The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian a Part-Time Indian"" that the book presents a progressive view of disability. Arnold has what he calls "water on the brain", which would correctly be referred to as hydrocephalus. Crandall points out that Arnold is never held back by his disability, but in fact laughs at himself: "With my big feet and pencil body, I looked like a capital L walking down the road." According to Crandall, the illustrations by Ellen Forney, which are meant to be the cartoons that Arnold draws, represent a new way for the disabled narrator to communicate with the readers: they "initiate further interpretations and
Jika-tabi rice fields and/or wet and muddy environments. In more recent years, jika-tabi manufacturers, like Marugo and Rikio have introduced the "steel toe" and "hard resin" versions which are approved by the Japan Occupational Safety and Health Resource Center (JOSHRC). A variation on the jika-tabi, called the matsuri tabi, is so called because it is most commonly worn during festivals. It differs from the regular jika-tabi in having extra cushioning for the sole. Outside Japan, where they are available from online and martial-arts shops, jika-tabi are appreciated by practitioners of the martial art of Bujinkan budo taijutsu, especially when training outdoors.