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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[]
Combustion Man blocking Katara's waterbending attack.
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[]
After being bound in chains by Katara and seeing Zuko surviving her attack, what was left of Azula's sanity disappeared, and she began sobbing uncontrollably.
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]
There was a certain man who lived in a small fishing village Jang Hui that became deranged after drinking polluted river water, causing his mind to split into multiple personalities.[17][18]
Attitude toward disability[]
Lao Beifong apologized to his daughter for his misguided behavior.
People with disabilities are often treated with a condescending and even patronizing attitude, being treated as helpless and incapable by 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.[19] Lao eventually saw the error of his ways and reconciled with his daughter, treating her as an equal.[20]
Overcoming disability[]
Physical[]
Toph Beifong using seismic sense to detect people's movement.
Several people with physical disabilities learn to adapt to their situation and greatly reduce any limitations.
Toph Beifong overcame her disability at the young age of five,[21] thanks to an encounter with badgermoles and learned from them the same earthbending technique of seismic sense they use to compensate for their own natural blindness.[22] 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.[23] 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.[24]
Mental[]
Despite her mental illness, Azula retained her intelligence and even though her demented 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.[25][26][27]
Korra's PTSD represented in her broken reflection.
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.
A prime example of this is Avatar Korra. After her life was almost ended by Zaheer of the Red Lotus,[28] Korra spent three years in an emotionally fragile state.[29] It was only after much love and support from her friends, family and confronting Zaheer in prison that she learned to live with the trauma.[30][31]