You probably didn't realize that it's Disability Pride Month. It doesn't have the recognition of LGBT Pride Month and most folks never hear of it.
But this Disability Pride Month, put some thought into what disabilities might exist or look like in your world writing/game dev/etc.
'Disability doesn't exist' is not an acceptable answer.
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There's a common thing in SFF to give a character a 'boosted immune system' of some variety to explain why they can't get sick/have some variety of 'super health'.
Which is fun and awesome and a great way to explain immunity to disease and etc.
But boosted immune system is not a panacea. In fact, it can be a major problem.
Autoimmune diseases and allergies are both medical problems caused by the immune system going haywire on something that isn't a threat.
Characters getting prosthetics are not a 'fix' for disability. Someone with a prosthetic, no matter how fancy or advanced, is still disabled.
Folks with prosthetics today struggle with 'fit', with prosthetics causing skin problems, with loosing access to expensive implants because the company that made them is going out of business and they only had a 'subscription' to the software that made the implant work.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Your super sci-fi prosthetic may give advantages, but it still has disadvantages, it can still be lost, damaged, compromised...
@JessMahler thank you Jess! This is such a good thread!
Other considerations for disabled characters & empathy IRL:
1. As a non-amputee prosthetic user, I experience atrophy. It’s a choice I make to have less pain and increased ability overall, but it’s a trade off!
2. My device use is also a gamble on my long term treatment options in favor of giving myself more ability now (less likely to be approved for surgeries later in life).
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Jess Mahler
Deer Witch