m not saying that makes me an expert, but I hope it gives me some insight and sensitivity.
How do they Move?
One of the first things that a writer may wonder about when writing a character with a mobility impairment is how to go about the “problem” of writing movement. I’ll urge you to remember two things.
- Don’t overthink it.
- But do think about it.
What I mean by that is this. If you spend all of your time focusing on details like this and you put that into your writing, it’s going to be very obvious to the reader that you’ve done so - and that’s a problem. For example -
Caleb wheeled his way to the front counter and stared up at the barista, clumsily digging for his wallet. “Uh, just a white chocolate mocha, please,” he said as he pulled out his credit card.
“That’ll be three fifty,” she said with a short smile. Caleb reached over to the card machine. Then he hurried to wheel himself back out of line, careful to avoid…etc.
Okay, so. That’s all well and good if the actual subject is about the difficulty people with mobility issues face on a day to day basis I guess. But you don’t want to FILL your story with writing like that. If he’s grabbing a coffee on his lunch break and thinking about the cute girl who smiled at him, how about instead -
”Next!” Caleb snapped out of his thoughts - the image of the girl from earlier still fresh in his mind - and moved to the front counter, looking up at the barista.
“Hey - uh - just a white chocolate mocha, please,” he said as he dug for his wallet. The barista smiled at him as she tapped his order into the register. And sure, she was cute. But it only made him think of Minami again and he felt his cheeks heating up as he pulled out his credit card and clumsily reached for the card machine.
Just remember that you SHOULD think about it and showcase it when it IS important. There will be times when your character may struggle. Just don’t make every moment a struggle. Disability doesn’t have to be nor should it be a tragedy in fiction.
How Do You Write Interactions?
Right. So with that out of the way, how do you write good interactions between characters with mobility impairments and your other characters? Well, a lot of that depends on the “character” of your character, of course. But there are some things that you should keep in mind.
For example, it’s polite for a person interacting with a person in a wheelchair to not bend down like the person in a wheelchair is a child. Because - you know - they’re not a child.
Another thing to remember is that for a person who uses a wheelchair, crutches, prosthetic, etc., that object is a part of their personal space and it is VERY rude to touch/lean on/otherwise interact with the item without their permission. If a character uses a wheelchair, don’t have another character hop into their wheelchair for a joyride UNLESS they are very close and/or have the wheelchair user’s permission.
Above all, it’s a good idea for you to just do research on the type of mobility impairment your character has and the type of etiquette that’s appropriate given the circumstances! Remember that things might be different given different mobility aids, prosthetics, etc.
On Romance
I feel it necessary to make this final point. When writing characters with mobility issues, especially those in wheelchairs, it’s NOBODY’S BUSINESS whether or not they can “do the deed” and I highly suggest you avoid putting these conversations in your story altogether. ESPECIALLY IF THE DISABLED CHARACTER ISN’T INVOLVED IN THE CONVERSATION.
Why have I seen this so often? It’s baffling! And it’s nobody’s business but those involved in the relationship.
