Content analysis was used to determine how main or major disabled characters are portrayed in contemporary realistic fiction written for the preadolescent. A total of ninety-seven books was analyzed; disabled characters appearing in books published from 1965-1974 were compared to those appearing in books published from 1975-1984. / The findings of this study indicate that the percentage of stereotypes is decreasing, and that the types of stereotypes are less negative than indicated in previous studies. / In books published from 1965-1974, the majority of disabled characters was comprised of teenage orthopedically impaired males. Females were more likely to be visually impaired. Most disabled characters were white students. If the disabled characters were portrayed as a stereotype, it was probably as a "Super Crip," one who excelled in all endeavors or who had extraordinary abilities. The setting for most of the books was an urban area in the Northeast. / For books published from 1975-1984, most disabled characters were teenage health impaired females. Male disabled characters were more likely to be orthopedically impaired, as in the early years of the study. Most of the disabled characters were still white students. However, the most common stereotype changed from "Super Crip" to "Own Worst Enemy." Most of the books were still set in the Northeast, but in suburban/town/village areas rather than in urban areas. / A wider variety of disabilities was found in books published from 1975 to 1984 than in the early years of the study, mostly due to the inclusion of characters with health impairments, such as asthma, cancer, diabetes and hemophilia. From 1965 to 1974, visual impairments and orthopedic impairments were the most common disabilities found. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-02, Section: A, page: 0240. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76028 |
| Contributors | MCKEE, NANCY CAROL., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 167 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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