This research examines how nineteenth-century literature helped shape modern attitudes toward disability. By analysing French realist novels and their connections to public spectacles such as morgues and wax museums, it argues that bodily difference was transformed into entertainment, influencing how contemporary audiences perceive disability and human value.

This research supports disabled authors writing children’s fiction by examining how to balance authenticity, responsibility, and wellbeing. Through writing a novel with disabled protagonists and interviewing other writers, the project develops techniques to help disabled authors navigate representation, protect their privacy, and promote accurate, empowering portrayals of disability.