With regards to DnD images of adventurers in wheelchairs, isn't it a bit too much virtue signaling? Don't get me wrong, as a disabled person myself with a spinal injury, I appreciate the effort to be more accessible, but it almost verges on inspiration ****. (for those of you who don't know about that, it is when able bodied people post pictures of disabled people with statements like "what is your excuse?"). Inspiration **** is dehumanizing.
Now, like I said, I appreciate the effort to make the game more inviting and accessible to those who are disabled. But, having an adventurer in a wheelchair is also very unrealistic. A wheelchair is just not going to be of much use when climbing through caves or over the broken ground of old dungeons. That's one of the reasons I think that such pictures really make the person in the wheelchair stand out and start to verge on inspiration ****.
My suggestion is to use something a bit more realistic (realistic in the context of a world of magic). This would include things like putting these disabled people on flying carpets or riding the backs of golems or on steel defenders. It is, I believe, why, to use a different genre, Professor X is often shown, outside of his mansion, in a chair which levitates.
Why not all of the above? Let some disabled adventurers ride constructs or mounts, let some have flying carpets / floating disks, and let some use fantastic wheelchairs if they want to. It doesn't have to be just one portrayal.
Here is the reality: D&D is a fantasy game. Not just in terms of "fantasy setting" but a game where people can live out whatever fantasy they want. If a wheelchair bound person wants to live out the fantasy that they can be an awesome adventurer zipping around in a wheelchair, they have every right to do that. After all, many players want to imagine themselves as themselves--they do not want to imagine themselves "but, because of my disability, I have to fundamentally change my mobility system to something which does not exist."
And your realism argument? Really? A wheelchair in a dungeon is no less silly than a Centaur in a dungeon. And it is a heck of a lot more "realistic" than, say, magic.
Also, with all due respect, you recently were posting on a thread to complain about changes Wizards was making to the game to make things less racist. It sort of undermines your whole "I appreciate the effort to make the game more inviting and accessible" when you seem to consistently complain about efforts to remove racism and bias against the disabled.
Here is the reality: D&D is a fantasy game. Not just in terms of "fantasy setting" but a game where people can live out whatever fantasy they want. If a wheelchair bound person wants to live out the fantasy that they can be an awesome adventurer zipping around in a wheelchair, they have every right to do that. After all, many players want to imagine themselves as themselves--they do not want to imagine themselves "but, because of my disability, I have to fundamentally change my mobility system to something which does not exist."
And your realism argument? Really? A wheelchair in a dungeon is no less silly than a Centaur in a dungeon. And it is a heck of a lot more "realistic" than, say, magic.
Also, with all due respect, you recently were posting on a thread to complain about changes Wizards was making to the game to make things less racist. It sort of undermines your whole "I appreciate the effort to make the game more inviting and accessible" when you seem to consistently complain about efforts to remove racism and bias against the disabled.
I did not protest against making the game less racist. That is a gross misrepresentation of what I said and your accusation is personally offensive. What I said in that other post is that whether to explore racial issues should be a decision left to each GM and their table to make.
As for this issue regarding wheelchairs in dungeons, yes, I find the way that it is consciously verging on inspiration **** to be offensive. It is objectifying the disabled.
If riding the back of a mechanical golem is ok, maybe the wheelchair is their mechanical golem. It’s on wheels when that’s more convenient, but then, I don’t know, spider legs come out to cross more hazardous terrain.
But in general, I mean, people can shoot lightning from their fingertips, fly and stop time. That’s ok, but going up steps in a wheelchair isn’t realistic?
Certainly WotC needs to be conscious of the issues you raise, and of tokenism in general. But it seems like you’re saying it’s not possible for them to ever show an adventurer in a wheelchair. I’m not sure I buy that. Some people play that way. The combat wheelchair was invented by a 3rd party creator. Seems like WotC is just reflecting what some of their players want.
I think you're going to get a variety of answers from individual disabled people regarding how they want to be represented in media; some might prefer a more magical type of assistive tech like you're describing, some might prefer their character's equipment be as close to our reality as possible. However, I think having official sources depict adventurers in literal wheelchairs serves a clear purpose: legibility.
An adventurerer riding a golem, flying carpet, or other such magical disability aid may not automatically scan as disabled to readers. If the point of the art is to foster an environment welcoming to disabled characters (and by extension, disabled players), then the character should be clearly, unquestionably depicted as disabled. Using a real-world assistive device like a wheelchair is the best way to do that.
If you want to come up with a more fantastical mobility aid for a character at your own table, I think that's great. The official art is not intended to preclude you from doing that; it's merely meant to reinforce that disabled adventurers are a normal, intentional part of the game. In that sense I suppose it is virtue signaling, but frankly it's a virtue that needed to be signalled.
If riding the back of a mechanical golem is ok, maybe the wheelchair is their mechanical golem. It’s on wheels when that’s more convenient, but then, I don’t know, spider legs come out to cross more hazardous terrain.
But in general, I mean, people can shoot lightning from their fingertips, fly and stop time. That’s ok, but going up steps in a wheelchair isn’t realistic?
Certainly WotC needs to be conscious of the issues you raise, and of tokenism in general. But it seems like you’re saying it’s not possible for them to ever show an adventurer in a wheelchair. I’m not sure I buy that. Some people play that way. The combat wheelchair was invented by a 3rd party creator. Seems like WotC is just reflecting what some of their players want.
People can shoot lightning from their fingertips, fly and stop time by explicitly invoking the trope of magic.
A simple wheelchair doesn't do that. The item you are referencing made by a third party was one I really liked seeing, but it wasn't made with real need to go adventuring in, nor was it made in a world with magic.
Adding a wheelchair in the equipment list whose description states that it projects spider legs when appropriate would be cool to see and, though I don't think it perfectly resolves my issues, it unquestionably would go a long way towards doing so.
I notice you continue to ignore the point about basic empathy. I will make it as simple as possible for you.
1. Many people want to imagine themselves playing D&D - it gives them a chance to be the hero they might never be in the real world.
2. This is true of individuals with disabilities as well.
3. Some of those folks want to imagine themselves, exactly as they are--in a wheelchair--being a hero. They do not want to imagine themselves in some kind of fantasy contraption which will never really exist--they want to just be themselves, except themselves as a hero. And they want to feel that particular story is one they can comfortably tell. Seeing that type of story get officially supported is a tacit acknowledgment to those players that they are welcome. And it probably gives them some ammunition if they have an insensitive DM who refuses to allow them to play out their character just because that DM thinks "magic is fine, wheelchairs, now that is too fantastical."
4. Your entire argument is "I do not like that aesthetic and lack the imagination to accept that aesthetic, therefore Wizards should cater to me--the person displaying a lack of empathy--rather than the person who just wants to use the game to live out their fantasy."
The disabled community has been asking for years to see more representation of things like wheelchair-bound persons in D&D Art. Wizards added the art in question not just to pander to the community--but at their specific request. It does not really matter if you do not like it - others will and it will help others feel that Wizards actually cares about the stories they want to tell. That is a net positive for the game.
I notice you continue to ignore the point about basic empathy. I will make it as simple as possible for you.
1. Many people want to imagine themselves playing D&D - it gives them a chance to be the hero they might never be in the real world.
2. This is true of individuals with disabilities as well.
3. Some of those folks want to imagine themselves, exactly as they are--in a wheelchair--being a hero. They do not want to imagine themselves in some kind of fantasy contraption which will never really exist--they want to just be themselves, except themselves as a hero. And they want to feel that particular story is one they can comfortably tell. Seeing that type of story get officially supported is a tacit acknowledgment to those players that they are welcome. And it probably gives them some ammunition if they have an insensitive DM who refuses to allow them to play out their character just because that DM thinks "magic is fine, wheelchairs, now that is too fantastical."
4. Your entire argument is "I do not like that aesthetic and lack the imagination to accept that aesthetic, therefore Wizards should cater to me--the person displaying a lack of empathy--rather than the person who just wants to use the game to live out their fantasy."
The disabled community has been asking for years to see more representation of things like wheelchair-bound persons in D&D Art. Wizards added the art in question not just to pander to the community--but at their specific request. It does not really matter if you do not like it - others will and it will help others feel that Wizards actually cares about the stories they want to tell. That is a net positive for the game.
I find it ironic that a person promoting art that verges on inspriration **** presumes to give a post on empathy.
I'm not going to get into an argument with you over when it is okay to engage in tokenism. So, I'm going to be ignoring your posts.
I was in a now removed thread about this very topic a month ago (almost to the day), where I talked about the Combat Wheelchair, by Mark Thompson. It is a free resource and provides wheelchairs for adventurers who wish to use them for their D&D games. There are non-magical and magical variants too.
Ultimately, my stance on the issue mirrors many here: why the heck not? Let the players play it. It is a world of magic and it is a game that is meant to be for everyone.
With regards to DnD images of adventurers in wheelchairs, isn't it a bit too much virtue signaling? Don't get me wrong, as a disabled person myself with a spinal injury, I appreciate the effort to be more accessible, but it almost verges on inspiration ****. (for those of you who don't know about that, it is when able bodied people post pictures of disabled people with statements like "what is your excuse?"). Inspiration **** is dehumanizing.
Now, like I said, I appreciate the effort to make the game more inviting and accessible to those who are disabled. But, having an adventurer in a wheelchair is also very unrealistic. A wheelchair is just not going to be of much use when climbing through caves or over the broken ground of old dungeons. That's one of the reasons I think that such pictures really make the person in the wheelchair stand out and start to verge on inspiration ****.
My suggestion is to use something a bit more realistic (realistic in the context of a world of magic). This would include things like putting these disabled people on flying carpets or riding the backs of golems or on steel defenders. It is, I believe, why, to use a different genre, Professor X is often shown, outside of his mansion, in a chair which levitates.
"Realistic in the context of a world of magic" is such an interesting sentence that implies that despite the endless limitations of magic, there's a desire for magic to not go too far.
Most of the TTRPG-related disability aides that I've seen appear in the last few years have either been created by people with those disabilities or with the input of people who do. I don't think I can call any of them 'inspiration ****' in that instance.
Also, putting my CM hat on, remember to keep this discussion civil. I'll tell you flat-out that if this goes down the wrong road, I won't hesitate to lock the thread.
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Does the art or text specify the wheelchairs you're seeing are "simple wheelchairs?" If so, where?
Does the art or text indicate in someway that it isn't a simple wheelchair?
That's not how assertions work; you're the one making the positive claim (that the wheelchairs you're seeing in WotC art are completely mundane and therefore don't belong), so you need to support it with evidence. Air Bud Clause is not sufficient here.
With regards to DnD images of adventurers in wheelchairs, isn't it a bit too much virtue signaling? Don't get me wrong, as a disabled person myself with a spinal injury, I appreciate the effort to be more accessible, but it almost verges on inspiration ****. (for those of you who don't know about that, it is when able bodied people post pictures of disabled people with statements like "what is your excuse?"). Inspiration **** is dehumanizing.
Now, like I said, I appreciate the effort to make the game more inviting and accessible to those who are disabled. But, having an adventurer in a wheelchair is also very unrealistic. A wheelchair is just not going to be of much use when climbing through caves or over the broken ground of old dungeons. That's one of the reasons I think that such pictures really make the person in the wheelchair stand out and start to verge on inspiration ****.
My suggestion is to use something a bit more realistic (realistic in the context of a world of magic). This would include things like putting these disabled people on flying carpets or riding the backs of golems or on steel defenders. It is, I believe, why, to use a different genre, Professor X is often shown, outside of his mansion, in a chair which levitates.
"Realistic in the context of a world of magic" is such an interesting sentence that implies that despite the endless limitations of magic, there's a desire for magic to not go too far.
Most of the TTRPG-related disability aides that I've seen appear in the last few years have either been created by people with those disabilities or with the input of people who do. I don't think I can call any of them 'inspiration ****' in that instance.
Also, putting my CM hat on, remember to keep this discussion civil. I'll tell you flat-out that if this goes down the wrong road, I won't hesitate to lock the thread.
Allow me to clarify, "Realistic in the context of a world of magic." What it means is that every setting with magic has conventions that magic adheres to. For example, in DnD, you have rules like spell components, magic items glowing in response to certain divinations, the gods being real, etc. That's why I mentioned flying carpets, golems, and steel defenders. All of these things are established in DnD and already adhere to DnD's rules of magic. A wheelchair can as well. Such a wheelchair would have certain qualities identifying it as magical. It would also probably levitate/fly a few inches off the ground or, as per another poster, have legs.
Does the art or text specify the wheelchairs you're seeing are "simple wheelchairs?" If so, where?
Does the art or text indicate in someway that it isn't a simple wheelchair?
That's not how assertions work; you're the one making the positive claim (that the wheelchairs you're seeing in WotC art are completely mundane and therefore don't belong), so you need to support it with evidence. Air Bud Clause is not sufficient here.
That's not how magic works. Magic, by its very nature, involves spectacle - particularly in art.
As for this issue regarding wheelchairs in dungeons, yes, I find the way that it is consciously verging on inspiration **** to be offensive. It is objectifying the disabled.
Genuine question: how? Is it inspiration **** merely to show a disabled person doing a cool thing?
I agree that we should be very careful not to use images of disabled people as props to make able-bodied people feel a certain way, be it guilty or inspired or what have you. I just don't see how that's the net effect of depicting D&D characters in wheelchairs. What about the representation in question makes you feel it's aimed at abled people rather than at wheelchair users themselves?
With regards to DnD images of adventurers in wheelchairs, isn't it a bit too much virtue signaling? Don't get me wrong, as a disabled person myself with a spinal injury, I appreciate the effort to be more accessible, but it almost verges on inspiration ****. (for those of you who don't know about that, it is when able bodied people post pictures of disabled people with statements like "what is your excuse?"). Inspiration **** is dehumanizing.
Now, like I said, I appreciate the effort to make the game more inviting and accessible to those who are disabled. But, having an adventurer in a wheelchair is also very unrealistic. A wheelchair is just not going to be of much use when climbing through caves or over the broken ground of old dungeons. That's one of the reasons I think that such pictures really make the person in the wheelchair stand out and start to verge on inspiration ****.
My suggestion is to use something a bit more realistic (realistic in the context of a world of magic). This would include things like putting these disabled people on flying carpets or riding the backs of golems or on steel defenders. It is, I believe, why, to use a different genre, Professor X is often shown, outside of his mansion, in a chair which levitates.
"Realistic in the context of a world of magic" is such an interesting sentence that implies that despite the endless limitations of magic, there's a desire for magic to not go too far.
Most of the TTRPG-related disability aides that I've seen appear in the last few years have either been created by people with those disabilities or with the input of people who do. I don't think I can call any of them 'inspiration ****' in that instance.
Also, putting my CM hat on, remember to keep this discussion civil. I'll tell you flat-out that if this goes down the wrong road, I won't hesitate to lock the thread.
Allow me to clarify, "Realistic in the context of a world of magic." What it means is that every setting with magic has conventions that magic adheres to. For example, in DnD, you have rules like spell components, magic items glowing in response to certain divinations, the gods being real, etc. That's why I mentioned flying carpets, golems, and steel defenders. All of these things are established in DnD and already adhere to DnD's rules of magic. A wheelchair can as well. Such a wheelchair would have certain qualities identifying it as magical. It would also probably levitate/fly a few inches off the ground or, as per another poster, have legs.
As has been pointed out by multiple people, that is great for people who want to play a completely fantasy character, using fantasy equipment. Other people want to just play a realistic version of themselves, and live the fantasy of "the real version of my self is just as capable of being a hero as anyone else, without me having to rely on fantasy equipment I will never own in the real world."
The reason we need this art in the game is not to "pander" or create "token" characters. It is because there are people like you who are telling this second group of people "the way you are playing is wrong because it offends my aesthetical preferences." Including this art gives the second group of people something they can point to--something where they can say "you might not agree with the way I want to play, but Wizards of the Coast does."
That gives this second group of people some ammunition against the discrimination they might otherwise face from people who are basically telling them "no, the real you will never be and adventurer. You are lesser than able-bodied people and thus need magical/fantasy tech in order to compete with the rest of us."
In addition to the discussion and what has been said, as this is a Fantasy game where people use their imaginations, some players really like to picture the progression of their character.
If they are playing a character that is disabled from the waist down due to something that happened in their backstory, or maybe at birth, and their father was a woodworker, maybe their father made them a wheelchair, and that is how they start at level 1.
As they level up, they could switch to other mobility options like the ones listed above that they can sit on to get around, and even later as they level up, maybe they will get two Prosthetic Legs especially made, or they visit a deity that gifts them the use of their legs and be able to walk on their own.
I would like to imagine that WotC are not trying to offend people by picturing an adventurer in a wheel chair in their art, but trying to inspire people's imaginations on things that they might not have thought about. Like seeing a Bearded Beholder in some of the new 2024 D&D Official Art, I had never thought of a Beholder having a Beard, but my imagination was inspired and I love that a little piece of the art did that.
Cheers!
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Breathe, dragons; sing of the First World, forged out of chaos and painted with beauty. Sing of Bahamut, the Platinum, molding the shape of the mountains and rivers; Sing too of Chromatic Tiamat, painting all over the infinite canvas. Partnered, they woke in the darkness; partnered, they labored in acts of creation.
Allow me to clarify, "Realistic in the context of a world of magic." What it means is that every setting with magic has conventions that magic adheres to. For example, in DnD, you have rules like spell components, magic items glowing in response to certain divinations, the gods being real, etc. That's why I mentioned flying carpets, golems, and steel defenders. All of these things are established in DnD and already adhere to DnD's rules of magic. A wheelchair can as well. Such a wheelchair would have certain qualities identifying it as magical. It would also probably levitate/fly a few inches off the ground or, as per another poster, have legs.
And if a disabled player doesn't want any of those things and prefers to have a Wheelchair of Levitation, for example, or one with wheels that ignore Difficult Terrain, and their Dungeon Master is willing to work with them to make that happen, with all expectations laid out, and there are creators who have put hard work towards creating these things to put in a game, why is there a desire to offer them something that "makes more sense for the world"?
Ultimately, the decision is between the disabled player and their Dungeon Master. You're free to disagree with it (the disabled community, like all communities, is not a monolith and there will never be community-wide approval on anything), but it's not on you to say "hey maybe this thing is just virtue signaling" when so many people for whom things like this have been designed are very happy to see them and incorporate them into their games. It's also discrediting to the work of the many disabled people and advocates who've worked on them (which admittedly is a touchy subject for me; I know many of them personally).
EDIT: It's very clear to me that you're not going to find many people here that agree with your opinion, so I'm curious what you're hoping to get from this discussion.
With regards to DnD images of adventurers in wheelchairs, isn't it a bit too much virtue signaling? Don't get me wrong, as a disabled person myself with a spinal injury, I appreciate the effort to be more accessible, but it almost verges on inspiration ****. (for those of you who don't know about that, it is when able bodied people post pictures of disabled people with statements like "what is your excuse?"). Inspiration **** is dehumanizing.
Now, like I said, I appreciate the effort to make the game more inviting and accessible to those who are disabled. But, having an adventurer in a wheelchair is also very unrealistic. A wheelchair is just not going to be of much use when climbing through caves or over the broken ground of old dungeons. That's one of the reasons I think that such pictures really make the person in the wheelchair stand out and start to verge on inspiration ****.
My suggestion is to use something a bit more realistic (realistic in the context of a world of magic). This would include things like putting these disabled people on flying carpets or riding the backs of golems or on steel defenders. It is, I believe, why, to use a different genre, Professor X is often shown, outside of his mansion, in a chair which levitates.
Why not all of the above? Let some disabled adventurers ride constructs or mounts, let some have flying carpets / floating disks, and let some use fantastic wheelchairs if they want to. It doesn't have to be just one portrayal.
Here is the reality: D&D is a fantasy game. Not just in terms of "fantasy setting" but a game where people can live out whatever fantasy they want. If a wheelchair bound person wants to live out the fantasy that they can be an awesome adventurer zipping around in a wheelchair, they have every right to do that. After all, many players want to imagine themselves as themselves--they do not want to imagine themselves "but, because of my disability, I have to fundamentally change my mobility system to something which does not exist."
And your realism argument? Really? A wheelchair in a dungeon is no less silly than a Centaur in a dungeon. And it is a heck of a lot more "realistic" than, say, magic.
Also, with all due respect, you recently were posting on a thread to complain about changes Wizards was making to the game to make things less racist. It sort of undermines your whole "I appreciate the effort to make the game more inviting and accessible" when you seem to consistently complain about efforts to remove racism and bias against the disabled.
I did not protest against making the game less racist. That is a gross misrepresentation of what I said and your accusation is personally offensive. What I said in that other post is that whether to explore racial issues should be a decision left to each GM and their table to make.
As for this issue regarding wheelchairs in dungeons, yes, I find the way that it is consciously verging on inspiration **** to be offensive. It is objectifying the disabled.
If riding the back of a mechanical golem is ok, maybe the wheelchair is their mechanical golem. It’s on wheels when that’s more convenient, but then, I don’t know, spider legs come out to cross more hazardous terrain.
But in general, I mean, people can shoot lightning from their fingertips, fly and stop time. That’s ok, but going up steps in a wheelchair isn’t realistic?
Certainly WotC needs to be conscious of the issues you raise, and of tokenism in general. But it seems like you’re saying it’s not possible for them to ever show an adventurer in a wheelchair. I’m not sure I buy that. Some people play that way. The combat wheelchair was invented by a 3rd party creator. Seems like WotC is just reflecting what some of their players want.
I think you're going to get a variety of answers from individual disabled people regarding how they want to be represented in media; some might prefer a more magical type of assistive tech like you're describing, some might prefer their character's equipment be as close to our reality as possible. However, I think having official sources depict adventurers in literal wheelchairs serves a clear purpose: legibility.
An adventurerer riding a golem, flying carpet, or other such magical disability aid may not automatically scan as disabled to readers. If the point of the art is to foster an environment welcoming to disabled characters (and by extension, disabled players), then the character should be clearly, unquestionably depicted as disabled. Using a real-world assistive device like a wheelchair is the best way to do that.
If you want to come up with a more fantastical mobility aid for a character at your own table, I think that's great. The official art is not intended to preclude you from doing that; it's merely meant to reinforce that disabled adventurers are a normal, intentional part of the game. In that sense I suppose it is virtue signaling, but frankly it's a virtue that needed to be signalled.
People can shoot lightning from their fingertips, fly and stop time by explicitly invoking the trope of magic.
A simple wheelchair doesn't do that. The item you are referencing made by a third party was one I really liked seeing, but it wasn't made with real need to go adventuring in, nor was it made in a world with magic.
Adding a wheelchair in the equipment list whose description states that it projects spider legs when appropriate would be cool to see and, though I don't think it perfectly resolves my issues, it unquestionably would go a long way towards doing so.
I notice you continue to ignore the point about basic empathy. I will make it as simple as possible for you.
1. Many people want to imagine themselves playing D&D - it gives them a chance to be the hero they might never be in the real world.
2. This is true of individuals with disabilities as well.
3. Some of those folks want to imagine themselves, exactly as they are--in a wheelchair--being a hero. They do not want to imagine themselves in some kind of fantasy contraption which will never really exist--they want to just be themselves, except themselves as a hero. And they want to feel that particular story is one they can comfortably tell. Seeing that type of story get officially supported is a tacit acknowledgment to those players that they are welcome. And it probably gives them some ammunition if they have an insensitive DM who refuses to allow them to play out their character just because that DM thinks "magic is fine, wheelchairs, now that is too fantastical."
4. Your entire argument is "I do not like that aesthetic and lack the imagination to accept that aesthetic, therefore Wizards should cater to me--the person displaying a lack of empathy--rather than the person who just wants to use the game to live out their fantasy."
The disabled community has been asking for years to see more representation of things like wheelchair-bound persons in D&D Art. Wizards added the art in question not just to pander to the community--but at their specific request. It does not really matter if you do not like it - others will and it will help others feel that Wizards actually cares about the stories they want to tell. That is a net positive for the game.
Does the art or text specify the wheelchairs you're seeing are "simple wheelchairs?" If so, where?
I find it ironic that a person promoting art that verges on inspriration **** presumes to give a post on empathy.
I'm not going to get into an argument with you over when it is okay to engage in tokenism. So, I'm going to be ignoring your posts.
Does the art or text indicate in someway that it isn't a simple wheelchair?
I was in a now removed thread about this very topic a month ago (almost to the day), where I talked about the Combat Wheelchair, by Mark Thompson. It is a free resource and provides wheelchairs for adventurers who wish to use them for their D&D games. There are non-magical and magical variants too.
Ultimately, my stance on the issue mirrors many here: why the heck not? Let the players play it. It is a world of magic and it is a game that is meant to be for everyone.
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D&D Staff"Realistic in the context of a world of magic" is such an interesting sentence that implies that despite the endless limitations of magic, there's a desire for magic to not go too far.
Most of the TTRPG-related disability aides that I've seen appear in the last few years have either been created by people with those disabilities or with the input of people who do. I don't think I can call any of them 'inspiration ****' in that instance.
Also, putting my CM hat on, remember to keep this discussion civil. I'll tell you flat-out that if this goes down the wrong road, I won't hesitate to lock the thread.
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That's not how assertions work; you're the one making the positive claim (that the wheelchairs you're seeing in WotC art are completely mundane and therefore don't belong), so you need to support it with evidence. Air Bud Clause is not sufficient here.
Allow me to clarify, "Realistic in the context of a world of magic." What it means is that every setting with magic has conventions that magic adheres to. For example, in DnD, you have rules like spell components, magic items glowing in response to certain divinations, the gods being real, etc. That's why I mentioned flying carpets, golems, and steel defenders. All of these things are established in DnD and already adhere to DnD's rules of magic. A wheelchair can as well. Such a wheelchair would have certain qualities identifying it as magical. It would also probably levitate/fly a few inches off the ground or, as per another poster, have legs.
That's not how magic works. Magic, by its very nature, involves spectacle - particularly in art.
Genuine question: how? Is it inspiration **** merely to show a disabled person doing a cool thing?
I agree that we should be very careful not to use images of disabled people as props to make able-bodied people feel a certain way, be it guilty or inspired or what have you. I just don't see how that's the net effect of depicting D&D characters in wheelchairs. What about the representation in question makes you feel it's aimed at abled people rather than at wheelchair users themselves?
As has been pointed out by multiple people, that is great for people who want to play a completely fantasy character, using fantasy equipment. Other people want to just play a realistic version of themselves, and live the fantasy of "the real version of my self is just as capable of being a hero as anyone else, without me having to rely on fantasy equipment I will never own in the real world."
The reason we need this art in the game is not to "pander" or create "token" characters. It is because there are people like you who are telling this second group of people "the way you are playing is wrong because it offends my aesthetical preferences." Including this art gives the second group of people something they can point to--something where they can say "you might not agree with the way I want to play, but Wizards of the Coast does."
That gives this second group of people some ammunition against the discrimination they might otherwise face from people who are basically telling them "no, the real you will never be and adventurer. You are lesser than able-bodied people and thus need magical/fantasy tech in order to compete with the rest of us."
In addition to the discussion and what has been said, as this is a Fantasy game where people use their imaginations, some players really like to picture the progression of their character.
If they are playing a character that is disabled from the waist down due to something that happened in their backstory, or maybe at birth, and their father was a woodworker, maybe their father made them a wheelchair, and that is how they start at level 1.
As they level up, they could switch to other mobility options like the ones listed above that they can sit on to get around, and even later as they level up, maybe they will get two Prosthetic Legs especially made, or they visit a deity that gifts them the use of their legs and be able to walk on their own.
I would like to imagine that WotC are not trying to offend people by picturing an adventurer in a wheel chair in their art, but trying to inspire people's imaginations on things that they might not have thought about. Like seeing a Bearded Beholder in some of the new 2024 D&D Official Art, I had never thought of a Beholder having a Beard, but my imagination was inspired and I love that a little piece of the art did that.
Cheers!
Breathe, dragons; sing of the First World, forged out of chaos and painted with beauty.
Sing of Bahamut, the Platinum, molding the shape of the mountains and rivers;
Sing too of Chromatic Tiamat, painting all over the infinite canvas.
Partnered, they woke in the darkness; partnered, they labored in acts of creation.
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D&D StaffAnd if a disabled player doesn't want any of those things and prefers to have a Wheelchair of Levitation, for example, or one with wheels that ignore Difficult Terrain, and their Dungeon Master is willing to work with them to make that happen, with all expectations laid out, and there are creators who have put hard work towards creating these things to put in a game, why is there a desire to offer them something that "makes more sense for the world"?
Ultimately, the decision is between the disabled player and their Dungeon Master. You're free to disagree with it (the disabled community, like all communities, is not a monolith and there will never be community-wide approval on anything), but it's not on you to say "hey maybe this thing is just virtue signaling" when so many people for whom things like this have been designed are very happy to see them and incorporate them into their games. It's also discrediting to the work of the many disabled people and advocates who've worked on them (which admittedly is a touchy subject for me; I know many of them personally).
EDIT: It's very clear to me that you're not going to find many people here that agree with your opinion, so I'm curious what you're hoping to get from this discussion.
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