Eyepatches, stutters and scars — why some disabilities have stereotypes

Key points:

• Certain disabilities have developed connotations through their narrative use and ‘trope-like’ inclusion

• Characters who are scarred, burnt or wear an eyepatch are stereotypically antagonistic to main characters or protagonists

• Having a disability does not define a person, although characters with notable disabilities are often used as a visual cue for hardship or a troubling background

This edition of Disability Support Guide is intended to highlight characters in popular culture and the inclusion of disability as an accessory or plot convenience. People with a disability which is associated with popular culture may find themselves mocked, likened to tropes such as ‘pirates’ or ‘assassins’ and made to feel as though they are defined by the preconceived notions of others.

It is important to remember that although humour is a good way to bond and people with disability may be familiar with referential humour, it should be at the discretion of the person themselves to determine what is okay to discuss. Additionally, people with disabilities, such as a vision impairment that warrants an eyepatch, visible scarring or burn marks and a speech impediment which may be related to a disability — including psychosocial disability — may have acquired these conditions through a traumatic experience.

Eyepatches

In fictional media, characters who wear eyepatches are often portrayed as worldly, mysterious, rugged and fitting the ‘warrior’ archetype. However, wearing an eyepatch or people with a vision impairment which specifically impacts their ability to see out of one eye, exclusively, may experience diminished depth perception which can make life incredibly challenging.

The mythology surrounding pirates having worn eyepatches evolved over time, with explanations ranging from keeping a glass eye in its socket to the patch serving as a way to adjust their vision to the difference in light from between a lower cabin to the deck of their ship.

People may wear an eyepatch in 2023 as a temporary measure to protect an eye after surgery and prevent infection, irritation or to heal from injury. However, people may routinely wear an eyepatch in their day-to-day life for other chronic and lifelong conditions. People who have a lazy eye may wear an eyepatch as advised by a doctor, typically over the stronger eye, in an attempt to ‘train’ the weaker eye and avoid atrophy. An eye which had been removed, disfigured or had been affected by cataracts may also be covered by an eyepatch — although healthcare experts caution against the use of a patch to treat an optical condition unless otherwise advised.

Scarring and burns

In fictional media, characters depicted with visible scarring or burns may be portrayed as evil, villainous, tortured or fierce — alternatively, a character’s skin may be used to signify bravery, resilience or heroism. 

This trope, known as ‘Good Scars, Evil Scars,’ is a narrative device used to cue audiences in on the nature of a character, as per the placement and severity of discolouration. Heroes may be scarred in a superficial way across the abdomen or back, whereas a villain may have sustained a significant facial injury, such as the cosmetic latex applied to Heath Ledger’s ‘Joker’ in The Dark Knight [2008].

Although scarring, in and of itself, is not considered a disability under the National Disability Insurance Scheme, NDIS, scarring is a perfectly natural part of life which can occur for a multitude of reasons, none of which relate to the character of a person.

A person with disability may require wound care due to pressure sores from mobility impairment, necessitating home care and planned treatment. Wounds that could lead to scars as a result of disability are covered under the NDIS if they are deemed as impacting the quality of life for someone with a condition.

Speech impediment

Speech impediments have historically been a staple of fictional media storytelling to position someone as an outsider or as ‘odd.’ Research published by Charles Sturt University on the topic of speech impediment perception and prevalence in Australia highlighted the attitudes teachers held to students with an impediment. Approximately 22.3 percent of teachers surveyed for the research study reported that they felt students with a speech or language impairment were less confident than their peers.

Cultural attitudes which contribute to and stem from the way people with a speech impediment are depicted in media fail to capture how common it is. Research indicated that Australian teachers noted expressive language difficulties in just over one-fifth of students when they start school and receptive language issues in 16 percent of students. Early intervention to support people with communication difficulties has been found to resolve childhood instances, whereas those who do not receive speech pathology may develop a lifelong speech impediment.

Stereotypes may have a far more detrimental impact on a person living with disability than the condition itself, as over fifty percent of juvenile offenders had language impairments, along with research indicating that people with communication difficulties had fewer social, scholarly and employment opportunities later in life.

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