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Recently I've been diving into the concept of OCs with disabilities and so I decided to suggest some disabilities for your OC to have. I'd also advise to steer clear of blindness because... duh... it would just feel like you're ripping off Matt Murdock, especially as I know you'd all find a way for them to 'see' without their eyes.
Whether your OC will always have their disability or whether it gets cured/fixed by something during the book, it's an interesting concept to have an OC who isn't just normal. Remember, always do your research if you decide to delve into this stuff.
So here are some disabilities for you to use:
HEARING LOSS:
Hearing loss, also known as impaired hearing, is a partial or total inability to hear. In children it can cause problems with learning to talk. In adults it can cause work related difficulties. As well as with general interaction.
It can be caused by a number of things, including: genetics, ageing, exposure to noise, some infections, birth complications, trauma to the ears, and certain medications or toxins. A common reason for hearing loss is chronic ear infections. Certain infections during pregnancy, such as syphilis or rubella, may also cause hearing loss in a child.
Hearing loss can be categorised as mild, moderate, moderate severe, severe, or profound.
Some people with hearing loss can learn to lip read what others are saying, and that makes conversation with them easier, especially if they don't know sign language.
OSTEOPOROSIS:
This is a condition that weakens the bones, making them fragile and more likely to break. It develops slowly over several years and is often only diagnosed when a minor fall or sudden impact causes a bone fracture. The most common injuries in people with osteoporosis are: wrist fractures, hip fractures and fractures of the spinal bones (vertebrae).
However, they can also occur in other bones, such as in the arm or pelvis. Sometimes a cough or sneeze can cause a rib fracture or the partial collapse of one of the bones of the spine.
Osteoporosis isn't usually painful until a fracture occurs, but spinal fractures are a common cause of long-term (chronic) pain.
Although a fracture is the first sign of osteoporosis, some older people develop the characteristic stooped (bent forward) posture. It happens when the bones in the spine have fractured, making it difficult to support the weight of the body.
Losing bone is a normal part of the ageing process, but some people lose bone density much faster than normal. This can lead to osteoporosis and an increased risk of fractures.
Dyspraxia
This can develop at any time in life, starting with early childhood, an individual having difficulties in planning and completing fine and gross motor skills. This can range from simple motor movements, such as waving goodbye, to more complex ones like sequencing steps to brush one's teeth.
It does not effect a person's intelligence, the brain just has a harder time or does not processing information in a way that allows for a full transmission of neural messages.
People with dyspraxia have a harder time planning things out and how exactly to do it, which does cause some problems with social interaction. Many children who have dyspraxia also are diagnosed with ADHD.
There is no cure for dyspraxia and scientists are still unsure of the cause. Cara Delevinge and Daniel Radcliffe are two of the few actors who have spoken about their struggles with dyspraxia.
Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is a learning disability that effects a person's writing abilities. With dysgraphia, a person has trouble learning, word spacing and putting thoughts on paper, which makes writing slow and frustrating. There are three different types: dyslexic, motor and spatial.
In dyslexic, spontaneously written text (meaning writing that hasn't been traced or copied) is most strongly affected, and is often illegible — particularly as it goes on. Spelling, either oral or written, is extremely poor.
In motor, a person's form of writing — either spontaneous or copied — is close to illegible and drawing and tracing skills are far below average. Finally, in spatial, the relationship between the writing itself and the medium on which it's written. This means all forms of handwriting — and particularly drawing — are highly problematic.
Dyscalculia
A learning disability effecting a person's math skills. (No, this is not just being bad at math) A person with dyscalculla struggle with left and right, directionality, counting reliably, number-amount associations, memory of numbers and other sorts of math problems.
The person can't seem to remember numbers, even important ones (multiplication tables, birthdays, dates, amounts). When counting, they easily lose track, especially if distracted.
