Exploring Issues of Disability in Children's Literature Discussions

Abstract

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">In this qualitative study, the author uses the theoretical lens of disability studies to examine how children in two multiage classrooms examine issues of disability through conversations during read-aloud and literature circle discussions. In this study, the author looks at how children build positive understandings of disability from children’s literature but also how societal attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes might play into their interpretations of literature. Student’s talk before, during, and after literature discussions was audio- and videorecorded. Several themes emerged from a discourse analysis of the transcriptions, including: defining disabilities, questioning and critiquing notions of normalcy; idealizing disabilities; identifying with characters; developing an advocacy stance; and using imagination to open up perspectives towards people in the real world. Through exploring characters in books, children not only learned about various disabilities, but they came to understand characters with disabilities as full and complex beings, similar in many ways to themselves.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Keywords: children's literature, literature discussions, disability studies, elementary education, qualitative research</span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>

Exploring elementary students’ perceptions of disabilities using children's literature

“…Research indicates that children's attitudes towards individuals with disabilities can be influenced by the way characters with disabilities are depicted in literature (Adomat, ; Cameron & Rutland, ; Smith‐D'Arezzo & Moore‐Thomas, 2010). We therefore considered it important to use books with accurate portrayals of characters with disabilities.…”

“…Adomat () explored children's understandings of disabilities as they participated in literature circles. Elementary students in two multi‐age, inclusive classrooms were given high‐quality books featuring individuals with disabilities to read independently.…”

Bibliotherapy and OCD: The Case of Turtles All The Way Down by John Green (2017)

“…Some researchers, such as Kurtts and Gavigan (2008), have studied how to educate pre-service teachers on creating thematic units that feature disability. Others have examined how issues of disability manifest in children's literature discussions (Adomat 2014). Curwood (2012), Monaghan (2016), and Wickham (2018) have each selected young adult texts and examined the constructions of disability.…”

Interrogating Depictions of Disability in Children's Picturebooks

“…Others have added to this important work by attempting to create frameworks or selection standards for building inclusive libraries (Pennell, Wollak, & Koppenhaver, ; Prater & Dyches, ). These include lists of book recommendations (Kaiser, ) and characteristics of high‐quality literature to promote classroom inclusion (Adomat, ; Rieger & McGrail, ; Sigmon, Tackett, & Azano, ). Much of this collective work has played a role in increasing disability visibility and awareness in the field of children's literature.…”