Guest post: Where are the disabled characters in children’s fiction?

Children’s fiction has a huge lack of disabled characters, which means many children find they do not have characters that they can relate to in the books they read. There have recently been advances in the toy industry, with the sale of so-called ‘disability dolls’ but as yet we’re not seeing this coming across into our children’s books – why is this?
It may be the case that for many authors it just doesn’t occur to them to write in a disabled character, but in a world where all the information we could possibly want is at our fingertips, this doesn’t feel like a good enough excuse.
Introducing Roxy the Raccoon
These
thoughts led us – Truth & Tails – to write a children’s book about a
disabled character called Roxy the Raccoon, an independent and intuitive
raccoon who uses a wheelchair.
Truth & Tails is run by three people: Phoebe Kirk (that’s me), Alice Reeves, and Ben Galley. All our books are aimed at ages 5-8 years, and focus on messages of understanding and acceptance; so we felt it was only right to create a story about disability and how the world can be made a more enjoyable, workable place for all.
Making the forest accessible
In creating this book, we asked people in the disabled community about their experiences with accessibility to help us get this book as spot on as we could. We took a great deal of direction from their helpful critique, especially in determining that the focus of the story should be on Roxy educating her friends on the right ways to help not only her, but all of the animals in the forest.
By encouraging her friends to be mindful and to make a few small changes to their environment, Roxy teaches them how to make the forest a more fun and inclusive place for everyone. With a few small changes, everyone living in the forest will be able to access all of the different places, from Brad the Beaver’s dam, to the treetop of the tallest tree.
Over the course of the story, Roxy’s friends learn how to think of others and include everyone in their fun activities, without diminishing Roxy as a personality and putting her into the typecast of a victim. We wanted to challenge damaging and incorrect tropes, showing a disabled character as a capable individual and not weak or helpless in any way.

Teaching
children to accept differences
Books with disabled characters are not just beneficial for disabled children, but for all children to understand how they can be kind, helpful and accepting of others who may be different from them. We believe it is incredibly important to encourage younger generations to grow up with the tools they need to accept and help other people with kindness and dignity, and this is something we try to get across in our books.
Phoebe
Kirk
Truth
& Tails
To find out more about Roxy the Raccoon and other Truth and Tails stories, visit the Truth and Tails website.
What’s your view on disabled characters in children’s books? Can you recommend any books? Let us know in the comments below.
Replies
I think it is so important that disabled people are featured in TV, books and film
Senior online community officer
Happy reading!
I agree that 'able bodied' children will benefit from learning more about everyone in the world around them. As a disabled adult, I find most disabled characters are the baddies.....
"I'm trying to live like a random poem I read that ended 'to bloom where we are planted"