Lysander is a character who is both indigenous and deaf. These are both aspects I want to represent, but I'm still doing my research on them. I know enough about indigenous cultures to know how excluded they are from nearly any dialogue surrounding progressivism within the politics of the colonizers. I want to do more research before I represent the tribe Lysander is part of, but I can at least say for now it's a proud one. The only finalized aspect of it is that there are histories sustained only through speech instead of written word. Therefore, Frankie's wish didn't affect them because they weren't on the minds of those who were affected. While being deaf kept Lysander immune from Harborym, I wanted to include a main character in my story with hearing loss just because. There don't seem to be too many helpful articles on how to write deaf characters, so I'm just going to try to present Lysander with the same amount of dignity as everyone else, just talking through sign language instead of speaking (Which I will not use as a limiting factor for the character in terms of communication. Mini spoiler but they will make a friend soon who will be their translator.)

If anyone has good resources for research, I'd love to hear them.