Scholarly Works
Resources - Scholarly WorksThe value of an anti-bias curriculum and in particular, teaching young learners about disability has been supported in various scholarly articles and studies.
Excerpts from b.e.t.t.e.r. ed guide Scholarly Works*:
Battle Stigmas
“Regardless of whether children are in inclusive settings or not, providing exposure to books and discussions can help facilitate the formation of positive attitudes… Through book-reading and discussions, teachers can provide young children exposure to individuals with disabilities.”
Embrace Differences
“By addressing ableism within anti-bias curriculum, we can support all young children to build an understanding of inclusivity as a core value, and a recognition of the full range of human variation as a natural and welcome aspect of life. ”
Transform Thinking
“In early childhood programs and in preschool and primary classrooms, it is critical for teachers to address injustice and develop equity-based pedagogies, because children form ideas about fairness and their own sense of identity within the larger world during these early years.”
Teach Future Leaders
“Inclusion is in the best interests of all children and is most effective when enacted as early as possible… Typically developing children show benefits while participating in inclusive settings”
Elicit Action
“Students without SEN (special educational needs) benefit from participating in interactive learning activities with peers with SEN in different ways…they benefit from the cognitive effort required to explain themselves and from the contributions of peers with SEN from which they can learn.
Recognize Strengths
“When children are exposed to inclusion at an early age and consistently throughout their lives, they are more likely to approach children with disabilities with acceptance (Rafferty et al., 2001) and are less likely to view a disability as an impairment.”
…And much more, the earlier we educate students regarding disabilities and inclusion, the sooner we build a stronger foundation on accepting disability as a natural form of the human experience.
Other Resources:
Promoting Positive Attitudes of Kindergarten-Age Children Toward People with Disabilities
Favazza & Odom, 1997
The Association Between Children’s Contact with People with Disabilities and their Attitudes Towards Disability: A Systematic Review
MacMillan, et al., 2013
Children’s Contact with People with Disabilities and their Attitudes Towards disability: A Cross-Sectional Study
Armstrong, et al., 2015
The Impact of Disability Studies Curriculum on Education Professionals’ Perspectives and Practice: Implications for Education, Social Justice, and Social Change
Pearson, et al., 2016
Defining Disability: Understandings of and Attitudes Towards Ableism and Disability
Friedman & Owen, 2017
Recognizing Ableism in Educational Initiatives: Reading between the Lines
Timberlake, M., 2020
It’s About Time! Advancing Justice Through Joyful Inquiry With Young Children
Erwin, et al., 2021
*We independently provide these sources as reference material. All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.