Disability in children's literature facts for kids

Disability in children's literature is about how characters with disabilities are shown in books for young people. Since the 1970s, society's views on disability have changed a lot. This has led authors and teachers to think differently about how they write these stories.

It's important for books to show characters with disabilities in a real and positive way. This helps all children, whether they have a disability or not, understand and accept differences. Books can really change how people think about others.

How Books Used to Show Disability

From the 1940s to the 1970s, many children's books featured characters with disabilities. However, these stories often didn't show disability in a very realistic way.

• Some books made disability seem overly romantic or sweet.
• Others treated characters with disabilities like babies, even if they were older.
• Sometimes, characters with disabilities were shown as trying to hide from the world.

For example, in the classic book Heidi, the character Clara is shown as unable to walk. But her ability to walk again is linked to a vague "psychological problem" rather than a real medical issue. This isn't how physical disabilities usually work in real life. Also, characters who were blind appeared much more often in these books than in the real world. Sometimes, blindness was used to show that a character could "see" beyond things like racial prejudice. This made the disability less about the character and more about a plot idea.

Changing Views and New Laws

Starting in the 1970s, big changes happened in the United States. The government passed new laws to make sure people with disabilities were included in schools and jobs.

• The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 helped protect the rights of people with disabilities.
• The Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 made sure children with disabilities could go to public schools.
• Later, the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) in 1986 stopped schools from excluding children with disabilities.

Because of these laws, more children with disabilities started going to public schools. This made teachers, librarians, and publishers more interested in books that showed disability in a fair, accurate, and helpful way. People also became more aware of how disability was shown in movies and TV. This led to books giving more detailed and correct descriptions of different conditions.

Researchers like Barbara Holland Baskin and Karen H. Harris did important work in the late 1970s. They studied how disability was shown in children's books. Their studies helped make disability a common topic for research and reviews in children's literature today.

Modern Stories and Hidden Disabilities

The way disability is shown in books has really changed since the 1970s. Authors now try to be more realistic.

For example, in Deenie (1973) by Judy Blume, a teenage girl named Deenie finds out she has scoliosis, a curve in her spine. She has to wear a body brace. The story shows how this affects her feelings about herself and how her family and friends see her. Deenie doesn't just "get over" her disability by the end. Instead, the book realistically shows her learning to live with the challenges and adjust to them.

A newer trend in children's books is showing characters with "hidden disabilities." These are conditions that might not be obvious from the outside, and they have become more commonly diagnosed recently.

• Sophie and Lou by Petra Mathers is about extreme shyness, which can be an emotional and social disability.
• The Worst Speller in Jr. High (1995) by Caroline Janover is about a boy with dyslexia, a learning difficulty that affects reading and spelling.

For older teens, books now often deal with disability in more complex ways. They might use different viewpoints to show how various characters experience and understand disability.

It's important that books don't just use disability as a way to show a character's growth. Writers should avoid making medical conditions seem overly romantic or bad. This is still a challenge in children's literature.

Studies show that teachers can help students understand disability better. They can do this by having discussions and using stories that show characters with disabilities in a true, positive, and realistic way. Every two years, the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) shares a list of books for and about young people with disabilities.

Examples of Disability Representation in Children's Literature

Wonder written by R.J. Palacio is a great example. It's about a young boy named Auggie who has Treacher Collins syndrome. This condition affects his face. Auggie faces judgment and bullying at school. But he learns to see his unique appearance as a strong part of who he is. The book shows the tough reality of how some students can be unkind to someone with a disability. It also helps readers understand that differences don't change who a person is inside.

Inspirational books like Wonder can help students who don't have a disability learn to be more understanding. They can teach young children about different disabilities. This helps them become empathetic instead of staring at someone who looks different. Children might not understand what others are going through with their mental or physical health. But having more books that show disability can teach them what it's like to grow up not being "normal."