A Portrayal of Disability in Children's Fiction
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A PORTRAYAL OF DISABILITY IN CHILDREN'S FICTION: THE AVAILABILITY AND PROMOTION OF SUCH RESOURCES IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES A study submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Librarianship at THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD By ALICE WYATT September 2010 Acknowledgments Many thanks to my supervisor Briony Birdi, as well as Sheffield library service. Thanks also to my friends and family who helped me along. "We read to know we are not alone" C.S. Lewis 2 Table of Contents Abstract .........................................................................................................................5 Introduction ..................................................................................................................6 The prevalence of disability in UK children ..............................................................6 A positive portrayal: Scope's In the Picture (2006) ten guiding principles ...............7 Disability and social exclusion ...................................................................................8 Aims and Objectives ..................................................................................................8 Aim: ........................................................................................................................8 Objectives: ..............................................................................................................8 Literature Review .........................................................................................................9 Definition of disability ...............................................................................................9 The absence of disability in children's fiction ..........................................................10 The portrayal of disability in children's fiction ........................................................11 Children's understanding and attitudes towards disability .......................................12 The importance of inclusive books for children with disabilities ............................14 Promotion of children's books featuring disability ..................................................16 Public library stock procurement of children's books featuring disability ...............17 Conclusion ................................................................................................................18 Methodology ...............................................................................................................19 Library and suppliers catalogue check .....................................................................19 Pilot study .................................................................................................................23 Questionnaire distribution ........................................................................................23 Analysis ....................................................................................................................24 Ethical considerations ..............................................................................................24 Results .........................................................................................................................25 Catalogue check .......................................................................................................25 Hearing impairments ............................................................................................25 Visual impairments ...............................................................................................27 Mobility Difficulties ..............................................................................................28 Down's Syndrome ..................................................................................................29 Invisible disabilities ..............................................................................................30 Summary and discussion of findings from the catalogue check ..............................31 Questionnaire findings .............................................................................................32 Frontline staff ........................................................................................................32 Children's stock selection team .............................................................................50 Summary and discussion of findings from questionnaires .......................................57 Knowledge and awareness ....................................................................................57 Beliefs ....................................................................................................................59 Conclusions .................................................................................................................61 Stock provision .........................................................................................................61 Staff awareness and knowledge ...............................................................................63 Promotion of inclusive literature ..............................................................................63 Final remarks ............................................................................................................66 3 Recommendations ......................................................................................................67 Summary of recommendations for public library services ......................................67 Summary of recommendations for further research .................................................68 References ...................................................................................................................70 Children's Book References ......................................................................................77 Appendices ..................................................................................................................79 Appendix A: Booklist sources for catalogue checklist ............................................79 Appendix B: Checklist of children's fiction positively featuring disability .............80 Appendix C: Information Sheet ...............................................................................91 Appendix D: Participant Consent Form ...................................................................92 Appendix E: Questionnaire for frontline staff ..........................................................93 Appendix F: Additional questions for the children's stock team questionnaire. ......97 Appendix G: Information section at the end of questionnaire .................................98 Appendix H: Booklist guide designed for Sheffield library service ......................100 4 Abstract This research project explores the extent to which public libraries provide and promote children's fiction books which positively portray disability. The attitudes and awareness of public library staff, within the city of Sheffield, were also investigated in relation to such titles, as well as the initiatives that support them. A mixed method approach was used. A checklist study was initially conducted to review the current stock holdings of Sheffield library service and Bertram library suppliers. In order to understand the attitudes and awareness of library staff, questionnaire responses were analysed, both from frontline staff as well as members of the children's stock selection team. Findings indicated that Sheffield library service provided approximately half of the recommended titles that featured on the checklist. Knowledge and awareness was low amongst frontline staff in regards to initiatives and children's books promoting a positive portrayal of disability. However, the beliefs and attitudes of all staff regarding the importance of diversity and social inclusion revealed high levels of understanding, as well as strong opinions regarding the importance of inclusion and diversity. It was concluded that public library services should support diversity and inclusion by providing and promoting children's titles that positively portray disability. Recommendations for further research, as well as possible improvements to library provision and promotion are also discussed. 5 Introduction This research project has followed on from the campaign work of initiatives such as Scope's In the Picture (2006a) and Booktrust's Bookmark (2010) who address the need to include disabled characters in mainstream children's fiction books. Their campaigns highlight the importance of inclusive materials in improving children's attitudes and understanding towards disability. There is a lack of previous research regarding the awareness and provision of children's books featuring disability within UK public library services, which indicates that this is an area that has not been addressed. This research project therefore investigated library stock as well as library staff awareness regarding such provisions. The concentration of this project was specifically related to fiction for children of primary school age, due to the belief that books read to younger children can have a profound effect on their attitudes and values. Thus, it is believed that children are a lot more likely to understand and accept disability if they engage with such stories that include disabled people from an early age (Scope, 2006a). Investigations included picture books, first reads, and junior fiction.