THE ROLE OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS IN INTEGRATING HANDICAPPED CHILDREN INTO EVERYDAY LIFE
by Tordis Ørjasaeter
Introduction
As the International Year of the Child, 1979, provided Unesco with the occasion to focus on the importance of children's books in the life of the child, so it is hoped that the International Year for Disabled Persons, 1981, will enable Unesco to call attention to the crucial role that books can play in integrating handicapped children into the everyday life of the world around them.
The present paper is intended to make all those involved in children's books -- publishers, authors, illustrators, librarians -- aware of the need to produce more and better books for and about handicapped children so as to overcome some of the barriers of isolation and loneliness that so often separate them from their peers and condemn them to marginal lives outside the mainstream of society.
The author, Professor Tordis Ørjasaeter, is a member of the faculty of the Norwegian Postgraduate Teacher-Training Center of Special Education. Her remarks constitute an informed guide as to how and what to publish for this special audience and an eloquent plea that the International Year for Disabled Persons serve as a springboard for long-range programmes and commitments to meet the book needs of handicapped children throughout the world.
Handicapped children: a challenge.
Handicapped children - who are they?
What special kind of books do we need?
- Books in braille
- Talking books
- Tactile books
- Large print books
- Books with sign language
- Picture books for children with delayed speech and language
- Easy reading books
Children's books as a starting point for other activities
Ørjasaeter, Tordis. The Role of Children's Books in Integrating Handicapped Children into Everyday Life. Unesco, 1981, 46p. (Studies on Books and Reading No. 1)
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