Minifigures with Disabilities: Discussion and Rumours

[tafkatb]

As far as I know there aren't any canonically Autistic characters - a few that seem like they could be, but nothing confirmed. (Admittedly, I don't keep up with all the tie-in media, so there could be something more official out there.) There is also Fiona, a character with Down syndrome, in one of this year's Friends sets.

[Lion King]

For City or regular CMF Series, I would like to see Sign Language Interpreter minifigure to support deaf and hard-of-hearing folks! How? Its simple - interpreter wears a black shirt with “Sign Language Interpreter” and two “C” hands interconnected printed on the back. 

[El Garfio]

8 hours ago, Lion King said:

For City or regular CMF Series, I would like to see Sign Language Interpreter minifigure to support deaf and hard-of-hearing folks! How? Its simple - interpreter wears a black shirt with “Sign Language Interpreter” and two “C” hands interconnected printed on the back. 

Why they wear black shirts? 

In Spain, when a TV program has sign language interpreters (like parlament sessions), both him and her wear always a black shirt 

[Lion King]

4 hours ago, El Garfio said:

Why they wear black shirts? 

In Spain, when a TV program has sign language interpreters (like parlament sessions), both him and her wear always a black shirt 

Because their hands are more visible against dark clothes so deaf and hard-of-hearing people can read what the interpreters sign. It’s professional to dress black and other dark clohtes (dark blue, dark purple, etc). If they wear light-colored clohtes, it would be difficult to see what they are saying. 

[Peppermint_M]

📸 Watch this video on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/m5k3GiS7VnqNAeW9/

I thought that this would be important to share. 

[Yperio_Bricks]

4 minutes ago, Peppermint_M said:

📸 Watch this video on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/m5k3GiS7VnqNAeW9/

I thought that this would be important to share. 

I am often critical of Lego but here they have done right. Thanks for sharing!

[Lyichir]

5 hours ago, Peppermint_M said:

📸 Watch this video on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/m5k3GiS7VnqNAeW9/

I thought that this would be important to share. 

Very nice video.

Earlier this year when I saw a few people complain about figs like these not fitting into their "idealized" Lego world, or refer to them using loaded words like "disfigured", I was reminded why these sorts of figs are so important. Not just so that disabled people can see themselves represented in Lego (although that's plenty important as well), but so that non-disabled kids (and adults!) can see disability represented in a realistic, non-stigmatizing way. By normalizing the existence of disability in everyday play scenarios (and not just stereotypical ones like pirates with eyepatches and peglegs), Lego can better prepare people to engage appropriately and respectfully with disability when they encounter it in everyday life.

Anyway, on the subject, I also am in the process of building the new modular building and just got to the part with the young woman with a modern prosthetic leg (the second time I've gotten that part, after its first appearance in the City grocery store last year). It's great to have that kind of representation in one of Lego's flagship Icons sets, even though it also still reminds me that we have yet to have a modular building that's fully wheelchair accessible (something I hope to see in the future, especially with Lego improving its wheelchair design and introducing new parts like the longer worm gear that's already been used for elevators in themes like City).

[Lion King]

I beleive that that female minifigure with prosthetic leg is a second minifigure with disabilities that we have in Modular Building collection. The first minifigure wiht disabilies in that series is a bassist that wears hearing aid, implying that he is either deaf or hard-of-hearing. 

[eric_son_of_joseph]

12 hours ago, Peppermint_M said:

I thought that this would be important to share.

Thank you for sharing

[tafkatb]

With lots of new 2024 sets being revealed recently, a quick roundup of some of the disability representation I've noticed:

• an athlete in CMF series 25 with two of the modern prosthetic legs
• another CMF features a more modern eyepatch
• a new dual-molded hairpiece with cochlear implant, seen in both City and Friends sets
• while not directly related, a new dog wearing a vest in City police and fire station sets, which could likely be used later as a service dog given a different print
• a character in the Heartlake City Shopping Mall has a prosthetic leg; I haven't kept up well with Friends so I'm not sure whether this is a new piece

I'm sure there are more! What else have people spotted?

[El Garfio]

1 hour ago, tafkatb said:

With lots of new 2024 sets being revealed recently, a quick roundup of some of the disability representation I've noticed:

• an athlete in CMF series 25 with two of the modern prosthetic legs
• another CMF features a more modern eyepatch
• a new dual-molded hairpiece with cochlear implant, seen in both City and Friends sets
• while not directly related, a new dog wearing a vest in City police and fire station sets, which could likely be used later as a service dog given a different print
• a character in the Heartlake City Shopping Mall has a prosthetic leg; I haven't kept up well with Friends so I'm not sure whether this is a new piece

I'm sure there are more! What else have people spotted?

The protesic arm for Autumn, that could be a future item in other Friends characters

[Lion King]

That eyepatch is either “permanent” or “temporary”, it’s up to you to interpret what it is in your own imignation. Same wa with CI (cohclear implant), it could tell you which deaf or hard-or-hearing minifigure could be. It’s also up to you interpret in your own way. 

[El Garfio]

49 minutes ago, Lion King said:

That eyepatch is either “permanent” or “temporary”, it’s up to you to interpret what it is in your own imignation. Same wa with CI (cohclear implant), it could tell you which deaf or hard-or-hearing minifigure could be. It’s also up to you interpret in your own way. 

It looks like a lazy eye patch

[Robert8]

On 9/24/2023 at 3:54 PM, Lion King said:

For City or regular CMF Series, I would like to see Sign Language Interpreter minifigure to support deaf and hard-of-hearing folks! How? Its simple - interpreter wears a black shirt with “Sign Language Interpreter” and two “C” hands interconnected printed on the back. 

That sounds more like a torso for BAM than a CMF

[Lion King]

24 minutes ago, Robert8 said:

That sounds more like a torso for BAM than a CMF

Thanks…? I mean, I would like to see sing lanauge intercepter showing up in either CMF or City, rather than BAm.  I guess the torso is very cheap for BAM.

Edited December 5, 2023 by Lion King