Issues of Bullying and Disability in Children's Literature

• In Event: Roundtable Session 54
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding the Construction of the Dis/abled Child Through Literacy, Literature, and Schooling: Critiques and Ways Forward

Abstract

Bullying is an important concern in relation to school violence and climate; children with disabilities are overrepresented in being victims of bullying in schools. The purpose of this paper is to explore how picturebooks provide important insights into the experiences with bullying of children with disabilities. A disability studies perspective offers insights to societal attitudes and beliefs. Using a content analysis, some of the following themes emerged: Characters with disabilities were target by bullies specifically for their disabilities; they were shown as being socially isolated; teachers and other school personnel were largely uninvolved; and there was no social network or school policy in place to deal with the topic of bullying.

Authors

• Donna Sayers Adomat, Indiana University

• Angela Michelle Wiseman, North Carolina State University