Physically Disabled Trainers

[ehh123]

Do we know of any physically disabled trainers in Pokemon canon? Blind, deaf, wheelchair-bound? The only I can think of is that deaf trainer in Pokemon Live.

And that brings about a further question: How do you go on a Pokemon journey if your body is hampered in some waY Are there alternative ways of doing it? I am reminded of that Pokemon test episode from the original anime, the one where the infamous "Jigglypuff seen from above" gag comes from. That could be a good substitution.

 

[prog rocker]

There was also that Pokémon school from the Cubone episode. Depending on your class (year?), it counted as having a different number of badges.

Also, wasn't Pryce wheelchair-bound in the Pokémon Adventures manga?

 

[RexMissingno]

There's several trainers who use canes (Pryce, Blaine, Professor Magnolia), It's never outright stated what he has but Wally is implied to have some sort of chronic illness, and there was an unnamed blind child in PokeSpe. Pokemon hasn't always been the best with disabled representation and I'm surprised now that I think about it that I can't think of a single canonically wheelchair-using or HoH character. Given the potential of service Pokemon in the world I'm sure physically disabled people could still be Pokemon trainers and in the case of Wally I want to say it was implied that his Pokemon help him. I know they also make wheelchairs for terrain navigation and with how the Pokemon world seems to have free healthcare I'm sure people could get more advanced mobility aids.

 

[Dorothy]

I'm surprised now that I think about it that I can't think of a single canonically wheelchair-using or HoH character.

Pryce uses a wheelchair in the manga.

 

[RexMissingno]

Pryce uses a wheelchair in the manga.

That's true, I forgot about Pryce in the manga since I haven't read the Johto arc in a few years. I also just remembered there was a character in a wheelchair in Detective Pikachu but it's also been awhile since I've watched Detective Pikachu.

 

[Epic Spheal]

As someone mentioned above, there's just not a lot of representation of disabilities in Pokemon. And the examples given, for the most part, are interesting cases. Blaine, Pryce, Professor Magnolia, and Opal all use canes, but it's clear that is due to the aging process and not them having, say, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Brittle Bone Disease). So when they were active trainers/researchers in their youth, they could get around fine, and by the time they needed canes, they would've been established both in career and financial means to make their own accommodations to keep their careers as they age.

And then there's Wally, who is highly implied to have asthma. Yet, we see his asthma improve over the course of the journey simply by moving to an area with cleaner air and actually traveling. Which has a basis in IRL as asthma can improve in some cases by doing the exact same things Wally did.

People mentioned those tests from the anime, and while they would be great substitutions, if I recall correctly, those episodes were meant to portray those who took those tests as not being serious trainers and that sitting in a classroom was no substitute for actual traveling experience (and honestly that's a theme that's carried a lot in-game where the player often thrashes the school kids at the trainer school rather easily). So while it's a viable option, the way that it's often portrayed, I could see some trainers looking down on anyone who uses the test substitution over actually going on a journey.

Using Pokemon themselves as service creatures is the most viable option. For example, Machamp would be good for mobility purposes, and the Lillipup line could act as living detectors for people with severe allergies (like peanuts, certain plants, etc). Chimecho could be used for certain sensory issues, Audino and the Chansey Line could be used for people that might have issues with stamina/energy, and many Pokemon could be used for seeing-eye or hearing-impaired individuals. I think using Pokemon would be the standard for living on a daily basis with perhaps special permits to use them on journeys (to avoid the 6 Pokemon rule as most service Pokemon would likely not be used in battle unless it's a dire situation). Perhaps gyms allow you to bypass the gym puzzle because many of those would not be accessible at all, but then I think of gym leaders like Whitney and Clair who throw tantrums, and so now you have people who might refuse to accommodate.

So I think they could definitely become trainers if that's what they wanted, but I think they'd run into similar issues like poor people in Pokemon (because we know there is poverty and as stated in the Pokemon manga, Rose actually had to CREATE programs to allow poorer kids the chance to become trainers). There are barriers that the Pokemon world unintentionally puts up that would prevent a good majority of people from being able to do a full circuit in the gyms or contests that the player doesn't have to experience. Like would someone be able to actually get their hands on a Machamp/Chimecho/Stoutland/etc if they needed one? What about the cost of taking care of Pokemon, especially if they have to carry more than six (because you're not going to be by a Pokemon center all of the time)? Then of course costs of living for yourself (making sure you have enough supplies for your accessibility devices and other basic needs)? Universal Healthcare exists in Pokemon, but poverty does too, and there would be attrition likely due to not being able to maintain enough resources while out on routes which depending on weather, terrain, and strength of the wild Pokemon could eat up those potions and antidotes extremely quickly and create dangerous situations rather quickly.


I'd be curious to see how maybe Pokemon Scarlet/Violet tackles this, if they do at all. I think it would be nice to see more wheelchair accesibility (be it more ramps and elevators) or some one off NPC quotes that allude to ways things are actually made accessible and of course having trainer classes that have diverse models some that do show disabled reputation (like seeing Blind Beautys and School Kids with wheelchairs)

 

[Nitro Indigo]

For a while, I've had the idea to do a fanfic contest about disabled trainers, but I don't know if there's enough interest. Years ago, I saw a Tumblr post about headcanons about disabilities in the Pokémon world, and my favourite was that the first person to find the Regis was blind.

 

[Arceusgjengen]

We must keep in mind that Japan is not the most progressive country.

 

[Serverus Snope]

So I think they could definitely become trainers if that's what they wanted, but I think they'd run into similar issues like poor people in Pokemon (because we know there is poverty and as stated in the Pokemon manga, Rose actually had to CREATE programs to allow poorer kids the chance to become trainers). There are barriers that the Pokemon world unintentionally puts up that would prevent a good majority of people from being able to do a full circuit in the gyms or contests that the player doesn't have to experience. Like would someone be able to actually get their hands on a Machamp/Chimecho/Stoutland/etc if they needed one? What about the cost of taking care of Pokemon, especially if they have to carry more than six (because you're not going to be by a Pokemon center all of the time)? Then of course costs of living for yourself (making sure you have enough supplies for your accessibility devices and other basic needs)? Universal Healthcare exists in Pokemon, but poverty does too, and there would be attrition likely due to not being able to maintain enough resources while out on routes which depending on weather, terrain, and strength of the wild Pokemon could eat up those potions and antidotes extremely quickly and create dangerous situations rather quickly.


I'd be curious to see how maybe Pokemon Scarlet/Violet tackles this, if they do at all. I think it would be nice to see more wheelchair accesibility (be it more ramps and elevators) or some one off NPC quotes that allude to ways things are actually made accessible and of course having trainer classes that have diverse models some that do show disabled reputation (like seeing Blind Beautys and School Kids with wheelchairs)

Who says they necessarily have to be in the final evolutionary stage? Lillipups and Herdiers, for example, are quite common. Then again, training them to be service Pokemon would likely take up the most time and resources.

Fortunately, many regions have Rangers on the routes to help out if things go particularly sideways. It's not perfect but it'd be an especially useful lifeline for disabled trainers.

On a side note, an interesting fan website (The World of Pokemon) that gathers basically everything we know about each species suggests that not every species requires equal amounts of maintenance. Contrast needy, high-maintenance Pokemon like Togepi and Glameow with, say, Corphish (who can survive in pretty much any body of water and has a diverse diet) or Golett (who doesn't even need to eat or drink.)

 

[Mr. MoonStone]

Japan has a pretty awful track record with handling disabilities and often treats disabled people like they don't exist (notice the lack of wheelchair accessible locations almost everywhere in country if you ever get a chance to visit) which likely plays a big role in why we haven't seen much representation in the games. But even so, it's still quite strange that we've gone this far into the franchise to have an international and quite diverse audience and still lack this kind of representation. I hope Scarlet and Violet can fix this!

 

[Dorothy]

We must keep in mind that Japan is not the most progressive country.

While this is true (to an extent! Let's not write Japan off as fundamentally conservative when there is a vibrant and active progressive movement in the country), Pokemon ceased to be a primarily Japanese franchise a long time ago. Pokemon is an international franchise, and Nintendo/Game Freak have a vested interest in maximizing the series' international appeal. This is why certain aspects of the series have been tweaked (removing gambling, adding a greater diversity of skin tones and genders in the character roster) to help with that.

 

[Epic Spheal]

Who says they necessarily have to be in the final evolutionary stage? Lillipups and Herdiers, for example, are quite common. Then again, training them to be service Pokemon would likely take up the most time and resources.

Fortunately, many regions have Rangers on the routes to help out if things go particularly sideways. It's not perfect but it'd be an especially useful lifeline for disabled trainers.

On a side note, an interesting fan website (The World of Pokemon) that gathers basically everything we know about each species suggests that not every species requires equal amounts of maintenance. Contrast needy, high-maintenance Pokemon like Togepi and Glameow with, say, Corphish (who can survive in pretty much any body of water and has a diverse diet) or Golett (who doesn't even need to eat or drink.)

While Lillipup and Herdier don't need to be fully evolved, a Machamp would absolutely have to because it needs the four arms (two to carry in a stable manner and two to maneuver obstacles). Machop, while very strong, is too small to be comfortable, and Machoke may have some trouble carrying the trainer in a safe/stable manner and pushing aside obstacles. Would probably be a good choice if someone living in a town or works around areas that are accessible with wheelchairs equipped for more terrain, but I would choose a Machamp over Machoke for someone seriously intending to travel a region to account for highly inaccessible areas (and then say a Lapras for water excursions). And even if they are common in some regions, they may be rare if not completely unavailable in other regions. And the Pokemon that could be substituted may not be the best (I wouldn't necessarily substitute a Conkeldurr for a Machamp for this type of purpose.

To the Ranger points, while I don't disagree that they could be a lifeline, as they would likely have some emergency medicine training they likely may not be able to handle more complex medical cases since their primary focus is on the Pokemon. Nurses and doctors can do a whole field of medicine called Wilderness/Disaster Medicine if they enjoy the outdoors. It's not a huge field IRL but in the Pokemon World, I could see it being a more popular specialty choice for healthcare students. I feel like when it comes to human care, it would not be under the complete jurisdiction of rangers as they just have so many other things to be concerned with. They'd likely work as a team, the rangers checking on the trainer's Pokemon (or fending off wild Pokemon while the nurses/doctors stabilize the patient) and then the nurse/doctors/non-Ranger Paramedics take care of the humans.

To your point about the Pokemon having various levels of need, I never stated that every Pokemon is high maintenance. It's just that all of them have some maintenance, and the more you have, the more work goes into caring for all of them. There's an NPC early on in BW who mentioned that most people only have 3 Pokemon instead of the full team, and outside of gameplay reasons, lorewise, it makes a lot of sense. It would get extremely time-consuming/expensive when you have full teams (or more if you're someone who actually rotates them out of the PC). We don't know what the service Pokemon needs are. Ideally, they'd be on the lower side of maintenance.

 

[Rocket Zigzagoon]

Aside from the wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs and parts shall count as well. Pokémon's universes are way more technologically-advanced than our universes in present-days, so prosthetic limbs would be in widespread use.