Avoiding ableism in postapocalyptic fiction

[msmcknittington]

I was having a conversation in cleolinda's journal on LJ about how frustrating the Dies the Fire and other books in that universe by SM Stirling are because of the ableism. This is a pretty big stumbling block for me in postapocalyptic fiction, because I have insulin-dependent diabetes, and I basically see myself written out of the story whenever I pick up one of these books. And not just "you don't exist" but "you existed, but you died a horrible death which the author just couldn't be bothered to write about".

So! With that in mind, can anyone recommend any postapocalyptic fiction which addresses people with disabilities and/or chronic medical conditions? It could even be as simple as the character needing glasses to see and not being able to get them because of the postapocalyptic setting. I think I'd prefer it if the character was a major character in the novel who was fully fleshed out, rather than an emotional accessory for or someone to be "rescued" by the protagonist. Happy ending, if possible.

I feel like this is a pretty tall order, but there must be something out there somewhere. I'd even be open to just plain fantasy recommendations which deal with disability in a realistic way. That aren't, um, the Vorkosigan Saga, that is.

Comments

[forestofglory]

I one of the main character in Winter of Magic's Return by Pamela F. Service wears glasses -- though I don't recall how he got them. It a bit of an odd bit being a fantasy set 500 years after the nuclear apocalypse. I'm not sure it's still in print.

[msmcknittington]

Thank you! I'll see if my library can't track it down. They're fairly good at things like that, and sometimes have surprisingly obscure books on the shelves.