>How do you make a character have or receive a disability in a videogame without it looking like pandering?
you don't, why would you do that in the first place?
if you want to do that, at least do it in a cool way, like giving guy a cool eye patch and some scars on the face, make him masculine and stuff, or if character has no arm then give him a cool robotic arm instead like in DMC5 or Sekiro or Lies of P, MGS5 etc. or if you want to have a completly blind character make him a monk who developed a 6th sence and is able to predict movement and shit
just don't make it fucking LAME