page_title: Disability in the arts
section_title: Literature
hierarchical_section_title: Disability in the arts / Literature
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Titelblatt der Erstausgabe von John Miltons „Paradise Lost“ von 1668. English: Title page of the first edition of John Milton’s “Paradise lost” from 1668. Русский: Обложка первого издания «Потерянного рая» Джона Мильтона, 1668 год. Українська: Обкладинка першого видання «Втраченого раю» Джона Мільтона, 1668 рік. Беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎: Тытульны аркуш першага выданьня «Страчанага раю» Джона Мілтана», 1668 рок. Transcription: Paradiſe loſt. A POEM IN TEN BOOKS. The Author J. M. Licenſed and Entred according to Order. LONDON Printed, and are to be ſold by Peter Parker under Creed Church neer Aldgate ; And by Robert Boulter at the Turks Head in Biſhopſgate-ſtreet ; And Matthias Walker , under St. Dunſtons Church in Fleet-ſtreet , 1668.
context_page_description: Disability in the arts is an aspect within various arts disciplines of inclusive practices involving disability. It manifests itself in the output and mission of some stage and modern dance performing-arts companies, and as the subject matter of individual works of art, such as the work of specific painters and those who draw.
  Disability in the arts is distinguished from disability art in that it refers to art that includes people with disabilities, whether in themes, performance, or the creation of the artwork, rather than works focusing on disability as the central theme. It can also refer to work that is made as a political act toward shaping a new community, fostering disability culture:
  Disability culture is the difference between being alone, isolated, and individuated with a physical, cognitive, emotional or sensory difference that in our society invites discrimination and reinforces that isolation – the difference between all that and being in community.
context_section_description: Oral literature, the oldest form of literature, can be enjoyed by anyone, including the deaf or hearing-impaired (depending upon their ability to lip-read), and impaired verbal ability is the only impediment to storytelling. Homer, the ancient Greek author of the verse epics the Odyssey and the Iliad, is believed to have been blind. This disability was no barrier to the challenge of composing, and reciting for others, his classic creations, which contain over 15,000 lines (Iliad) and 12,000 lines (Odyssey). The Iliad itself is divided into 24 "books" that each take around one hour to recite. The tradition of oral storytelling, and the greater ease with which verse stories are memorized and retold, helped John Milton compose the 17th-century epic English poem Paradise Lost. Milton gradually lost most of his eyesight and dictated Paradise Lost to willing assistants who wrote it down for publication (a process called Amanuensis).
  The shift in modern Western culture away from oral storytelling to the written and printed word has created a barrier for the visually impaired. Writing and self-editing prose writing is often impossible without the use of assistive technology. Software developed for the visually impaired, called screen readers, enable users to hear a voice reading the user's choice of digital printed material, such as e-books or Websites. Braille keyboards enable users to type and edit using a computer. Assistive technology is also available to help users with a learning disability, such as dyslexia, that impairs literacy, to read and write more easily using computers.
  Literature that includes disability as a theme has become more common in recent decades. In non-fiction, memoirs have raised mainstream awareness of the experiences of people with disabilities. Notable recent first-person accounts include My Left Foot, written by painter and writer Christy Brown. First published in 1954, it describes his upbringing in Ireland, his challenges brought on by severe cerebral palsy, and his early career. It was made into a popular film in 1989, for which Daniel Day-Lewis won an Academy Award for Best Actor. American writer Jim Knipfel took a humorous, irreverent approach with Slackjaw (1999), a memoir in which he details his struggles in accepting the loss of his eyesight to retinitis pigmentosa.
  The Ship Who Sang is a collection of stories by science fiction author Anne McCaffrey about the brainship Helva. In a far future, young children with severe physical handicaps can be placed in a life-support shell and specially trained for tasks that a "normal" human would be unable to undertake. McCaffrey, who has described The Ship Who Sang, an early work, as the best story she ever wrote, asked herself one day: "what if severely disabled people were given a chance to become starships?"
  The historical novel Four Freedoms deals with the often overlooked contributions made by disabled persons to the war industry during World War II.
caption: The title page of the first edition of Paradise Lost, 1668. John Milton, who was blind, composed the epic poem by dictating it to assistants who transcribed it for publication.
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