#hayyouwiththespandexon

[tardigradetheking]

hayyouwiththespandexon is a racist 

[disabledfantasy]

Hello! I am having a hard time explaining to able bodied people that it is not okay to cosplay people with disabilities. Could you link me to something that will help me better explain that this is not okay?

I don’t have any links I’m afraid, but I’m happy to talk about it as a disabled woman and a cosplayer myself.

It’s not quite as straight forward as ‘abled people cannot cosplay disabled people’, there isn't inherently a problem with abled people cosplaying disabled characters, the problem is when the disability becomes part of the costume.

I also think this is a bigger issue in regards to physical disabilities (I am both physically and mentally disabled and I’m not trying to say that either group as privilege over the other, some issues affect one more, this is one of them), seeing able-bodied people using assistive tech as a ~prop~ really upsets me as a wheelchair user. My wheelchair is not an accessory, it is not part of a costume, it is an intrinsic part of my life, it’s something I cannot get by without and it is something that I face a lot of shit for.

When an able-bodied person uses a wheelchair like that it shows a complete lack of respect for disabled people and their experiences, disability is not something we can turn on and off when we feel like it, we don’t only get to use assistive tech when we’re trying to look good at a con, it’s really insensitive for able-bodied people to do that.

Also, if you’re hiring out the wheelchair, or you bought it from a charity store (which has happened) you've basically stolen that from a disabled person who needed it. I’ve been at a con where I went to hire a wheelchair out and they’d run out so I could barely do anything all day.

Cosplay should be fun for everyone, and I’m not trying to stop abled people cosplaying who they want, it’s just important to be aware of who you’re affecting when you ‘put on’ disability.