Disabled-coded

Synonyms:
See also:	Coded, Neurodivergent-coded, Disability and Fandom, Disability in Fanworks, Ableism in Fandom Queer-coding, Race-coding, Gender-coding
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Disabled-coded is a concept of character coding used in the analysis of media portrayals. It shares similarities with other forms of coding such as queer-coding. The overall term Disabled-coded may be used or people may use more specific terms. There is considerable overlap with neurodivergent-coding and some fans will use both terms where this overlap occurs. The concept is based on the interpretation that a character is coded as Disabled through subtext, notable traits or other indications, but that their disability is never canonically confirmed. The analysis itself is not new, but the specific terms have seen growing use in fandom throughout the 2000s.

Coding might be used in a historic setting or fantasy setting where disabilities as we know them now do not exist, but the author wants to make it clear that this character is Disabled and so uses intentional coding. However, as will all forms of coding in fandom, discussions around the need for author intent in coding is increasingly debated, particularly in light of how media has portrayed Disabled people.

The concepts of Disability-coding and Disabled representation can appear alongside one another in analysis or discussions of media portrayals. Disabled characters have historically been more likely to be portrayed as either villains or having tragic story-lines, which can then appear in characters who are not explicitly confirmed as Disabled, but may be Disabled-coded.

Another way Disabled-coding is used in canon, and often then expanded on in fandom, is when the world-building creates an environment where people can interpret the presence of disability-allegory. One well-known example of this in fandom spaces, which has been discussed by fans of the show, is the quirkless characters in My Hero Academia. Opinions on whether things like this are disability allegories can be heavily debated, even before considering whether the disability-coding — if fans agree that is what it is — are well done or ableist.

Use in fandom

A character may be referred to as being interpreted as Disabled-coded or neurodivergent-coded, or a fan may use a more specific variation of the term, with particular disabilities, conditions or impairments referenced. In many fan spaces, disabilities which are not a form of neurodivergence (including mental health conditions) are noticeably less discussed in character-coding, even when considering non-visible disabilities.

Characters applied to

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.

• Eda Clawthorne (The Owl House) - The way Eda talks about managing her curse, for example in the fourth episode of season one, resonated with fans with chronic illness and/or chronic pain.
• Karlach (Baldur's Gate III) - Some fans have discussed how Karlach's infernal heart feels like a metaphor for a terminal illness.
• Gale (Baldur's Gate III) - The way the orb in Gale's chest affects him, reflected in his reactions and dialogue, seemed to many fans to be coded similarly to how chronic pain affected people.

Criticisms and Controversy

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.

Disability allegories

Disability allegories, such as Quirkless characters in My Hero Academia or an interpretation of the X-Men as a whole (in addition to individual Disabled characters), are often met with varying responses. For example, whether the allegory is confirmed as intentional by the creator's or not, the application of the the disability allegory, especially in longer running shows can become inconsistent in presentation or in how it works within canonical events.

Disability-coding and villains

There have been various issues in various media forms for villains and antagonists to either be Disabled or be Disabled-coded.

Examples of meta and discussions

• "how do you write a disabled character without writing a disabled character?" On disability coding in Edgedancer (spoilers) at r/Stormlight_Archive, 27 April 2021, ^{Archived version}
• 'How do you feel about people saying quirklessness is basically a stand in for disabilities?', class1akids response to a Tumblr ask, 8 December 2021, ^{Archived version}

Further Reading

• 'Disability Allegory in My Hero Academia', Allie Funk, Medium, 3 September, 2022, ^{Archived version}
• 'Trope of the Week #9: Metaphorical Disability', FayOnyx, Writing Alchemy, 14 August 2017, ^{Archived version}
• Double-coded Villains: Representation at the Nexus of Disability and Queerness
• 'On disability-coding and the cripple werewolf', Lindsey Allen, cripple media, 17 March 2022, ^{Archived version}