I recently came across a video promoting the new adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book, The Twits. It featured Greg James and Chris Smith discussing how they might go about creating the most “revolting” character. The illustrator asks them if they'd like a glass eye to be included, to which James and Smith respond, “A glass eye! She needs a glass eye. That's it. What a disgusting pair of twits!”.

Immediately I was taken aback – first that the video was able to be published, and secondly that at no point during the planning and execution did anyone stop to think about how harmful that messaging could be to people using a prosthetic eye, and how it might contribute to stigma around disability.

The literature we give young people is incredibly influential, it can shape their world view, for better or for worse. When writers use a glass eye as a signifier of something disgusting, what kind of message does this promote to young readers about prosthetic eyes?

Children deserve so much more than writing which is at best poorly researched, out of touch, and lazy, and at worst, callous and deliberately stigmatising.

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) released a statement about the video, saying, “When there's positive representation of disabilities in children's books, children with disabilities feel seen and heard, and their friends and classmates treat everyone the same. There is nothing at all revolting about prosthetic eyes, we think they're brilliant.”

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Not having disabled children in mind when discussing disabled characters – or indeed any characters at all – is part of the problem. If you write entirely for the majority, without even considering minoritised communities, you run the risk of stereotyping, and perpetuating harmful stigma, or erasing people altogether.

In a society which constantly fans the flames of pointless and harmful culture wars, it is the most marginalised people who get caught in the crossfire. This is evident in the way many people have responded to criticism of the video, with the usual commentary decrying any kind of backlash as “woke”, or too sensitive, as if sensitivity and consideration for other people is something of which we should be ashamed.

If it's “woke” to not make disabled kids feel like they're grotesque and that their disability is something to be mocked or shamed, then so be it. If the alternative is encouraging a climate where, as studies continually show, disabled children are twice as likely to feel hopeless or sad every day, and three times more likely to attempt suicide, then we could all stand to be a bit more sensitive. Scope, a charity striving for equality disabled people, released a video discussing the impact of the video and offering constructive advice saying, “Greg and Chris, we know you can do better. The disabled community wants to help you get there.”

“The disabled villain” is a tired, overdone trope, a horse that's been flogged to death, exhumed and mocked for the scars of its ordeal. It plays on the stigma that differences make people evil, strange, or morally reprehensible.

To equate using a prosthetic, having a visible difference, or being disabled to being evil or disgusting is something which reflects the deeply ingrained prejudices of an ableist society, and it does have real world consequences.

Around the same time, the parents of children attending a school in Aberdeen were given the option to purchase ensemble photos without disabled members of their class, a bleak indictment of what happens when ableism goes unchecked.

The Herald: A theatrical production of The TwitsA theatrical production of The Twits (Image: free)

By representing disabilities as something that should be removed from a photo or added to make a character more disgusting, we are telling young disabled people that they're an afterthought, an inconvenience or an eyesore, and we're reinforcing this by gutting the financial and social landscape through which they must navigate.

At least nine children have died waiting for their Child Disability Payment, reported delays of as long as 400 days mean that funds which would drastically improve the quality of life of disabled children are being withheld, sometimes until it's too late. Disabled children are an integral part of their classes, just as disabled people are an integral part of our society, and any instance of erasure, ostracisation or stigmatisation should be strongly and swiftly condemned. Disabled people can and should feature as part of our stories, as heroes, villains and everything in between, but disability itself should never be used as an indicator of moral failing, grotesqueness, or evil.

After receiving feedback about the video Greg James and Chris Smith acknowledged the hurt they had caused, saying, “We apologise unreservedly. It’s now gone. We understand that words matter and we pride ourselves on championing and welcoming everyone into the magical world of children’s books. We would never dream of deliberately setting out to exclude anyone.”

This response shouldn't surprise me, but it did. When told that words or actions have caused offence, all too often people double down, and choose to prioritise not the people they have hurt, but their wounded pride. Accepting responsibility feels like admitting defeat, so externalising the criticism is a sadly familiar tactic. To err is human, but to double down, deny and deflect is something that’s become commonplace for many public figures.

It's reassuring that some celebrities are willing not only to apologise, but to acknowledge the power of their words and the responsibility of their platform. Despite apology and retraction being a necessary and helpful step, in order to prevent prejudice and stereotyping, having a diverse team involved at every level and stage of a project is essential.

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Thankfully, there is no shortage of disabled authors writing authentic narratives for adults and children alike, and we must not work to remove the systemic barriers preventing them from being heard. The re-imagining of the Twits comes as part of a wider project of Roald Dahl stories being retold by a star studded cast, featuring “acclaimed contemporary storytellers and illustrators”. It's important to note that the project does include writers who are disabled, and neurodivergent such as Adam Hills and Elle McNicoll, who are also vocal advocates for disabled and neurodiverse people.

In the world of fiction there are no limitations to what can be expressed, we have a unique opportunity to counteract harmful narratives and to encourage, inspire and educate readers, as disability advocate, journalist, and children’s author Rachel Charlton-Dailey said, “It’s so important that all kids can see themselves in books and for disabled kids in ways that they can aspire to, not just as the sad story, or something to be ashamed of”.

Through their storytelling, authors have a responsibility not to reinforce stigma and stereotypes, but to challenge and change them.