A Call to Diversify Fiction
Growing up, I can’t say that I saw myself represented on the pages of the books I read. Only once did I encounter a book that had a main character with cerebral palsy, and I only found that book in my mid-teens.
But honestly, I didn’t see it as much of a problem.
After all, how could someone save the world with a muscle weakness? I didn’t stop to think about how toxic that particular train of thought was, I just continued to happily gobble up stories of heroes and heroines that all portrayed the message that you have to be able-bodied, fit, brave, impossibly clever, and maybe a bit lucky to win at the end of the day.
Looking back on the stories that most resonated with me as an elementary school student, I have often wondered how different I might view myself if there was more diverse representation in literature. How would I have made decisions if I knew my favorite book character was in a wheelchair or relied on a cane? Would I have been more confident? More self-assured? More at home in my own skin?
If anything, I think I would have felt more capable of greatness, more capable to leave a lasting impact.
The one book I read that had a main character with cerebral palsy was Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper. It also stands as one of the few books that has ever made me cry. It changed how I saw the world when I first read it. It made me bask in the brilliance of humanity and what we’re individually capable of. That’s quite the statement, I know. But, truly, I don’t think another book has ever quite resonated with me at such a level.
There’s something powerful about reading and seeing yourself reflected on the pages. It’s a powerful tool for self-esteem, certainly better than knowing that the fictional worlds you hold dear would likely be inaccessible and unwelcoming to your particular disability.
There needs to be more representation in literature for people with disabilities. I will not stop writing that sentence until I see a best-seller with a main character who is paralyzed. Or another with the main character that happens to be deaf. Or another where the main character had polio or is diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
Even more importantly, there needs to be wider representation in children’s literature. Little boys and girls deserve to grow up knowing they could save the world, or at the very least carry out a dangerous heist or solve a mystery regardless of their physical or mental impairments.
We’re all told we can change the world growing up. It’s a favorite phrase uttered by parents, teachers, and mentors alike. But a big part of internalizing that statement and acting on it comes from what we see or read around us. Representation is the bridge between thinking that changing the world is impossible and realizing that anything is possible when we act on our strengths.
If one book could resonate with me so profoundly, imagine how dozens of books that portrayed main characters with disabilities could change the world.
Written by Ryan Trombly
Ryan Trombly was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy when she was eighteen months old. The disability causes right-side hemiparesis that affects the entire right side of her body, weakening her muscles and limiting her mobility in everyday activities. Despite this, Ryan has strived to live an independent life without any barriers and hopes to use her voice to advocate for the disability community.
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