Disabled Creators Directory

Disabled Creators Directory

A directory of disabled artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, performers, and creators across all media. This page helps you discover and support disabled creators.

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About This Directory

This directory collects disabled creators in one place for easy discovery. All creators listed here are openly disabled and create work that may or may not be disability-focused.

This directory is always growing. See Suggest a creator to add yourself or someone else.

Labels used below

• (non-US) — creator is based outside the US

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Contents

• Writers & Authors
• Visual Artists
• Musicians & Composers
• Filmmakers & Directors
• Actors & Performers
• Comedians
• Dancers & Choreographers
• Podcasters & Audio Creators
• YouTubers & Video Creators
• Journalists & Essayists
• Academics & Scholars
• Activists Who Create
• How to Support Disabled Creators
• Suggest a creator

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Writers & Authors

Fiction Writers

Name	Disability	Genre/Focus	Notable Work
Ann Clare LeZotte	Deaf	Middle grade	Show Me a Sign
Corinne Duyvis	Autistic	YA sci-fi	On the Edge of Gone
Elle McNicoll	Autistic	Middle grade	A Kind of Spark (non-US)
Harriet McBryde Johnson	Neuromuscular disability	YA/essays	Accidents of Nature
Helen Hoang	Autistic	Romance	The Kiss Quotient
Ivelisse Housman	Autistic	YA fantasy	Unseelie
Leigh Bardugo	Osteonecrosis	Fantasy	Six of Crows
Nicola Griffith	MS	Literary/thriller	So Lucky
Rivers Solomon	Autistic, chronic illness	Speculative fiction	An Unkindness of Ghosts
Sara Nović	Deaf	Literary fiction	True Biz
Susan Nussbaum	Wheelchair user	Literary fiction	Good Kings Bad Kings
Talia Hibbert	Fibromyalgia, chronic illness	Romance	Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Nonfiction Writers

Name	Disability	Focus	Notable Work
Alice Wong	SMA, wheelchair user	Disability culture	Disability Visibility
Eli Clare	Physical disability	Theory/memoir	Brilliant Imperfection
Emily Ladau	Wheelchair user	Education/advocacy	Demystifying Disability
Esmé Weijun Wang	Schizoaffective disorder	Essays	The Collected Schizophrenias
Haben Girma	Deafblind	Memoir	Haben
Imani Barbarin	Cerebral palsy	Essays/advocacy	Crutches and Spice
Judy Heumann (1947-2023)	Polio, wheelchair user	Memoir/activism	Being Heumann
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha	Chronic illness, neurodivergent	Disability justice	Care Work
Rebekah Taussig	Wheelchair user	Memoir	Sitting Pretty
Rosemary Richings	Dyspraxia	Memoir/neurodiversity	Stumbling Through Space and Time (non-US)
Simi Linton	Wheelchair user	Memoir/theory	My Body Politic

Poets

Name	Disability	Style	Notable Work
Jim Ferris	Physical disability	Crip poetry	The Hospital Poems
Kenny Fries	Limb difference	Poetry/memoir	Body, Remember
Neil Marcus	Physical disability	Performance	Storm Reading
Petra Kuppers	Chronic illness	Performance poetry	Cripple Poetics
Vassar Miller	Cerebral palsy	Traditional verse	Collected Poems

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Visual Artists

Name	Disability	Medium	Notable For
Christine Sun Kim	Deaf	Sound art, drawing	Exploring sound and silence
Chun-Shan (Sandie) Yi	Wheelchair user	Sculpture	Disability arts
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)	Spinal damage, chronic pain	Painting	Self-portraits, disability icon
Joseph Grigely	Deaf	Conceptual art	Conversation pieces
Katherine Sherwood	Stroke survivor	Painting	Post-stroke work
Riva Lehrer	Spina bifida	Painting	Circle Stories portraits
Sandie Yi	Physical disability	Sculpture	Installation art
Sunaura Taylor	Arthrogryposis	Painting, writing	Animal/disability rights
Tony Heaton	Wheelchair user	Sculpture	Disability arts (non-US)
Yinka Shonibare	Physical disability	Installation	Cultural identity work (non-US)

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Musicians & Composers

Name	Disability	Genre	Notable For
Django Reinhardt (1910-1953)	Partial hand paralysis	Jazz guitar	Developed unique technique
Evelyn Glennie	Deaf	Classical percussion	International soloist (non-US)
Gaelynn Lea	Osteogenesis imperfecta	Indie folk	NPR Tiny Desk winner
Itzhak Perlman	Polio	Classical violin	World-renowned violinist
Mandy Harvey	Late-deafened	Singer-songwriter	AGT finalist
Ray Charles (1930-2004)	Blind	R&B/soul	Pioneer
Sean Forbes	Deaf	Hip-hop	D-PAN founder
Stevie Wonder	Blind	Soul/R&B	Legendary career
Teddy Pendergrass (1950-2010)	Paralyzed	Soul	Continued performing post-injury
Viktoria Modesta	Amputee	Pop/performance	Bionic artist (non-US)

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Filmmakers & Directors

Name	Disability	Focus	Notable Work
Billy Golfus	Brain injury	Documentary	When Billy Broke His Head
Jenni Gold	Wheelchair user	Documentary	CinemAbility
Jennifer Brea	ME/CFS	Documentary	Unrest
Jim LeBrecht	Wheelchair user	Documentary	Crip Camp (co-director)
Josh Feldman	Deaf	TV creator	This Close
Rodney Evans	Vision loss	Documentary	Vision Portraits
Ryan O’Connell	Cerebral palsy, gay	TV creator/actor	Special
Shoshannah Stern	Deaf	TV creator	This Close

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Actors & Performers

Film & TV Actors

Name	Disability	Notable Roles
Alaqua Cox	Deaf, amputee	Echo (Marvel)
Ali Stroker	Wheelchair user	Oklahoma! (Tony winner)
Danny Woodburn	Little person	Seinfeld, various
Jamie Brewer	Down syndrome	American Horror Story
Kiera Allen	Wheelchair user	Run
Lauren Ridloff	Deaf	Eternals, The Walking Dead
Madison Ferris	Muscular dystrophy	The Glass Menagerie (Broadway)
Marlee Matlin	Deaf	Children of a Lesser God, Switched at Birth
Mat Fraser	Phocomelia	American Horror Story (non-US)
Micah Fowler	Cerebral palsy	Speechless
Millicent Simmonds	Deaf	A Quiet Place, Wonderstruck
Peter Dinklage	Achondroplasia	Game of Thrones
RJ Mitte	Cerebral palsy	Breaking Bad
Troy Kotsur	Deaf	CODA (Oscar winner)
Warwick Davis	Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia	Harry Potter, Willow (non-US)
Zack Gottsagen	Down syndrome	The Peanut Butter Falcon

Theater Performers

Name	Disability	Notable For
Ali Stroker	Wheelchair user	First wheelchair user to win Tony
Daniel Durant	Deaf	CODA, Spring Awakening
John McGinty	Deaf	Broadway’s Spring Awakening
Russell Harvard	Deaf	Tribes, various
Sandra Mae Frank	Deaf	Spring Awakening, Wonderstruck

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Comedians

Name	Disability	Platform	Notable For
Adam Hills	Amputee	TV host	The Last Leg (non-US)
Alex Brooker	Limb difference	TV host	The Last Leg (non-US)
Drew Lynch	Stutter	Stand-up	AGT finalist
Francesca Martinez	Cerebral palsy	Stand-up	UK comedian (non-US)
Josh Blue	Cerebral palsy	Stand-up	Last Comic Standing winner
Lee Ridley (Lost Voice Guy)	AAC user	Stand-up	BGT winner (non-US)
Maysoon Zayid	Cerebral palsy	Stand-up	Viral TED talk
Nina G	Stutter, dyslexia	Stand-up	Stuttering comedian
Zach Anner	Cerebral palsy	Stand-up, YouTube	Oprah show winner

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Dancers & Choreographers

Name	Disability	Company/Style	Notable For
Alice Sheppard	Wheelchair user	Kinetic Light	Choreographer, performer
Alito Alessi	Physical disability	DanceAbility	Methodology founder
Bill Shannon	Physical disability	Crutch dancer	Street performance
Chelsie Hill	Paralyzed	Rollettes	Wheelchair dance team
Judith Smith	Physical disability	AXIS Dance	Co-founder
Laurel Lawson	Wheelchair user	Kinetic Light	Performer
Marc Brew	Physical disability	Choreographer	International work (non-US)

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Podcasters & Audio Creators

Name	Disability	Show	Focus
Alice Wong	SMA, wheelchair user	Disability Visibility Podcast	Disability culture
Andrew Gurza	Cerebral palsy	Disability After Dark	Disability and sexuality
Brianne Benness	Chronic illness	No End in Sight	Chronic illness
Emily Ladau	Wheelchair user	The Accessible Stall	Disability news/culture
Kyle Khachadurian	Osteogenesis imperfecta	The Accessible Stall	Co-host

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YouTubers & Video Creators

See YouTube Channels for detailed list.

Highlights:

Name	Disability	Content
Annie Elainey	Chronic illness	Disability justice
Jessica Kellgren-Fozard	Deaf, chronic illness	Vintage fashion, education (non-US)
Molly Burke	Blind	Lifestyle, makeup
Rikki Poynter	Deaf	Accessibility advocacy
Squirmy and Grubs (Shane Burcaw)	SMA	Interabled relationship
Zach Anner	Cerebral palsy	Comedy, travel

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Journalists & Essayists

Name	Disability	Publication/Focus
Imani Barbarin	Cerebral palsy	Forbes, various
John Pring	Physical disability	Disability News Service (non-US)
Keah Brown	Cerebral palsy	Teen Vogue, various
Lydia X. Z. Brown	Autistic	Autistic Hoya, various
s.e. smith	Chronic illness, mental health	Various publications
Vilissa Thompson	Wheelchair user	Ramp Your Voice

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Academics & Scholars

Name	Disability	Field	Institution
Eli Clare	Physical disability	Disability/trans studies	Independent
Jay Dolmage	Physical disability	Rhetoric	University of Waterloo (non-US)
Lennard Davis	(Son of Deaf parents)	Disability studies	University of Illinois Chicago
Nirmala Erevelles	Physical disability	Disability studies	University of Alabama
Petra Kuppers	Chronic illness	Performance/disability	University of Michigan
Robert McRuer	Chronic illness	Queer/disability studies	George Washington
Rosemarie Garland-Thomson	Physical disability	Disability studies	Emory
Simi Linton	Wheelchair user	Disability studies	CUNY (emerita)

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Activists Who Create

Many disability activists are also creators—writers, artists, speakers, media makers.

Name	Disability	Creative Work
Alice Wong	SMA, wheelchair user	Writing, podcasting, editing
Haben Girma	Deafblind	Writing, speaking
Imani Barbarin	Cerebral palsy	Writing, social media
Judy Heumann (1947-2023)	Polio, wheelchair user	Memoir, speaking
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha	Chronic illness, neurodivergent	Writing, performance
Sins Invalid collective	Various	Performance art
Stella Young (1982-2014)	Osteogenesis imperfecta	Comedy, writing (non-US)
Vilissa Thompson	Wheelchair user	Writing, consulting

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How to Support Disabled Creators

Direct Support

• Buy their work – Books, art, music, merchandise
• Pay for content – Patreon, subscriptions, tips
• Hire them – Speaking, consulting, commissions
• Attend events – Shows, readings, performances

Amplification

• Share their work – Social media, recommendations
• Credit properly – Name them, link to their platforms
• Review and recommend – Books, shows, albums
• Request accessibility – Ask venues to book accessible acts

Systemic Change

• Advocate for funding – Arts grants for disabled artists
• Push for representation – In media, publishing, galleries
• Challenge gatekeeping – Inaccessible venues, ableist institutions

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Suggest a creator

You can suggest yourself or another creator. We include a creator when:

• They’re openly disabled. They have said so publicly themselves, for example on their website, in an author bio or in an interview. We don’t list anyone based on a guess or someone else’s description.
• We use their words. If they say “autistic,” we write “autistic.” If they haven’t named a condition, we write “disabled.”
• They make creative work. This includes books, art, music, film, performance, video and audio. We link to a creator’s work, but the directory isn’t a place to advertise services.

Two ways to send a suggestion:

• Fill in the creator suggestion form (needs a free GitHub account).
• Email contribute2disabilitywiki@gmail.com with:
  1. The name to list
  2. What they make (for example “novelist” or “painter”)
  3. Their disability, in their own words
  4. A public link where they talk about their disability
  5. One notable work, with publisher and year if it has them
  6. Their website, and the country they’re based in

We check each suggestion before adding it, which can take a few weeks.

Want to be removed? Email contribute2disabilitywiki@gmail.com and we’ll take your entry down. You don’t need to give a reason.

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Related Pages

• Books
• YouTube Channels
• TikTok Creators
• Podcasts
• Disability Arts & Performance

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This directory centers disabled creators across all media.

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Contribute to This Page

Have lived experience or expertise that could strengthen this page? We especially welcome perspectives on models not well represented here, including those from the Global South and Indigenous communities.

Suggest an edit or addition →

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This page centers disabled people’s expertise and is informed by disabled-led organizing globally. For questions or to suggest additions, see How to Contribute.