Text Set Overview

I knew right away I wanted to focus on disability as my text set topic. Disability is often very closely linked with special education, a passion of mine. At first, I was open to literature that portrayed any disability, but as I read through possible books, I kept coming back to the ones that featured Deaf or Hard of Hearing characters. As someone studying Deaf Education, I knew my experience with these pieces of literature would be further enhanced by my previous knowledge and experience with Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. Three of the books I chose feature Deaf characters, while one book features a young boy who is Hard of Hearing. I felt like it was important to include a Hard of Hearing character who does not use sign language as a way of representing a large portion of people who have a hearing loss. Not everyone who is deaf or has a hearing loss signs, and I wanted my text set to be reflective of this reality.

When it came to making my final selections, I really considered the author’s insider experience. Of the books I chose, one author is Deaf, another is the child of deaf adults, or a CODA, one wears a hearing aid and one closely works with two Deaf teachers to write his books. I think I included a nice array of authors with diverse experience with deafness. They are reflective of diversity within a unified group or culture of people—an important element of multicultural literature to keep in mind. They each have different experiences and share theses experiences in very different forms of children’s literature.

I included each book in my text set for its own unique reason. One of my favorite books is Dad, Jackie and Me by Myron Uhlberg. This book goes beyond simply focusing on a son and his Deaf father, but also addresses the racial prejudice experienced by Jackie Robinson. I really appreciate the fact that this book tackles two major themes at once. Placing a Deaf character within a historical time period filled with racism creates a very realistic experience—of course there were deaf people who watched baseball and rooted for Jackie Robinson during his rookie season. All too often I think books solely focus on disability or racial issues, when in all reality they are much more connected than sometimes originally thought. Uhlberg does a really nice job of integrating and connecting a Deaf father and the racial prejudice he and his son witnessed at Ebbets Field.

Moses Sees a Play certainly had a place in my text set for its use of both English and American Sign Language, ASL. Many of the books I came across featured characters who signed, but the illustrations didn’t accurately portray their language with any realism. All of the Moses book by Isaac Millman feature accurate illustrations of the characters signing in ASL. Although the illustrations are very cartoon-like, ASL is still accurately portrayed. This brings me to me selection of Deaf Child Crossing by Marlee Matlin. Matlin’s novel includes numerous references to how the characters sign, giving the adventuresome reader the opportunity to learn a few signs themselves. Although there are no illustrations, the description of how a sign is done is very detailed. I also chose Deaf Child Crossing because of Matlin is one of the few Deaf authors who has written for adolescents. There are not many deaf authors to begin with, let alone deaf authors who write for children and adolescents. I think Matlin’s book would be enjoyed by young adolescent girls in particular. The experiences of the characters are very relatable and realistic to that age group.

I had a difficult time choosing the last book in my text set. I decided on Cosmo Gets an Ear by Gary Clemente mainly because it featured a Hard of Hearing character. Like I mentioned before, I thought this was an appropriate choice because of the diversity within the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population that is reflects. I also enjoyed the book and its humorous, unique style of involving the reader by writing the majority of the text as silly multiple-choice questions. The illustrations are also humorous and still manage to accurately portray a modern hearing aid.

I found compiling a text set focused on a topic of my choice to be a worthwhile and valuable project. Throughout my college career I have come across the titles of many children’s books with deaf characters, but never really took the chance to explore them. I’m glad I had the opportunity to take some time and find several quality pieces of literature that positively and accurately portray Deaf and Hard of Hearing characters. I plan to someday share these books with my own students, hoping that they appreciate meeting characters similar to themselves.

Professional Resource Review

The article, Dynamic Characters with Communication Disorders in Children’s Literature by Carolyn D. Sotto and Angel L Ball, focuses on quality children’s literature that feature characters who play dynamic, active roles in the story and happen to have a communication disorders. Sotto and Ball selected eighteen children’s books that provide positive role models who have communication disorders and promote understanding of diversity. Characters with a hearing loss are included under their broad category of communication disorders. Two of the books on Sotto and Ball’s list feature Deaf or Hard of Hearing characters. Moses Goes to a Concert by Isaac Millman is part of a short series on Moses, a young deaf boy. Moses Sees a Play is included in my own text set. Patrick Gets Hearing Aids is also found on Sotto and Ball’s list of recommended books. Patrick, a rabbit, is diagnosed with a hearing loss and is fitted with hearing aids to improve communication with his classmates.

When selecting appropriate pieces of literature, Sotto and Ball considered several things. Books that featured the character with a communication problem as weak, timid, withdrawn or spineless were immediately discarded. Sotto and Ball did not want children who may identify with these characters to feel a sense of diminished self-esteem. Instead, they searched for books where the “main character is a capable, resourceful hero who happens to also have a communication disorder (42).” They looked for books where the character was “able to participate in an adventure, interact with others, and show personal growth regardless of their disability (42).” According to Sotto and Ball, “These books can be used to help provide positive role models for students, as well as expose them to characters with communication impairments within the context of a well-written story (42).” They go on to claim that, “Children can learn from these books about the struggles that the people with communication impairments face with everyday issues and attitudes (42).”

It is important to consider the language and connotations applied to Deaf and Hard of Hearing characters by Sotto and Ball. Members of the Deaf community may not appreciate being considered as having a communication disorder. It is a commonly held belief among Deaf culture and the Deaf Community that deafness is not an impairment in need of fixing. To consider Deaf characters as having a communication impairment may be quite offensive. Many Deaf people may more accurately consider hearing people who do not know how to sign to be the ones with the communication disorder. Although the terminology and categorization of Sotto and Ball may be controversial, their criteria for choosing pieces of literature is still valid and respectable. Even if a Deaf person does not consider themselves to have a disorder, they might still respect the positive characterization elements required of the chosen literature as previously mentioned.

While compiling my own text set on disability, specifically, deafness, I considered many of the same things Sotto and Ball did. I critically looked at the role of the character who was either deaf or hard of hearing. All of the books I chose feature characters who are active, vivacious and perform typical “kid things.” None of them rely on characters without a hearing loss to do things for them. They are independent and resourceful on their own. I believe my chosen texts would fulfill Sotto and Ball’s requirement of providing a positive role model. Deafness and hearing loss are accurately portrayed in my text set, providing typical children broadening the “perspectives of student readers to diversity in the world (42).” Children who may personally identify with the featured characters are provided with positive role models who are “problem solvers, protectors, heroes and friends (42).” Overall, Sotto and Ball identify several important elements to consider while choosing appropriate children’s literature that can be applied beyond literature that only features characters with communication disorders.

Ball, Angel L., Sotto, Carolyn D. “Dynamic Characters with Communication Disorders in Children’s Literature.” Intervention in School and Clinic Vol. 42, No.1. Sep 2006: 40-45.