ABSTRACT
Until recently, few have critically examined how power relations and norms concerning disability and ability are depicted and negotiated in sf, even though many sf narratives seem preoccupied with non-normative bodies and minds. Likewise, in disability studies, the study of non-realist texts and questions of genre is also quite new. This chapter suggests ways in which the study of sf could benefit from a disability perspective by outlining some points of contact with disability studies. It begins with an introduction to disability studies and to previous research on sf and disability, and then highlights ways in which a disability perspective can be beneficial for the study of sf narratives, such as applying a critique of the medical model of disability to narratives about the future; reflecting on the importance of considering non-realist elements when reading and analysing disability in sf; and acknowledging not only the explicit presence of (realist) disabled bodies and minds, but also considering how norms and power relations related to ability and disability influence narratives even in the absence of such representations.
