Searching for Mirror Books for Young Asian/Asian-American Children with Disabilities

Authors

Sohyun Meacham, University of Northern IowaFollow
Su-Jeong Wee, The California State University, Los AngelesFollow
Wu-Ying Hsieh, University of Northern IowaFollow
Pei-Chun Chen, University of Northern IowaFollow
Bryce Davis, Frank Borman Elementary SchoolFollow

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Last Page

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Language

English

Document Type

Article

Abstract

America’s changing demographics and the increasing number of children with disabilities call for appropriate representations of race/ethnicity and disabilities in materials (e.g., books) for inclusive classrooms. This study analyzed how Asian/Asian-American (A/AA) people with disabilities had been portrayed in picture books with the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature (APAAL) or the Schneider Family Award (SFA). We addressed the intersectionality of Asian racial cultures and disabilities, focusing on the picture books with these awards, due to the potential impact of these portrayals on children. We used 35 picture books with the APAAL from 2001 to 2020 and 18 with the SFA from 2004 to 2020 as the data for our systematic content analysis. The results showed that the number of characters with disabilities were disproportionately represented in the APAAL picture books compared to the general population of A/AA people with disabilities in the U. S. More mirror books with A/AA child characters with disabilities are needed for the U. S. early childhood classrooms.

Recommended Citation

Meacham, Sohyun; Wee, Su-Jeong; Hsieh, Wu-Ying; Chen, Pei-Chun; and Davis, Bryce (2022) "Searching for Mirror Books for Young Asian/Asian-American Children with Disabilities," Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies: Vol. 11, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/aaldp/vol11/iss1/6