An artist by the name of aleXsandro Palombo created the above photo back in 2014.  He became a person with a disability after becoming paralyzed and has, unfortunately, faced a lot of discrimination as a result.  In an article in the Huffington post he explained that he does not think it is right that Disney has yet to create a disabled princess and that he created the artwork because “I think that disabled people doesn’t [sic] match Disney’s standards of beauty so my message is very simple: Disabled people have rights and are part of the world.” While I agree with the message and think that it is great that Palombo created these images I find it interesting that the majority of them are missing at least one limb.  While Palombo has conveyed a very strong message about beauty through this and other images of Disney Princesses with disabilities, by having most of them be short of limbs Palombo is also, perhaps unconsciously, conveying the message that you can’t be a full person with a disability.  My novel, Just the Way You Are, tries to combat such images in the media.  It is a story of self-acceptance that will hopefully tell girls with disabilities that they are beautiful, full people, who can live life to fullest and be happy even with their disabilities.

Do you live life to the fullest with a disability?  Does someone you love live life to the fullest with a disability?  Share your story or a story of your loved one through commenting on this blog and I’ll share some of my own as well. :).