Seeing Disabilities and the Disabled Reflected in Literature
How disabilities and people with disabilities are portrayed in stories and non-fiction matters. This is especially true of books for children and teens. Children and teens with disabilities deserve to see themselves reflected in literature; those without disabilities deserve to see accurate representations of both children and adults with disabilities.
Very young children are sometimes frightened of the disabled because they fear their disabilities are contagious. As they grow older, their fear turns to discomfort and often contempt. Discomfort because they have been socialized into awkwardness. Being taught that it is unacceptable to appear to notice disabilities, but not given any instruction on appropriate behavior beyond "don't stare" or "that's rude" leaves children uncertain *how* to act and what to do or say around those with disabilities. Social awkwardness is very difficult for middle grade children and teens to deal with and often leads to them ignoring or avoiding the disabled of all ages and can also result in bullying peers who have disabilities. The notion that the disabled deserve their fate is also still with us. This idea is reinforced when classics are given to children to read (for example, Colin in The Secret Garden gains the ability to walk in proportion to softening his selfishness.) Many more modern stories also reinforce this view--for example, Vanillope in Disney's Wreck It Ralph is bullied and persecuted because she is a "glitch," the video game version of being a disabled person. Unfortunately, children are unlikely to come away from this movie with the understanding that treating someone badly because of a disability is inappropriate behavior--instead, the movie implies that the other character's behavior was wrong because Vanillope isn't really glitch. It's a case of mistaken identity--Vanillope is normal, after all. Good literature can give children a glimpse of what is its like to be disabled, offering a chance to identify with disabled characters and figure out appropriate behavior.
One of the most significant lacks of my childhood was that I had no positive role models with disabilities nor any way to connect with others who had my disabilities. I felt isolated, trapped, and scared. I thought I was the only like me and that was terrifying and horrible. Good books with characters with disability can help to mitigate the feelings of disability.
Very young children are sometimes frightened of the disabled because they fear their disabilities are contagious. As they grow older, their fear turns to discomfort and often contempt. Discomfort because they have been socialized into awkwardness. Being taught that it is unacceptable to appear to notice disabilities, but not given any instruction on appropriate behavior beyond "don't stare" or "that's rude" leaves children uncertain *how* to act and what to do or say around those with disabilities. Social awkwardness is very difficult for middle grade children and teens to deal with and often leads to them ignoring or avoiding the disabled of all ages and can also result in bullying peers who have disabilities. The notion that the disabled deserve their fate is also still with us. This idea is reinforced when classics are given to children to read (for example, Colin in The Secret Garden gains the ability to walk in proportion to softening his selfishness.) Many more modern stories also reinforce this view--for example, Vanillope in Disney's Wreck It Ralph is bullied and persecuted because she is a "glitch," the video game version of being a disabled person. Unfortunately, children are unlikely to come away from this movie with the understanding that treating someone badly because of a disability is inappropriate behavior--instead, the movie implies that the other character's behavior was wrong because Vanillope isn't really glitch. It's a case of mistaken identity--Vanillope is normal, after all. Good literature can give children a glimpse of what is its like to be disabled, offering a chance to identify with disabled characters and figure out appropriate behavior.
One of the most significant lacks of my childhood was that I had no positive role models with disabilities nor any way to connect with others who had my disabilities. I felt isolated, trapped, and scared. I thought I was the only like me and that was terrifying and horrible. Good books with characters with disability can help to mitigate the feelings of disability.