Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Authentic casting faces so many barriers.
Much of the time, people with disabilities are not portrayed at all.
When we do get representation, it’s commonly as villains.
Or, it’s played by someone with no lived experience of the disability.
And finally, when we get amazing representation, and they finally, finally cast her authentically with a notable voice actor who has the disability… the internet loses its mind in the worst way.
Which is why I intentionally wrote the main love interest in my novel, Scrapped Hope, with a cleft lip. Additionally, we worked with the cleft community, including Smile Train and Dr. Law, to cast someone from the community to voice her character in the audiobook.
Happy world cleft awareness day everyone!#AuthenticCasting #CleftDay2026 #RepresentationMatters
Authentic casting faces so many barriers.
Much of the time, people with disabilities are not portrayed at all.
When we do get representation, it’s commonly as villains.
Or, it’s played by someone with no lived experience of the disability.
And finally, when we get amazing representation, and they finally, finally cast her authentically with a notable voice actor who has the disability… the internet loses its mind in the worst way.
Which is why I intentionally wrote the main love interest in my novel, Scrapped Hope, with a cleft lip. Additionally, we worked with the cleft community, including Smile Train and Dr. Law, to cast someone from the community to voice her character in the audiobook.
Happy world cleft awareness day everyone!#AuthenticCasting #CleftDay2026 #RepresentationMatters
