#kep

Daanah: she/her; 15 when the story begins; main character through all 3 books; level 1, low support needs, speaking; has a service dog

Zhe'ārani (for intimates)/Ši Arroakhai Kjú (for others): she/her or they/them; 17 when the story begins; main character through all 3 books; level 1, low support needs, usually speaking (typically signs, as she is Deaf) but experiences speech loss under stress

Sei: she/her; approximately 18 when the story begins; main character through books 2 and 3; level 3, high support needs, nonverbal; has comorbid borderline intellectual disability; has two professional caregivers, uses a high-tech AAC tablet, uses a gait trainer or a posterior walking frame

Talí: they/them (or others with people they're close with); 15 when the story begins; Daanah's best friend and other main character Halek's younger sibling; level 1, low support needs, speaking; uses incontinence pads, needs some accommodations at school but only gets them with certain teachers

Līs: he/him at first and eventually he/they/she/xe/fae; approximately 17 when the story begins; Zhe'ārani's close friend; level 2, medium support needs, speaking but has selective mutism; doesn't have official carers but his friends help him with most IADLs and he is suffering a lot from not having as much support as he needs with personal grooming

Roo: she/her; almost 13 when the story begins; Halek's younger sister; level 2, high support needs (rendered more complex by her moderate-to-severe physical disabilities), nonverbal; uses a high-tech symbol-based AAC tablet and is cared for by her family members in regards to IADLs and most BADLs

Tepaan-Bríné: he/him; in his early 50s; Halek's father (also headmates with Úsírae, Réswn, Wnahé, Ínaenow, Ainér-Asúðoi, and Saesà); level 2, low-to-moderate support needs, can form sentences of three words or fewer; uses an AAC tablet most of the time, is supported in many ways by his wife, son and child, headmates, and parents-in-law

Úsírae: he/him; in his early 50s; Halek's father (also headmates with Tepaan-Bríné, Réswn, Wnahé, Ínaenow, Ainér-Asúðoi, and Saesà); level 2, low-to-moderate support needs, has more access to speech and grammar than Tepaan-Bríné; is supported in many ways by his wife, son and child, and parents-in-law

Réswn: she/her; in her early 50s; Halek's aunt (also headmates with Tepaan-Bríné, Úsírae, Wnahé, Ínaenow, Ainér-Asúðoi, and Saesà); level 2, low-to-moderate support needs, has more access to speech and grammar than Tepaan-Bríné; is supported in many ways by her family members

Wnahé: they/she; in her early 50s; Halek's parent (also headmates with Tepaan-Bríné, Úsírae, Réswn, Ínaenow, Ainér-Asúðoi, and Saesà); level 2, low-to-moderate support needs; is supported in many ways by her family members

Ínaenow: they/he; in his early 50s; Halek's stepparent (also headmates with Tepaan-Bríné, Úsírae, Wnahé, Réswn, Ainér-Asúðoi, and Saesà); level 2, low-to-moderate support needs; is supported in many ways by their family members

Ainér-Asúðoi: he/him; in his early 50s; Halek's uncle (also headmates with Tepaan-Bríné, Úsírae, Wnahé, Réswn, Ínaenow, and Saesà); level 2, low-to-moderate support needs; is supported in many ways by his family members, uses an AAC tablet

Saesà: he/him; bodily in his early 50s but internally perpetually around 10; Halek's family member (also headmates with Tepaan-Bríné, Úsírae, Wnahé, Réswn, Ainér-Asúðoi, and Ínaenow); level 2, low-to-moderate support needs, does not use language to communicate whatsoever; is supported in many ways by his family members

Chiishé-Faindh: he/him; in his early 30s; Halek's uncle; level 2, moderate support needs, difficulty with language especially vocal speech due to a traumatic brain injury; comorbid Down Syndrome with mild intellectual disability; is supported with IADLs and some BADLs by his family members (part of Halek's household), uses a picture-based AAC program on his tablet most of the time due to difficulty with word retrieval

Aedrii-Nú: she/her; 4 when the story begins; Halek's cousin (Chiishé-Faindh's daughter) and part of his household; level 1, low support needs (in comparison with other autistic children her age), verbal; cared for by her family

Míúren: she/her; in her 50s; Halek’s mother; level 1, lower support needs (as a baseline with regards to her autism, though her overall support needs become temporarily higher when she is experiencing a particularly bad chronic illness flare up or a bad mood episode or bad psychotic episode), speaking; has informal/semi-formalized accommodations at work with her coworkers and direct supervisors and any students/lab assistants/research assistants who join the team

Juni: ze/hir; in hir 80s; Halek’s maternal grandkether (part of his household); level 1, low support needs, verbal

Saujei: she/her; middle aged; Halek’s maternal aunt (part of his household); level 3, very high support needs, no language use and very minimal language understanding; has profound intellectual disability; cared for by her family members at home and by professionals at the day program she attends, uses multiple types of mobility aids including an adaptive stroller

Retmiq: he/him; 19; another Initiate at the same Temple as Zhe’ārani; level 1, low support needs, speaking

Ghurvi'airra: she/her; around 17; one of Zhe’ārani’s best friends from home

Āvolú: they/them; around 17; one of Zhe’ārani’s best friends from home

Ektanai: they/it; 19; Halek’s friend & former cellmate; level 1, low support needs, speaking

Aelísú: she/her; 14; Halek’s cousin; level 1, low support needs, verbal

Kíkam: they/she; 12; Halek’s cousin; level 2, low-to-moderate support needs, speaking

Luivo: variously, he/they/she; Halek’s step-cousin; around 17 when the story begins; level 3, high support needs, nonverbal; has severe intellectual disability; cared for by family members, uses pictures including their own art to aid in communication from both sides, attends a weekly art program for cognitively disabled teens and a daily social & respite care program for autistic youth in the afternoons

Amadi: they/them; Halek’s friend; adult; level 2, lower support needs, nonverbal; uses a high-tech AAC

Elèrí: he/him; immortal + very old; associated with Halek’s family; level 1, verbal

Reika: she/her; Saujei’s best friend; level 3, high support needs, nonverbal; has severe intellectual disability

Kep: he/him; mid-teens; Luivo’s companion at the cognitive-disability-focused art program they go to; level 1 or 2, high support needs; has moderate brain damage

Asémí: she/her; mid-teens; Luivo’s companion at the afternoon social and respite care program for autistic youth they go to; level 3, high support needs, nonverbal; has profound intellectual disability

Jaision: she/her; 16 at the start of the story; Sei’s sister; level 3, high support needs, nonverbal; has an unknown degree of intellectual disability (it is hard to test for because it’s unclear whether she can’t comprehend things or is just not very receptive to other people)

Jēn-Tajanē: she/they/he; around 8; Sei’s sibling; level 2, moderate-to-high support needs, semiverbal; uses an AAC tablet and has a professional caregiver

Qiota: he/him; 15; Sei’s brother; level 1, low support needs, verbal

Gūnan: he/him; 11; Sei’s brother; level 1, low support needs, speaking

Haisū: she/her; adult; Sei’s aunt; level 1, low support needs

Yalau: she/her; around 11; Sei’s cousin; level 3, high support needs, nonverbal

reference pictures: