It’s August first, and while Disability Pride Month ended yesterday, disabled people and disabled characters exist all-year round. While it’s important for writers to include disability and disabled characters in their work, it can be frustrating when they’re not depicted accurately.
No disabled person can speak for the entire disabled community, which is extremely large and diverse. As a cane-user myself, I wrote this post to educate writers and readers on cane-user representation and accurate cane use.
When writing a cane-using character, it’s important to understand the following:
What is the difference between a cane and a walking stick?
What kind of disability and needs does your character have?
What types of canes are best suited to your character’s needs? Which ones can your character afford or have access to?
What are your character’s values in terms of comfort and practicality vs aesthetic and prestige?
How does your character use their cane?
If they’re not holding it, where is your character’s cane? (No, really! Scene-by-scene, moment-by-moment, where is it?)
This post cannot include everything, but makes use of my knowledge and experience as an accuracy reader, cane-user, and member of the disabled community. If you have one or more cane-user in your story, be sure to consult with beta readers and hire an accuracy reader who are cane-users themselves.
What is the difference between a cane and a walking stick?
A cane is a long-term mobility aid made of durable material. It is designed to be leaned upon and withstand the user’s weight. There are two different kinds of walking sticks - those made for hiking or walking through difficult terrain and those that are a fashion accessory. Both walking stick styles may provide temporary assistance to the user, but are not designed to be full-time mobility aids.
A walking stick that is used for fashion will sometimes have a novelty handle in the shape of an animal, object, or even a person. It may be tempting to give your disabled character a cane with a novelty handle so they’ll “look cool”. Keep in mind, however, that these handles are often not designed to be leaned on heavily and can hurt the user’s hand or cause blisters. A decorative walking stick may also snap under a user’s weight. When designing your character’s cane, keep in mind the user’s specific needs and priorities.
What kind of disability and needs does your character have?
There are a variety of disabilities that can result in the user needing a mobility aid such as a cane. Some disabilities, like a permanently wounded or injured leg, will require daily cane-use. Other disabilities are dynamic, like POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, meaning the symptoms fluctuate. They can be assisted by multiple mobility aids depending on how the person is feeling that day or that minute. At times, they may need a cane, at others a walker, crutches, or a wheelchair. At other times, they may not need any mobility aid. For example, I have Long-Covid-induced POTS, so I have a cane, a walker, and a wheelchair. I use them as needed. The type of disability your character has will determine what kind of cane they need and how they will use it.
What types of canes are best suited to your character’s needs? Which ones can your character afford or have access to?
Your character’s disability will determine what kind of cane and what kind of material is best for them. Some canes are more suited for weight-bearing, for instance, and others for balance, while others aid with both.
There are many types of canes. Some of these are the single-pronged, tripod, quad or four-pronged, and the folding cane. There are also different types of cane handles, such as a grip cane, and curvatures, such as a C-cane. These can be combined in various ways. For example, my cane has a grip handle, a C-curve, and is four-pronged. Some canes also have special attributes, such as built-in flash lights or umbrellas.
The time period, location, and financial status of your character will also impact the material the cane is made of. Aluminum canes are probably the most common today, but in other times and places, materials have varied. Canes can be made from different kinds of wood, metal, and even bone such as whale bone and elephant tusk. The strength, weight, and durability of the materials vary. Materials can also be combined so that, for example, a cane may be wooden but have a handle made of metal and bone.
Keep in mind that the material of the cane may require some maintenance. A character or their caregiver or servant may need to regularly polish all or part of the cane. Silver is notorious for needing regular polishing, so keep that in mind if your character’s cane has a silver handle. A wooden cane may also be vulnerable to water or termite damage, or be scratched if it's dropped on a rough surface.
Depending on the material, canes can be expensive even today. I have seen canes ranging from $13 to $400 or more USD. Mine was $75 out of pocket, though looking back I may have been able to get one through my insurance at no or little cost. In the U.S., some health insurance policies may cover the purchase or renting of a cane, while others may not.
If your character doesn’t have much money, there are still many ways for them to acquire a cane, with some examples more suited to historical or fantasy settings. If your character is good with woodworking, it’s possible they made a cane for themselves. It’s also possible for them to have inherited, borrowed, stolen, or bartered for one.
What are your character’s values in terms of comfort and practicality vs aesthetic and prestige?
After a character’s financial status, their personality and values can determine what kind of cane they have chosen. Certain kinds of wood have different symbolic meanings and mystical associations, while others are rarer and denote wealth and prestige. Oak is one of the preferred choices of all social classes in Europe and North America due to its strength, stability, durability, and availability. Ebony, being from East Africa, is rarer and more expensive for Europeans and North Americans, and is therefore a symbol of wealth. Hazelwood, meanwhile, is traditionally used to ward off evil spirits, and may be used by a character who is prone to superstition.
A practical, but well-off American businessman, up-in-years but not-yet elderly, may opt for a sturdy oak cane with a brass handle. This would be perfect for leaning on when out of breath or to ease his back, but also useful as a weapon should the occasion arise. His elderly, gentle mother may prefer a slim rosewood cane. This would be practical due to its rot resistance, light enough for her frail arms to carry, strong enough to lean on, and associated with daintiness due to its color and soft aroma.
A character may also choose to denote status through the overall design of their cane. Jewels can be embedded in the handle, for instance. Canes may also have hidden compartments for drinking flasks or for storing weapons, though it's far more common for walking sticks to house weapons than canes. Costly and labor-intensive designs can also be carved into the wood of canes not only in the handle, but throughout the body. Less costly would be to carve the owners initials into the cane, a highly practical choice in case it were ever lost.
If they’re not holding it, where is your character’s cane? (No, really! Scene-by-scene, moment-by-moment, where is it?)
This last section is honestly the main reason I chose to write about this topic. I have read far too many instances where a cane-user is standing with their cane and then uses both of their hands for something. Where did the cane go? In the next moment, it’s back in their hand with no explanation. Did they lean it on a wall? Did they tuck it under their arm? Did they hand it to their friend to hold? Did they drop it? Where did it go?
This sort of writing omission annoys me regardless of the object at hand, but especially when it’s a cane. Canes are necessary mobility aids. If a disabled character is without their cane for even a moment, it can be stressful for empathetic and/or disabled readers. I have glow tape on my cane so I can’t lose it in the dark. To be without your cane when you need it can be terrifying. So any time a cane is out of the user’s hands in a piece of fiction, readers may be anxious as to its whereabouts and if it’s still in the user’s reach.
Canes can also be used to express the character’s emotions and mental state. Especially when the character is sitting down and not actively leaning on the cane, the character can drum their fingers on the handle, twirl the cane, cling to it, hold it close, use it to point or gesture, slam it down, or hit something or someone.
A disabled person’s cane helps them to move through the world, improves their quality of life, and is a part of their self-expression. Be sure not to neglect its whereabouts or how the character may use it throughout their day.
How does your character use their cane?
If your character has an injured or wounded leg, they’ll use their cane on the side of their body with their hurt leg. For example, if their left leg is wounded, they’ll use the cane on their left side. They’ll move the cane simultaneously with their hurt leg with each step for weight-bearing support. Keep in mind that for some conditions that impact the legs, a forearm crutch (sometimes called a forearm cane, an elbow crutch, or a Canadian crutch) or an underarm crutch may be better suited as a mobility aid than a standard cane.
If your character does not have a wounded or injured leg, they will hold their cane in their dominant hand the majority of the time. I am right-handed, so I usually hold my cane in my right hand.
In Summation
Further research than a simple blog post will be necessary in determining your character’s disability and what kind of cane they need and want. At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that disabled characters are characters like any other in that they deserve to be fleshed out and well-written. They have personalities, wants, goals, dreams, fears, hobbies, senses of humor, and loved ones. Enjoy developing your character and their story.
If you’re interested in hiring me as an accuracy reader for cane-use or any other subject I cover, you can contact me at JacksonDHollingsworth@gmail.com .
Comments