D&D 5E D&D Inclusivity for People with Disabilities

[MGibster]

In another thread, one of our illustrious posters asked about making D&D more inclusive for differently abled people. i.e. Can someone play a character in D&D like them? Well Sara Thompson released the Combat Wheelchair for 5th edition D&D that some people might like. You can read about it at Bell of Lost Souls. It works for me. I'm going to have one of the villains in my Acquisitions, Inc. campaign using one of these bad boys.

 

[Remathilis]

Oh, get in on this one before the eventual meltdown.

I like the 2nd attempt at this, her 1.0 was almost a little wonky, but it's been mostly ironed out. If someone wanted to use it, I'd allow it. I've had PCs use the prosthetic limb and erzat eye magic items, so no problem.

 

[Northern Phoenix]

I actually think the wheelchair there is pretty cute, since i feel very strongly about the fact that a "disabled" character who has supernatural/supertech that effectively completely negate their disability does not in fact count as "disabled" representation.

 

[Umbran]

I know it is hard to keep up with the language, but for the future, "differently abled" is usually considered to be a bit condescending. In this context, "people with disabilities" (which puts the focus on the fact that they are people) would usually be preferred.

I cannot speak for anyone else. My brother used a wheelchair his entire life. We had many times we'd talk about things like this. He would have found this, okay, but... lacking.

His best example of his position was the Marvel superhero Daredevil, and considering him to be representation of people who are blind. They manage to do that by giving the blind man the superpower, "Can see better than everyone." That's... not really blind, now is it?

This allows for representation by eliding over all the difficulties. Real wheelchairs are not lightweight, easily maneuverable, not really in the way, allowing you to go over any surface and up and down stairs with ease. While these days you can get a bargain basement chair for reasonable cost, sports wheelchairs are in the thousands of dollars, often a stretch in the budget for a family that is also paying whatever extra medical costs the user has (which are usually substantial).

My brother was not looking for people to think he could easily do anything they could. Because he couldn't. He wanted people to understand that, be a bit more thoughtful in their choices, and treat him like he was a whole human being regardless.

 

[Krachek]

Magical prosthetic are pretty cool and appreciate in some play style, but usually people willingly discard their own limb to acquire those, does it count toward inclusivity?

 

[Oofta]

I was thinking about how to respond to this because I don't want to be dismissive. But ... being disabled should not be a power-up. My father lost his right arm below the elbow (relatively minor in the grand scheme of things) before I was born.

But even for him there were things he just couldn't do. It didn't make him any less of a person, even though friends were occasionally surprised when they met him. I never gave it a second thought, he was just always "Dad".

I'm not sure how I would handle it, but a person would need a really good reason to play a disabled person in my campaign. It would not be an excuse to be to get a magic wheel chair or become the bionic man.

 

[Wishbone]

I know it is hard to keep up with the language, but for the future, "differently abled" is usually considered to be a bit condescending. In this context, "people with disabilities" (which puts the focus on the fact that they are people) would usually be preferred.

I cannot speak for anyone else. My brother used a wheelchair his entire life. We had many times we'd talk about things like this. He would have found this, okay, but... lacking.

His best example of his position was the Marvel superhero Daredevil, and considering him to be representation of people who are blind. They manage to do that by giving the blind man the superpower, "Can see better than everyone." That's... not really blind, now is it?

This allows for representation by eliding over all the difficulties. Real wheelchairs are not lightweight, easily maneuverable, not really in the way, allowing you to go over any surface and up and down stairs with ease. While these days you can get a bargain basement chair for reasonable cost, sports wheelchairs are in the thousands of dollars, often a stretch in the budget for a family that is also paying whatever extra medical costs the user has (which are usually substantial).

My brother was not looking for people to think he could easily do anything they could. Because he couldn't. He wanted people to understand that, be a bit more thoughtful in their choices, and treat him like he was a whole human being regardless.

I was thinking about how to respond to this because I don't want to be dismissive. But ... being disabled should not be a power-up. My father lost his right arm below the elbow (relatively minor in the grand scheme of things) before I was born.

But even for him there were things he just couldn't do. It didn't make him any less of a person, even though friends were occasionally surprised when they met him. I never gave it a second thought, he was just always "Dad".

I'm not sure how I would handle it, but a person would need a really good reason to play a disabled person in my campaign. It would not be an excuse to be to get a magic wheel chair or become the bionic man.

You both raise really good points. I'll definitely work at being more mindful of these things going forward.

 

[MGibster]

I know it is hard to keep up with the language, but for the future, "differently abled" is usually considered to be a bit condescending. In this context, "people with disabilities" (which puts the focus on the fact that they are people) would usually be preferred.

I appreciate you taking the time to point that out. If it's within your power, I don't mind if you change the title to "Inclusivity for People with Disabilities."

This allows for representation by eliding over all the difficulties. Real wheelchairs are not lightweight, easily maneuverable, not really in the way, allowing you to go over any surface and up and down stairs with ease. While these days you can get a bargain basement chair for reasonable cost, sports wheelchairs are in the thousands of dollars, often a stretch in the budget for a family that is also paying whatever extra medical costs the user has (which are usually substantial).

That's a valid point. But in a game of over-the-top action like D&D, how do you represent a player character with a disability that makes day-to-day life more difficult with any degree of realism while simultaneously ensuring that they're just as effective as any other character who does not possess a disability?

My brother was not looking for people to think he could easily do anything they could. Because he couldn't. He wanted people to understand that, be a bit more thoughtful in their choices, and treat him like he was a whole human being regardless.

I don't know if D&D would be the best way to accomplish that goal. In the words of The Wheelchair hero quoted in the article, "I CAN PLAY A DND CHARACTER WHO IS LIKE ME NOW!!!" I think that's what it's all about really. Whether it actually accomplishes that goal is another thing I guess.

 

[jayoungr]

It all comes down to what sort of fantasy you want, doesn't it?

A fantasy where a thing that's considered to be a disability IRL is actually a superpower could be fun/empowering to play for some people.

A fantasy where your character has the same traits as the player (whatever those are) and kicks a lot of butt could also be fun/empowering for some people.

A fantasy where your character doesn't have the same traits as the player (whatever those are) and kicks a lot of butt could also be fun/empowering for some people.

I don't think there's a right or wrong way to go about it. (I'm a tiny bit disturbed that the article implies there is. But meh, whatever.)

 

[the Jester]

That's a valid point. But in a game of over-the-top action like D&D, how do you represent a player character with a disability that makes day-to-day life more difficult with any degree of realism while simultaneously ensuring that they're just as effective as any other character who does not possess a disability?

I feel like that rather misses the point of the disability, personally.

I'm not sure what the answer is here, to be honest. If you want to play a disabled character in my game, expect that disability to have consequences. In fact, in using "colorful critical hits" that sometimes remove body parts and the like, pcs don't usually start off with disabilities, but often end up with them, at least until there's a pc capable of casting regenerate.

EDIT: Or whatever spell is required to remove the resulting effects, e.g. lesser restoration for deafness, etc.