Representing Differences: The Portrayal of Disabilities in Children’s Literature

Abigail Cornejo

Learning and physical disabilities affect millions of children each year, which allows them to be eligible for special education services (National Center for Education Statistics, 2018). It is important for students to see people with disabilities represented in literature. When looking at children’s and young adult literature, the characters should be portrayed in a way which reflects the realistic nature of the disability. In addition to providing readers with accurate and realistic information regarding a disability, literature should also promote empathy and acceptance (Miller, 2012). Additionally, the characters should have authentic relationships with others where the character with a disability has a leadership role.

It is important for students to see people with disabilities represented in literature. The disability should be portrayed in a way which avoids stereotypes and accurately describes the disability (Miller, 2012). Often children have misunderstandings about disabilities, so accurate literature clarifies these misconceptions (Ostrosky et al., 2015).  2.3 million children in the United States have a learning disability, therefore, it is important for children to see learning disabilities accurately represented in literature. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2018.) x (Moore-Malinos, 2007) is an informative children's book which follows Sarah, a girl with dyslexia who shares what dyslexia is and how it makes her feel. Dyslexia is portrayed merely as something some children have and it’s made clear that they should not feel guilty about their challenges in learning to read. Sarah’s internal conflict about having dyslexia is resolved when she tells the reader, “I have dyslexia, and that’s okay” (Moore-Malinos, 2007, p.30). Sarah actively engages in learning to read. In both the illustrations and text, she is shown to be practicing reading and writing. In the illustrations, Sarah is the focus. This shows she has an active role in resolving the conflict. Knees: The Mixed Up World of a Boy with Dyslexia by Vanita Oelschlager is a picture book following Louis the Third, a fourth grader with dyslexia, as he tries to find his talents. In the book, there is minimal explanation of what dyslexia is aside from “things get mixed up between my eyes and my brain” (p.8, unnumbered). However, the explanation is easy for a younger audience to understand. It focuses on finding one’s talents rather than emphasizing dyslexia. As Louis tries different hobbies and sports, famous people with dyslexia are mentioned such as Henry Ford and Walt Disney (p. 41-42, unnumbered) and what they accomplished. Louis is active in resolving the conflict as he takes it upon himself to find his talents and practice reading. Fish In A Tree (Mullaly Hunt, 2014) is a young adult novel, which follows Ally who has trouble reading, so she acts out in class. The book follows Ally’s struggle to learn to read and write and her teacher figuring out she has dyslexia. The book is realistic in portraying the emotions and struggles which go along with dyslexia. At the exposition, Ally has been struggling with reading for years and in the falling action, it is discovered she has dyslexia. The years-long process of struggling with reading prior to receiving a diagnosis of dyslexia is realistic of many children’s experiences. However, by the conclusion of the book Ally begins to read and write successfully. This may give readers unrealistic expectations for the amount of time it may take them to learn these skills, as the book does not even span across an entire academic year. Additionally, Ally has authentic relationships with her classmates. Ally’s friendships with Keisha and Albert are based on their mutual need to stand up to the class bullies. Ally has an active leadership role in resolving the plot, as she takes on most of the responsibility in learning to read.

Hundreds of thousands of children in the United States have some sort of mobility impairment (National Center for Education Statistics, 2018). Like learning disabilities, it is also important for mobility impairments to be accurately represented in literature (Miller, 2012). Out of my mind (Draper, 2010) follows Melody, an 11-year-old girl with cerebral palsy as she aims to show her classmates she is more than her disability and capable of being on the Whiz Kids team. Because of Melody’s cerebral palsy, she is unable to walk or speak, and as a result, her classmates believe she is not intelligent. Melody obtains a Medi-talker, an assistive communication device, which allows her to speak for the first time and show her classmates she is just as smart even if her body does not work like theirs. The story realistically shows the struggles of a person with cerebral palsy as well as the isolation and discrimination a person with a disability may encounter. Through watching Melody prove she has the cognitive ability to participate in Whiz Kids team, children will learn there is a wide range of both physical and cognitive abilities, which will help them to recognize and accept individual differences (Adomat, 2014). Melody has authentic relationships with her family, which allows her to have a leadership role in resolving the plot. Melody, with support from her family, comes to realize she does not need approval from her classmates. Rescue & Jessica (Kensky & Downes, 2018) is a picture book about a service dog. Jessica is an amputee after being injured in the Boston Marathon bombing and Rescue is the dog who helps her with tasks such as getting hard to reach objects and barking when Jessica needs someone (p.15, unnumbered). Jessica, with help from Rescue, takes on a leadership role in learning how to live as an amputee. The book communicates that a service dog is a tool to help an individual with a disability gain independence. However, the book states Rescue is not meant to be a seeing-eye dog and it would be better for him to be a service dog (p.1, unnumbered). This statement may give children the misunderstanding that seeing eye dogs are not service dogs when seeing eye dogs are actually a type of service dog (“Assistance Dogs International,” n.d.). Overall, it is vital literature conveys accurate information on a given disability, as this allows children to gain information about disabilities and clear up any potential misconceptions they have about a disability.

Literature which features characters with disabilities should promote empathy and acceptance. Characters with disabilities who have strengths and not just limitations help children to accept others (Price, Ostrosky, & Milagros Santos, 2016). Colors of the Wind: The Story of Blind Artist and Champion Runner George Mendoza by J.L Powers is a biographical picture book about George Mendoza who became blind at the age of 15. Blindness is portrayed as an ability which helps Mendoza paint things only he can see. It also informs the reader that blindness does not have to limit a person, as Mendoza ran in the Olympics twice and is a successful painter.  Despite the portrayal of Mendoza’s blindness as a unique ability, it may leave readers believing his ability to paint compensates for his blindness. Literature where characters have a positive ability or gift to compensate for their disability should be avoided, as this portrays the characters as being deficient due to their disability (Anti-Defamation League, 2013). Travis in Bluefish (Schmatz, 2011) struggles to read and at the same time is a gifted artist who also enjoys spending time in nature. This allows the reader to see that Travis is more than his disability and has hobbies like all children. Travis does not have a diagnosed learning disability, but children with learning disabilities or who just have difficulties reading and writing will find him relatable. Because of Travis’ embarrassment of being unable to read and write, he avoids social interactions with his peers; he does this so that they will not discover he cannot read, which allows the reader to feel empathy for him. In Rescue & Jessica (Kensky & Downes, 2018) Jessica’s fears are confirmed when she is told her leg needs to be amputated. As a result, Jessica and her dog Rescue learn to do chores together, play, and snuggle together (p. 17-18, unnumbered). Children will see she is a regular person who participates in the same things as they do. Howie Helps Himself (Fassler, 1975) is a simple and informative children’s book about Howie who uses a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy. Howie, like other children, likes to watch the snow fall and eat chocolate ice cream (p.1, unnumbered). There are also many things Howie cannot do such as run, skip, ride a bike, write his name, or build a tower from wooden blocks because of weak muscles (p.3-5, unnumbered). Readers will be able to see that Howie is just like other children, but has his own unique set of challenges.

It is not enough to simply have a character with a disability; the character should have authentic relationships with others. Literature which contains authentic relationships between characters should allow the character with a disability to have an active or leadership role in resolving the conflict (Miller, 2012). When characters with disabilities have active leadership roles, children are better able to see the characters as similar to those without disabilities (Price, Ostrosky, & Milagros Santos, 2016). Furthermore, relationships and friendships should be built on mutual interests (Kleekamp & Zapata, 2019). El Deafo (Bell, 2014) shows the protagonist Cece making friends due to her deafness. Cece has various friendships in which she is treated differently until she gains the confidence to break away from those friendships. As the plot progresses, Cece, with only some support from others, resolves her person versus self conflict by embracing her hearing aid and deafness. Travis, the main character in Bluefish (Schmatz, 2011) is 13-years-old and cannot read. The plot follows Travis as he learns to read with the help of his teacher, Mr. McQueen, and his new friend, Velveeta. Because he can’t read, Travis’s fear and avoidance of school is realistic. At the resolution, Travis is still learning to read and is not suddenly a good reader, which is realistic of children of all ages who are learning to read. The relationship between Travis and Velveeta is authentic. Travis is responsible for learning to read with some assistance from Velveeta and Mr. McQueen. Reaching for Sun (Zimmer, 2007) is a series of poems written from the perspective of Josie, a girl with cerebral palsy who has written about wanting to forget she has a disability. Children are likely to relate to Josie wanting to be seen as separate from her disability. She also struggles with deciding how to tell her mother she desires more independence. Josie has an authentic relationship with her grandmother. Her grandmother encourages her to tell her mother how she feels about the day camps for people with disabilities that she is forced to go to. With encouragement from her grandmother and through gaining the necessary confidence to advocate for herself, Josie takes the lead role in resolving the conflict and informing her mother she does not want to go to any more day camps.

In conclusion, it is essential that literature featuring characters with disabilities are accurate and to avoid stereotypes. It’s equally important to allow the character with a disability to have an active leadership role, and to promote empathy and acceptance of the character with the disability. Millions of school-aged children in the United States receive special education services due to physical, developmental, and learning disabilities, so it is important for children with disabilities to see themselves in literature and for students without disabilities to gain indirect exposure to disabilities and be taught to embrace and accept them. 

References

Adomat, D. S. (2014). Exploring Issues of Disability in Children’s Literature Discussions. Disability Studies Quarterly, 34 (3). https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v34i3.3865

Anti-Defamation League. (2013). Evaluating Children’s Books That Address Disability. Retrieved from https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/education-outreach/evaluating-children-s-books-that-address-disability.pdf

Assistance Dogs International. Types of Assistance Dogs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://assistancedogsinternational.org/about-us/types-of-assistance-dogs/

Bell, C. (2014). El Deafo. New York, NY: Amulet Books. 

Draper, S. M (2010). Out of my mind. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Fassler, J. (1975). Howie Helps Himself. Chicago, IL: Albert Whitman & Company.

Kensky, J., Downes, P., & Magoon, S. (2018). Rescue & Jessica: A life-changing friendship. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

Kleekamp, M. C., & Zapata, A. (2019). Interrogating Depictions of Disability in Children’s Picturebooks. The Reading Teacher, 72(5), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1766

Miller, D. (2012). Literature opens doors for all children. The Phi Delta Kappan, 94(4), 28-33. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41763732

Moore-Mallinos, J.(2007). It’s Called Dyslexia. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series Inc. 

Mullaly Hunt, L. (2015). Fish in a tree. New York, New York: Puffin Books. 

National Center for Education Statistics. (2018, April). Children and Youth With Disabilities. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgg.asp

Oelschlager, V., & Rossi, J. (2012). Knees: The mixed-up world of a boy with dyslexia. Akron, Ohio: Vanita Books.

Ostrosky, M. M., Mouzourou, C., Dorsey, E. A., Favazza, P. C., & Leboeuf, L. M. (2015). Pick a Book, Any Book: Using Children’s Books to Support Positive Attitudes Toward Peers With Disabilities. Young Exceptional Children, 18(1), 30–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096250613512666 

Powers, J. (2014). Colors of the Wind: The Story of Blind Artist and Champion Runner George Mendoza. Cynthiana, KY: Purple House Press.

Price, C., Ostrosky, M., & Santos, R. (2016). Reflecting on Books That Include Characters With Disabilities. YC Young Children, 71(2), 30-37. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/ycyoungchildren.71.2.30

Schmatz, P. (2011). Bluefish. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. 

Zimmer, T. (2007). Reaching for Sun (1st U.S. ed.). New York, NY: Bloomsbury Children's Books.