In fiction, an individual who is introduced to the readers as a disabled person either is "cured" or the character dies by the end of the story or stories.
After all, no one really wants to be, or to stay, disabled — do they?
It is far more preferable to walk, even if with incredible effort, isn't it?
Having grown up in this culture where getting around on feet is the pinnacle of achievement, I wondered how much this was reflected in fiction written either specifically for girls or for girls and boys, and how much of my mental picture of passive girl-children held true.