As more students with disabilities are included in standard American education classrooms, the need to provide all students with literature that depicts people with disabilities has never been greater. With graphic novels growing in popularity with youth and becoming more apparent in school curriculum, the authors chose to analyze this format to answer the following research questions: Do graphic novels include individuals with disabilities? If disabilities are present, what disabilities were most often featured? What is the gender and ethnicity of the individuals with disabilities? Is there a positive portrayal of the person with a disability? After examining thirty graphic novels recommended for teens, the authors found that less than half of the sample depicted an individual with a disability. Of these, the majority of the portrayals were of negative stereotypical images of disability. The authors concluded that the authors, illustrators, and publishers of graphic novels recommended for teens have not provided a realistic representation of people with disabilities.
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