Abstract:

The present paper constitutes a literature review research, discussing ethical issues in Education. As oversimplified perceptions due to a lack of relevant knowledge, stereotypes lead to distorted judgments about a certain population group. On the one hand, the sociocultural, economic and political disadvantages that involve the deficits of each disability are subject to stereotypical attitudes. On the other hand, they fall within the scope of the literary confirmation, reflection and representation. The latter influence the reading public, especially by cultivating the related future attitudes of juvenile and adolescent readers, within and outside of the teaching process. The purpose of this study is to investigate the representations of individuals with disabilities in contemporary children’s and adolescent’s literature. For this reason, the thirty five (35) most recent (2000-2015) relevant empirical studies, at European and international level, are reviewed, investigating literary works for preschoolers, for primary school aged children and for adolescents, written from the year 2000 and onwards. In all three categories, a diverse range of disabilities is represented, by majority regardless of gender and nationality. Moreover, there are several stereotypical and unilateral portrayals, as well as a sensitive majoritarian representation of the social dimensions of disability, however of limited plausibility. In conclusion, perspectives of positive reflection and of critical addressing of such literary representations are depicted, contributing to the respect and to the acceptance of individuals with disabilities at both in-school and at extracurricular level. Lastly, the methodological limitations of the studies reviewed and future research proposals are set out.

Keywords:

Disabilities, children’s literature, adolescent’s literature.