October Webinar

Writing Dynamic, Non-Stereotypical, Three-Dimensional Characters with Disabilities

Presenters: Tracee Garner
Host: Lisa Montanaro

Thursday, October 2, 2025
7:00 - 8:30 PM Eastern

Writing Dynamic, Non-Stereotypical, Three-Dimensional Characters with Disabilities

 People with disabilities make up approximately 20% of the U.S. population. The number is even greater considering people often don’t identify with labels but fit the definition of disability—and still millions more have “invisible” disabilities. Characters with disabilities are misrepresented in film, books, and all forms of media, and dangerous and damaging stereotypes are perpetuated. Writers can change that! In this webinar, best-selling author and disability advocate Tracee Lydia Garner will share how writers can portray dynamic, non-stereotypical, three-dimensional, fictional characters with disabilities with accuracy and truth. She’ll explain how the “no one will love me because of my disability” syndrome shouldn’t be the sole villain or nemesis for your characters and demonstrate how some outdated tropes desperately need retiring. She’ll also cover how to conduct thorough research for your character development and share some favorite movies to watch (and books to read) that she and other disabled advocates feel “get it just right.”

Bio:
Tracee Lydia Garner is an award-winning, best-selling author of 20 books. She writes about heroes and heroines who ultimately find love but not without a little adversity and suspense thrown in for good measure. Tracee is a motivating and humous speaker, and book coach who has taught courses at the academic level as an adjunct professor. Tracee loves the written and spoken word, gives tons of workshops for writing organizations and got her first book deal eons ago while in her early 20’s. Tracee holds a BS in Communications from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, and resides outside the Washington, DC metropolitan area with her family.