While I don’t have a disability myself, I’ve been working with students
with disabilities for most of my life. Currently, I teach students with moderate to profound disabilities at a virtual school. I’m always asking students about the books they enjoy reading. Books about characters with disabilities never make their list.That got me thinking.
So I decided to make a list of what my students would like to see in books:
1. My disability is not my whole life. Most kids with disabilities don’t think of themselves as someone with attention issues or autism—that’s how parents and teachers think. They describe themselves as someone who loves basketball or insects or dogs. It'd be nice to see more books where a character's disability is not the only thing we learn about their character.
2. Having a sibling with a disability is not the worst thing that can happen. The story line of a typical child “dealing” with their sibling with a disability is too common. Imagine how that feels to the child who has that disability. I'd like to see more books that show the joys of having a child with special needs in the family.
3. I don’t like sad stories and/or I don’t want to “see” myself or my problems in print. While I do like seeing more stories about kids with disabilities, sometimes they can be so depressing. My students have enough difficulties in their lives. They don't want sadness in their entertainment. I'd like to see more stories about a kid, who just happens to have a disability, but also has fun. Besides, who are reading these sad stories anyways? Just teachers and librarians, it seems to me.
4. Not being able to communicate doesn’t mean I’m not smart. Cynthia Lord demonstrates this so well in Rules with her character who uses communication board and so does Sharon Draper with Out of my Mind. We often misjudge people who communicate differently. I work with nonverbal students. Low language is the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much more going on underneath.
This is my list. I may not be an expert about what it’s like to live with a disability, but I’ve learned a lot from my students.
In a world where everyone focuses on what makes us different, my students’ tastes in books aren’t that different from most kids. They would love to see more books that are funny, where kids have adventures, and where having a struggle (whether it’s a disability or not) doesn't ruin your life.
What are your favorite books about kids or people with disabilities? What kind of books would you like to see?
I think your list is great and true. I think that any kid who is special or different in some way does not want a book that totally focuses on that. For example, when my daughter was younger, we could never find stories about kids who were adopted where the story just didn't focus on the adoption.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point about finding books for your daughter. I think that's another area where we need more books where it's just part of life.
DeleteThey certainly don't need to read sad stories but ones that are uplifting and full of hope.
ReplyDeleteDisability should not define anyone.
Definitely! Thanks for stopping by, Alex!
DeleteThanks you for this post. Excellent points throughout. A recent book I enjoyed about a unique and special girl was INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS.
ReplyDeleteGreg, I'm glad you mentioned that book. That's one of my favorite recent reads too. Such a fantastic and interesting voice!
DeleteThis is a very interesting list. Thank you for sharing it. And thank your students!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Maria! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteFirst of all I love Sharon Draper's book which was acquired for a movie. Second, I have lived with a disability for 16 years as an adult. Because of that I always focus on books that show kids abilities and mimicks real life and provides hope. And some disabilities are invisible to most people (i.e. brain injury), but there still are issues to deal with daily. Still believe that kids want to see themselves in books (especially young children). But, I agree with your list. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOoh, I'm so excited to hear that Draper's book might be a movie. It would make a fantastic film! And thank you for sharing your perspective from someone who has a disability.
DeleteWhat a great post! It does seem that too many authors are writing for people who know disabled people and not for disabled people themselves (perhaps because they are people who know disabled people but are not disabled themselves). I also appreciated the mentions of Rules and Out of My Mind, both of which I loved! Thanks for the unique and insightful post!
ReplyDeleteInteresting point. Yes, I think that may be true. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThank you for sharing this thoughtful post. As a retired school teacher, I can relate to many of the points you wrote about. Thank you for sharing this important post with us for MMGM.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, June! Glad that it resonated with you.
DeleteExcellent! Your point #1 is especially poignant. When you know a person well, it is obvious. But to most of us, the facile identification of a differently-abled person as just their difference is a trap to be mindful about.
ReplyDeleteExactly! It's so easy to stay on the surface, and we writers have to be careful not to do that too.
DeleteWhat a wonderful post. All of this can be applied to race too. We just want good stories where it's not an issue but just part of the hurly-burly of life.
ReplyDeleteI started writing Bound because I was questioning "am I my brother's keeper"--the working title of that book was Damaged because both sisters are, one physically, the other mentally. I discovered that this story resonates so much with parents of special needs kids, something I didn't expect, because through the writing and revising of it I realized we're all broken in some way and need each other. But it makes me happy to have a book that affirms the dignity of differently-abled kids.
Yes, it can be applied to race too. Great point about how you used this in your book!
DeleteThis is really a helpful post for writers. Thanks so much for doing this.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Rosi!
DeleteWow. Those are some great points. I sub, so I work with kids with differing levels of ability. I hate it when a kid tells me they're not smart. I had a boy tell me he was stupid after I'd just watched him break down a compressor for an air conditioner. But he was having trouble with an essay. I don't him to appreciate his gifts and being mechanically-minded (if that is a term) is exceedingly important. If I broke down along the road, his skills would be far more valuable than my ability to diagram a sentence.
ReplyDeleteSo very true, Elizabeth. It seems like sometimes schools are so focused on college prep skills that these other skills aren't valued. And yet they are so important too!
Deletegreat books - thanks for highlighting them
ReplyDeleteI have read and loved Out of My Mind. My students have loved it too. Melanie has such a great sense of humor and the story helps kids see that even though someone may have trouble verbalizing their thoughts it doesn't mean they aren't smart. :) I agree we need all kinds of books out there!
ReplyDelete