Referencing Disability in Literature

I've been blogging about literary writing.  One aspect of literary writing is tackling important and current issues.  One thing that sets literary works apart from their less literary counterparts is their ability to take a close and meaningful look at themes that are important to contemporary audiences, in particular, and to humanity, in general. 

Modern readers can open a window to various time periods by reading the literature of that time.  If one wants to know what issues concerned Shakespeare and his contemporaries, one need only to read his works.  He dealt with corruption, revenge, loyalty, royalty, ambition, love, madness, idealism, deceit, war, and so many more themes.  Many a reader has explored such themes to understand his world as well as human nature, in general.  Mark Twain explores themes of slavery vs. freedom, nature, and conscience.  If one wants to explore civil rights issues that concerned Harper Lee and others as she entered the sixties, one need only read works like To Kill a Mockingbird.  Orwell, in writings like 1984, Animal Farm, and others, helps readers explore contemporary fears of totalitarianism, technology, psychological manipulation, and other, similar themes.  These works continue in their meaning because they explore concerns with continued relevance. 

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In order to write in a literary fashion, a writer needs to explore meaningful themes within one's writing.  One modern theme to which some writers have turned is disability.  There was a time those with disabilities were mocked, derided, and destroyed within reality and in literature.  The mad woman in Rochester's attic within Jane Eyre was locked away then self-destructed.  A contemporary writer recreated her story in Wide Sargasso Sea, showing the same story through her eyes in a way that is eye-opening and much more subtle and complex.  Modern writers increasingly tackle disability as a reality for minor, major, and even main characters.  Disability is a major theme in law, in pop culture, and throughout society as more and more people step forward to share the challenges and joys faced by those with various disabilities in factual and fictional sources.  For instance, The Fault in our Stars tells the realistic love story of two youths dying of cancer. The novel was turned into a movie and gained a wider audience.  The Percy Jackson series is modern fantasy and shows youths dealing with ADHD and dyslexia.  Temple Grandin writes multiple factual books on her experience to help others understand.  Disability has becoming an increasingly common theme throughout modern literature and culture, in general. 

One caution is that anyone writing about a disability should do adequate research to do the disability justice.  Temple Grandin, herself, points out she originally assumed all people dealing with a similar kind of autism would experience things as she did, but she discovered hers was only one perspective on that disability.  Writers dealing in a shallow or unresearched way with disabilities will throw those who understand the disability out of the narrative.  It will be clear to experts in the field that they didn't do their homework. 

As with many other important themes, disability should be handled with respect and understanding.  When done right, it can increase value and meaning of your work for modern readers and beyond.