Disability literature is an underdeveloped, largely ignored, genre. For the most part, when researching disability literature you will find not actual literature or stories, but rather self-help and parental guidance type books. Moreover, a September 2014 article in Disabilities Studies Quarterly stated that many disability related books have subliminal and/or outwardly negative messages about people with disabilities. I find this particularly sad and have done my part to include positive, non-stereotypical, characters with disabilities in my writing. Books of all kinds, including fiction,  have been used to help educate people about things that they might not be aware of or understand for centuries. I think that disability literature provides a unique platform through which to educate those who do not have knowledge of or have not grown up around disability about people with disabilities.  Furthermore, writing books geared towards children and young adults that fall within the disability literature genre can help to educate them about disability from a young age when they’re more likely to accept those with disabilities. I honestly believe that if more people wrote children’s and young adult books about people with disabilities then the world would be a more educated, evolved, and better place. Unfortunately, I cannot control the actions of others so I will just do my part to continue contributing to disability literature as a genre in hopes that my efforts, and contributions, as insignificant as they may seem, will eventually help to make the world a better place. Until next time… happy reading and, as always, remember to love yourself just the way you are. 🙂