Avatar:Disability in the World of Avatar
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<infobox> <image source="image" /> <title source="name"><default>Disability in the World of Avatar</default></title> <group> <header>General information</header> <label>Type</label> <label>Examples</label> </group>
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<header></header> </infobox> Disabilities exist in numerous different individuals across the world. Disabilities are physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental conditions that impair, interfere with, or limit a person's ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in daily activities and interactions. At the same time, however, sometimes they can lead to certain individuals developing strengths to compensate for such activities, which can grant them advantages that others would not normally have.
There are at least two different types of disabilities: physical and mental. Disabilities are perceived in many different ways in the world. Societies have varying perceptions of those with disabilities, as some see them only as a problem while others see the benefits they can lead to.
The technological revolution since the end of the Hundred Year War has seen a vast increase in the accessibility of the world to people with physical disabilities, such as the wide-spread incorporation of elevators in large buildings and even advanced prosthetics.
Physical
A tyrannical king known as Hundun and his unnamed brother were conjoined twins that were enemies of an Avatar millennia in the past.[1] Combustion Man accidentally blew his right arm and leg off when he was a child while learning how to use his specialized technique. Both were replaced with metal prosthetic limbs,[2] which proved to be formidable weapons.[3][4] An Earth Kingdom citizen named Teo was paralyzed from the waist down during a flood in his home village. However, his father built a wheelchair for him to move around. The mechanist later created a glider based on the Air Nomad staffs that he had found in the Northern Air Temple, which attached directly to Teo's wheelchair.[5][6]
Mental
Azula, the former princess of the Fire Nation was once a woman that remained calm, confident, and defiant even in the most extreme circumstances, but near the end of the Hundred Year War, after years of her father Ozai putting pressure on her,[7][8] combined with the deep-rooted fear that her mother Ursa saw her as a monster,[9][10] and feeling betrayed by her only two friends Mai and Ty Lee,[11] her mental health continued to deteriorate until she finally suffered a complete breakdown during her defeat in an extremely intense Agni Kai.[12] Her brother, Fire Lord Zuko, took pity on Azula and committed her to a mental hospital under constant supervision.[13] Overtime, her damaged psyche healed slightly but she was still unstable and prone to moments of insanity.[14][15][16][7]
Avatar Yangchen was another prominent person who suffered from a mental illness, in her case a disability which resembled dissociative identity disorder and schizophrenia.[17][18] Jinpa believed that Yun the "false Avatar" had been driven insane by the end of his life.[19] Dock/Xu/Bushi was a Jang Hui native who became deranged after drinking polluted river water, causing his mind to split into multiple personalities.[20][21]
In his elder years, Gong-gong began to suffer from a mental illness which resembled dementia, resulting in recurring phases of memory loss, confusion, and disorientation.[22] The head of the Wen family by 100 AG, Mr. Wen, was known to suffer from alcoholism and a gambling addiction.[23][24]
Attitude toward disability
People with disabilities are often treated with a condescending and even patronizing attitude,[23][25] being treated as helpless and incapable by their families as well as those in positions of power and authority. This is most prominently displayed in the initial attitudes held by Lao and Poppy Beifong toward their daughter, Toph, who was born blind. Their overprotection was so strong that they did not allow anyone outside of their household guards and staff along with Master Yu to be aware of their daughter's existence, out of both fear for her well-being and shame for her disability.[25] Lao eventually saw the error of his ways and reconciled with his daughter, treating her as an equal.[26]
Perceptions of people with disabilities vary depending on the community as a whole. Teo was respected and rather popular among his fellows refugees at the Northern Air Temple, who cheered on him while he showed off his gliding skills alongside Aang. As such, Teo's experience with his paraplegia was marked by integration, acceptance, and respect by his community.[6] This extended to being considered part of the invasion team during the Day of Black Sun, where he operated an earthbending-powered tank.[27]
Historically, many mental illnesses carried a very negative connotation, and afflicted people often received little sympathy.[19][28][29] Addicts were regarded as wholly responsible for their actions; for example, his own family believed that Mr. Wen "wanted" to spend all his time as drunk and gambling addict.[23] However, there were exceptions to this negative perception of mental disabilities. For instance, Dock/Xu/Bushi remained a respected member of Jang Hui's community despite his multiple personalities and off-putting behavior.[20]
Living with disability
See also: Healthcare in the World of Avatar
Physical
Several people with physical disabilities learn to adapt to their situation and greatly reduce any limitations.
Toph Beifong found a way to live with her disability at the young age of five,[30] thanks to an encounter with badgermoles. She learned from them the same earthbending technique of seismic sense they use to navigate while having their own natural blindness.[31] Ming-Hua who was born without arms used her waterbending to create pseudo-prosthetics out of water that were very dangerous and versatile in battle.[32] Yoshiro, the second leader of the Equalists, was able to walk again after he was given metal prosthetic legs that were modified for combat. This, combined with his mastery over chi-blocking, made him a highly capable warrior.[33]
Mental
Although she had mental illness that was difficult for her, Azula persevered. She still held and used her cunning intelligence, and even though her illness-related behavior would sometimes jeopardize things for her,[12][16] she was able to create strategies that were remarkably effective. One the best known examples was the time she used the legend of Kemurikage to cause panic in the Fire Nation in an attempt to manipulate her brother Zuko into governing the Fire Nation the way she wanted.[34][35][36]
As an alcoholic and gambling addict, Mr. Wen was incapable of coping with his issues. He gradually sank deeper into his addictions, experienced bouts of violent aggression, and showcased next to no interest in his family. His actions nearly ruined his own and his relatives' lives.[23][24]
Post-traumatic stress disorder
A common mental or cognitive disability in the world is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Given the wide-spread chaos and damage of the Hundred Year War, in which countless people were killed, tortured, imprisoned, mutilated, or otherwise had their lives uprooted by the events of the war itself, this disorder became more common. Many people with PTSD and its associated variants can suffer from depression, intrusive thoughts or memories, feelings of intense anger, and even systemic brain damage if the trauma is severe enough and goes without treatment for long periods of time.
Additionally, PTSD can manifest in the form of partial flashbacks to a traumatic event, in which they experience only pieces of a memory, such as sensory information including sound, smell, taste, touch, or visual information, but not the complete event.
Other symptoms of PTSD can include increased states of alertness such as paranoia and anxiety, thus elevating the likelihood of a flight, fight, or freeze response to triggers. Additionally, PTSD can also impair cognitive faculties due to increased demand on the individual's brain to remain in these states of hyper-alertness. This can consequently result in either an increased need to sleep or an inability to sleep for long periods of time. It can also affect a person's perception of themselves and whether or not they deserve to be treated with respect or kindness, depending on the nature of the trauma itself.
A prime example of this is Avatar Korra. After her life was almost ended by Zaheer of the Red Lotus,[37] Korra spent three years in an emotionally fragile state.[38] It was only after much love and support from her friends and family, and confronting Zaheer in prison, that she learned how to cope and live healthily with her trauma.[39][40]
Additionally, her immediate predecessor, Avatar Aang was shown to have suffered from a degree of PTSD as well, with him struggling with feelings of worthiness in regards to his position as the Avatar. He also suffered from recurring nightmares regarding his various uses of the Avatar State in which he caused a great deal of destruction and injury to the world and people around him, both friend and foe alike. Additionally, the loss of his people weighed heavily on his conscience and caused him to have recurring nightmares about the loss of the Air Nomads.
Trauma can even have an impact on one's bending. After the death of his sister Yama, Gyatso's airbending suffered greatly, becoming unpredictable and rarely manifesting to his attempts to use it. However, upon coming to terms with his grief, this emotional block was lifted, restoring Gyatso's airbending abilities in full.
Another prominent example of PTSD can be seen in Jet. Due to the destruction of his village and the death of his parents at the hands of the Rough Rhinos, Jet developed an anger and aversion to anything even remotely connected to the Fire Nation. When Katara attempted to heal some of the damage done to his brain from the Dai Li's brainwashing techniques, he was forced to recall the destruction of his village and his parents' deaths at the direction Colonel Mongke. His horrified reaction and visible perspiration made it clear that he was still very shaken by the traumatic events of his youth.[41]
There are very few ways of treating PTSD. This comes down to the complex and highly individualized nature of trauma itself. However, routine counseling, a stable environment, and plenty of community support can be powerful tools for overcoming trauma. For many people, PTSD is merely managed, but never quite cured. The impact of trauma on one's nervous system can be one of the largest obstacles to overcoming trauma, as the body has been conditioned to expect pain, fear, danger, or otherwise unsafe forces or stimuli. Facing a fear head-on can be helpful in overcoming trauma, such as revisiting a location where a traumatic event took place or by directly speaking to a person responsible for the trauma. A prominent example of this is Korra in her attempts to overcome the trauma of her near-death experience at the hands of Zaheer. It took years of physical therapy and support from others to navigate her way back to recuperation.[38] Ursa was also shown to overcome the trauma of her marriage to Ozai by seeing him in prison, witnessing proof that he could no longer harm her or her family ever again.[36]
References
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