Suggestion - Sims 4 - Sims with Disabilities

I was playing The Sims 4 recently and building what I’d describe as a breezeway in a house—everything was connected and built on a foundation. To get through, I needed to use stairs, which wasn’t an issue at first. But then I started thinking about ramps and realized something: there’s a noticeable lack of representation when it comes to visible physical disabilities in the game. Things like limb loss or mobility challenges aren’t really reflected.

It got me wondering—would the Sims team ever consider adding features like wheelchair-accessible seating, ramps, and other inclusive options? I know this would be a big addition, but it would bring so much realism and heart to the game. It could mean a lot to players who want to see themselves or others represented more fully.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this idea sparks something!

Seven years??!!! C'mon EA, I can't believe this is still in question. We need wheelchair bound sims

I have no idea how the Sims 4 would implement physical disabilities with how some of the worlds work - Discover University introduced bikes, which is really strange considering the entire world outside of builds is not wheel friendly. For all we know, they might be working on such things, but given the limitations I've seen with just building in build mode... the game would need a whole lot of new features. and possibly a reworking of all the worlds.

A worrisome things is that the Sims 4 is really limited on their animations. They do not put in the sort of effort you see in previous releases. They reuse and rehash ones from a decade ago to this day. For physical disabilities they will have to step up their game to make new ways for Sims to function. 

They would need to create whole new walking styles for Sims who might use canes, walkers, crutches that take things like going up or down hills, stairs and the like into consideration. For wheelchair bound Sims, there would need to be new animations in regards to accessing things from certain heights, being able to transfer to seating, beds, toilets. Many builds would likely need to be modified to have entrances wide enough for wheelchairs and ramps that adjust to seamlessly with any porch or platform height. Foot prints of most things also would likely need to be adjusted to ensure they don't get stuck - a lot of builders sure do love to cram as much as they can into one room and follow the "you only need a half tile of space to get them through." Clothing would probably need adjusting as well, especially long, puffy skirts when it comes to wheelchairs. Well, unless players are fine with a lot of clipping happening. Afterall, even now half of Sims' bodies will pass through walls, and depending on your Sim's body type, their backs will clip through chairs.

Thinking on it more, depending on how different the physical disability is in terms of mobility, there would likely need to be a special tagging system in place as well to identify and ensure the Sim doesn't do certain behaviors by accident - like suddenly jump to the floor to do sit ups or pushups, break out in a run when scared, suddenly jump into a the arms of the Sim who proposed to them and the like. There would also need to be new animations added to fully able-bodied Sims for proper interactions to take place such as displays of affection. 

This sort of expansion regarding such disabilities will likely take the team an exceptionally long time to produce if they want to do it right. In turn... I question just how long it would take for them to introduce physical disability to the game when so many Simmers are displeased with how many things that were present in the older Sims games have yet to show up after the passage of a decade.

I know a lot of simmers have been hoping for this for quite some time. I totally see the need for more medical accessories as we have hearing aids, but I personally think it would be great if they could let us add earrings to sims who we give hearing aids to.

If they do decide to introduce these features, it would be awesome if they could make them accessible too, maybe with ramps. It would be such a nice touch to have the Grow Together pack include prams or strollers for toddlers and walking aids for our older Sims as well. I think that would really work for many players! 

I understand that some simmers might feel hesitant about these additions. Finding the right balance is key, and while introducing it as a pack could be beneficial, there’s always the chance of backlash. It seems like a tricky situation, but I truly hope they’re considering this suggestion. Adding these elements could bring even more realism to the game and enhance the experience for everyone, whether they're using walking aids for their older Sims or prams for their little ones!

I can't wait to see physical disabilities on the game (prosthetics are already late, just look at Discover University) but according to some previous discussions about it some disabled people don't want things like wheelchairs being forced in their games because of trauma, so i think that the best way to add it would be creating a free pack/collection like the Holidays and the Grim Guitar ones just for wheelchairs, so whoever wants it can download it.

Hey Simmers!

I wanted to start a discussion about something I feel would be a meaningful addition to The Sims 4—better representation for people with disabilities. Right now, there are limited ways to reflect simmers who use wheelchairs, prosthetics, or service animals in the game. Since The Sims is all about creativity and life simulation, it would be amazing to see more accessibility features added, like ramps, elevators, and a wheelchair-accessible lot trait.

A great way to implement this could be a new CAS tab, similar to the Occult tab, allowing players to customize mobility aids and other accessibility features. If you own Cats & Dogs, service dogs could be introduced as a functional gameplay element, making assistance animals more than just decorative pets. These features would not only enhance storytelling but also allow more players to feel truly represented in the game.

I also believe these additions should be in the base game, ensuring inclusivity without a paywall. The Sims has made great strides in representation over the years, and expanding disability options would be another fantastic step forward.

What do you all think? Would you like to see more accessibility features in The Sims 4? How would you like them to be implemented? Let’s discuss!

Many people have brought up this topic before. There are many reasons why disabilities have not been brought to the Sims 4. When it comes to physical disabilities, what is perhaps one of the main reasons they are avoided is due to how the worlds have been created. They are only semi-open for exploration and are all made for those who are able to walk without problems. This means vehicles in general are near impossible.

While they did introduce bikes, the Sims can only ride them so far and, as University has shown, stairs often get in the way so your Sim has to dismount, take the stairs and then mount their bike again. That won't work with a Sim who needs a wheelchair or even a walker. Next is the need to do new animations. The team would need to create new animations for wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes and the like. There would also need to be new animations for things like leaving a wheel chair to enter stationary sitting surface or a bed as well as doing careers where the Sim has to stand up or ask for help from another to reach or use an object. There is also the matter of certain clothes clipping through the aids.

Prosthetics could be possible. Arms and hands would likely have to look realistic in terms of shape and work as a skin swatch, but for prosthetics like hooks for hands would be unlikely. Legs would probably be able to work like how boots do, so those could likely be more diverse in construction and not limited to looking exactly like a "perfectly-shaped" leg and foot. There does rest the likely problem of someone wanting their Sim to be able to remove their prosthetic, however...

There are then the "experience" that could actually cause a problem. With how Sims work, gaining empathy for someone physically disabled doesn't quite strike me as happening, since Sims tend to route to places on their own. A person in real life knows the difficulty of looking for routes optional for them. In the Sims 4, they either likely won't have that problem because they will be programmed to go only on certain routes for their disability. More likely, they will try to take the most ridiculous route and find they can't go there, then you'll try to make them go on the route they can use, but then they suddenly turn around and seek a different one that is all the way across the lot...

Meanwhile, mental disabilities, disorders and traits are a can full of worms. As it goes, those are sensitive topics and fall into spectrums. There is no "one fits all" in the matter and can lead to a lot of upset Simmers. The "erratic" trait alone is a good example of how people would react to such things being introduced. "Not all people who are [insert label] act like this!" "This was done insensitively!" "The word you used to describe this trait is degrading!" "I'm [insert label] and this doesn't represent where I fall into the spectrum." (I've had these problems with some regular traits in the Sims 4 not being what I expected them to be, but those are somewhat easy to brush off. More serious things, however?)

Lastly, despite the Sims 4 is a life simulator, it isn't a very serious one. They try to avoid the more serious and grave things in life and when they do address them, they often do it via humor. Almost all of the deaths have a somewhat goofiness to them. Animals cannot die from anything other than old age. If a Sim is injured, it only shows up as an uncomfortable moodlet. Certain words are censored with things like "whoo-hoo", "juice" and "nectar"... So if the Sims 4 were to ever add in any of these inclusive things, they would probably try to make them a bit light-hearted. Unfortunately, trying to make them light-hearted is exactly what upsets people.

I think it would be great to have more focused mental health or neurodivergence related traits, for example a stronger version of introvert where a sim dislikes socialising for too long or with new people, or a more intense version of neat so a sim might get a lot of stress from mess and be much more likely to clean things. We could then create what we want in the game. Representing these more intense behaviours in the game though might raise issues with is it sensitive to the issues relating to them, because the game does rely on repetitive and often exaggerated animations to show sim behaviour. This is fine for things like hothead or neat, but could come across badly when representing something that's already more extreme than most people experience it.

I believe that glasses, hearing aids and the dexcom monitors should have respective gameplay and to have a setting in cas for the sim to have the gameplay.

We should also have wheelchairs, walking sticks, walkers, and scooters for mobility gameplay. There should be some mental illnesses for more realism in the game. 

This would bring so much more representation into the game, and for a life sim, this is needed. It's 2025, and the game has been out for over 10 years, and the franchise is almost 25.

I’m writing to share my thoughts and make a heartfelt request regarding inclusivity in The Sims. I’ve been a long-time player of the series and greatly admire how it celebrates diversity by including Sims of various ethnicities, sexualities, and genders. However, I’ve noticed that one aspect of diversity is still missing—representation of people with disabilities.

I believe including disability features in The Sims would make the game world even richer, more inclusive, and empowering for players. As someone with a disability, I know firsthand how important it is to feel seen and represented. I would love the ability to create a Sim that truly reflects me, incorporating my own traits, my disability, and how I experience life.

By providing tools like mobility aids, prosthetics, sensory accommodations, or neurodivergent traits, you’d allow players to represent themselves authentically and tell stories that reflect the broad spectrum of human experience. The best part is that the creative decisions would remain in the hands of the players, making it an empowering and deeply personal experience.

This wouldn’t just benefit disabled players—it could foster disability awareness and empathy in the wider community. For instance, an able-bodied player could create a Sim with a disability and experience life from a new perspective. Even for me, as a person with a disability, I don’t fully understand the experiences of others with different disabilities. For example, I don’t know what life is like for someone with autism—what they enjoy, what they find challenging, or how they see the world. Playing as a Sim with autism could help me understand and empathize with those experiences in a meaningful way.

Including disability representation in The Sims wouldn’t only add depth to the game but would also send a powerful message: that disabled people are a valued and celebrated part of society. It would normalize disabilities as part of life and reflect the reality of millions of people around the world.

I’m confident this addition would enrich The Sims and resonate with the community. Thank you for considering this request, and for continuing to create a game that inspires creativity, storytelling, and inclusion.