Confused by disability pride

[NoGoodDeed]

I don’t understand what most of these pets are supposed to represent, how are most of them disabled? I understand the dog missing a leg or the cat missing an eye but other than that I’m confused

[jiraipuppy]

not all disabilities are visible disabilities.
things like dyscalculia and dyslexia are considered disabilities even though the person may not "look" disabled because not all disabilities affect your physical appearance.

[Calaco]

Here are the responses from the artists themselves, found on this thread! :3

I'm delighted to see people relating to the disability pride pets-- whether it be for personal conditions, or ones shared by friends and loved ones 💜

Here's a list of the inspiration behind the ones that I made!


All three of these pets are amputees/have limb differences. The rat might be a bit hard to spot at a glance, since the missing foot is rather tiny


These two snakes are both based on spider morph ball pythons. The genetics that make the unique patterning on these snakes also leaves them with neurological issues. A snake with neurological issues will often flip, corkscrew, and "stargaze" (as they're depicted doing here). This morph is very controversial for ethics reasons.


These snakes both have a kinked spine! I thought it would be a simple but neat edit that folks with scoliosis might relate to.


These two are both missing an eye due to injury. I also wanted to show some more advanced scarring on the unicorn, as well as a broken horn (somewhat inspired by Tempest Shadow).


This cat is representation of "wobbly cat syndrome", or Cerebellar Hypoplasia. It can also be read as other neurological issues that affect mobility!


This cat represents Dyscalculia, or difficulty understanding and processing numbers


This lion represents Dyslexia, or difficulty understanding and processing written words


This dog is a very general one, being inspired by weight loss and muscle atrophy. Many health issues (some chronic, some not) cause these issues.


This fella is based on dogs with Short Spine Syndrome! It's a very rare disorder that causes exactly what the name suggests.


This dog has a twisted or club foot. The design itself was inspired loosely by spaniels, but the idea was inspired by a basset hound I had growing up who had a twisted foot.


This lion represents Tourette's or similar disorders that cause tics. I personally have Tourette's/Tourettic OCD. The scrunched face is directly inspired by one of my own eye tics! (As is the vocal tic).


This dog is inspired by migraines-- another issue that I personally experience. He may also be a bit subconsciously inspired by brain zaps (again, something I experience).


This dog is inspired by Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or similar conditions with alters. I've noticed that many active people on CS have DID or similar conditions, and I wanted to try my hand at a pet to represent that 💜


And lastly, this fella is based on OCD.
I developed OCD in elementary school-- as well as Tourette's/Tourettic OCD. It's hard for me to tell where these conditions start and end at times, though Anxiety usually marks OCD, while Feeling marks the more Tourettic side. I count all of the time-- my steps, touching objects, ritual behaviors, etcetc. 8 is one of my bad numbers, and I can't step over thresholds while counting that number-- I have to take a step back, or drag my foot, etc. You may notice that there is no number 8 on the dyscalculia cat as well, and that I don't make pet litters of 8-- or 16-- or 18 (which is why there's 19 of these guys).

The design for this fella is also inspired loosely by my red fox sona, Note hahaha

Hi everyone! Here's the inspiration for my pets!


Insomnia - Tried to show that he's frustrated and tired


Depression - with the ears back and tucked tail I tried to show them being sad


Anxiety - I tried to show her with racing thoughts, shaking, and being overwhelmed.

I honestly cried reading some of the post talking about how you relate to the pets and wanting to hug them. I have anxiety and depression myself and it felt nice to finally put some of my feelings into a drawing!

[WeirdlyVix]

Short spine syndrome is a rare genetic anomaly where a dog's vertebrae are severely compressed and fused, resulting in a truncated, compact body.

[Dawulf]

Short spine syndrome is a rare genetic anomaly where a dog's vertebrae are severely compressed and fused, resulting in a truncated, compact body.

Here is Quasimodo, a real life example.