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When we talk about disability and sci-fi/fantasy, the first thing many will think of is the magical disability trope. But what does this trope entail and imply? And how can you subvert it?

In science-fiction and fantasy, you invariably run into fictional disabilities and allegories. Do these “count” as disability? What makes them work successfully in a book?

Romanticization is a common element of mental illness narratives, including many in the YA category; what kind of message does that send?

Many characters who may be mentally ill reject treatment out of hand, considering therapy a waste of time and suspecting medication will turn them into a zombie. Why are these narratives so popular? What are the alternatives?

Writing about characters with mental illness can be challenging in various ways. How do you accurately convey a character’s state of mind, without compromising on clarity or excitement? How do you show a character’s skewed perceptions of the world?

Although the book was fun and interesting in places, the disability aspect was very much a freak-show presentation of disability and the disabled experience.

Diversity in children’s literature is often represented as an either/or, without intersectionality; characters can either be autistic or gay, for example, or a wheelchair user or Black, but rarely both. Why is that?

Clichés, ableist language … what kinds of words, phrases, or situations used in book or character descriptions send up warning flags for our contributors?

If our contributors could tell an author writing a character with their disability one thing – besides “do your research” – what would it be?

Is any representation better than no representation? That argument frequently comes up in response to criticism, but is it valid?

The description for this book uses the phrase “brilliant but autistic” to describe its main character, and that’s where our conflicted feelings about Viral Nation start.

A brief list of recommendations our contributors put together.

Which are our contributors’ least favorite disability tropes?

In terms of disabled characters, what would our contributors like to see more of in children’s literature?

What kind of tips do our contributors have for authors seeking to respectfully write disabled characters?

How do our contributors define the dreaded concept of “inspiration porn,” and how do they feel about it?