Understanding Identity and Disability in the Middle-grade Novel Caleb and Kit by Beth Vrabel

Aura Annisa; Harwintha Yuhria Anjarningsih

doi:10.24071/joll.v25i1.10082

Understanding Identity and Disability in the Middle-grade Novel Caleb and Kit by Beth Vrabel

Aura Annisa⁽¹⁾, Harwintha Yuhria Anjarningsih^(2*),

(1) Linguistics Department, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia
(2) Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract

Children’s literature has long been associated with key ideologies and morals for children. Through literary themes, children will learn how to perceive themselves and their surroundings. Beth Vrabel’s book Caleb and Kit (2017), which features Caleb as a kid with cystic fibrosis, explores identity and disability, two important themes in this children’s literature. These two important themes are analysed using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) with critical sociocultural approach by Moje and Lewis (2007) to examine identity in literature and disability model’s framework to analyse disability representations and the relation to the protagonist’s identity. This study portrays a child's experience with disability by examining the main character's words, actions, and interactions, revealing how both condition and environment alter identity and relationships throughout time. The study finds that the portrayal of disability is multidimensional, shifting as the narrative progresses, emphasizing the dynamic aspect of the character's experiences. Two popular disability models, medical and social, are utilized to investigate the various aspects of disability experience, as reflected in the characters and narrative. Long-standing criticisms of these two paradigms are included in the story, impacting how the characters see disability. This study suggests that both disability models operate best when used together as a full framework for critically analyzing the constructions of disability identity in children's literature and assisting the reader in understanding this issue in their surroundings.

Keywords

Identity; Disability; Children’s literature; Caleb and Kit

Full Text:

PDF

References

Beaudry, J.-S. (2016). Beyond (models of) disability? Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 41(2), 210–228. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/jhv06

Bîrneanu, A. G., Alexiu, T. M., Baciu, E., Sandvin, J. T., & Fylling, I. (2016). The Role and Influence of Family and Community Relations on the Disabled Persons’ Labor Market Status: Perspectives of Disabled Individuals and Family Members. Revista de Asistenţă Socială, 57–80.

Bothwell, J. (2011). Portraying Disability in the Modern Novel: Identity, Subjectivity, and Power. [Master’s thesis, Athabasca University].

Brandon, T., & Pritchard, G. (2011). “Being fat”: a conceptual analysis using three models of disability. Disability & Society, 26(1), 79–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2011.529669

Bunbury, S. (2019). Unconscious Bias and the Medical model: How the Social Model May Hold the Key to Transformative Thinking about Disability Discrimination. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law, 19(1), 26–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/1358229118820742

Connor, D., & Olander, L. (2020). Influence of Medical and Social Perspectives of Disability on Models of Inclusive Education in the United States. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1244

Curwood, J. S. (2012). Redefining Normal: A Critical Analysis of (Dis)ability in Young Adult Literature. Children’s Literature in Education, 44(1), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-012-9177-0

Darling, R. B. (2013). Disability and Identity: Negotiating Self in a Changing Society. New York: Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Davis, L. J. (2016). The disability studies reader. Routledge, An Imprint Of The Taylor & Francis Group.

Faeth, E. M. (2021). Agency, Power, and Disability: A Textual Analysis of The Silence Between Us. Children’s Literature in Education, 52(4), 433–448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-021-09453-w

Forhan, M. (2009). An analysis of disability models and the application of the ICF to obesity. Disability and Rehabilitation, 31(16), 1382–1388. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638280802572981

Goering, S. (2015). Rethinking Disability: the Social Model of Disability and Chronic Disease. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine, 8(2), 134–138. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4596173/

Gallagher, D. J., Connor, D. J., & Ferri, B. A. (2014). Beyond the far too incessant schism: special education and the social model of disability. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 18(11), 1120–1142. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2013.875599

Freeman, D. (2020). (Dis)Ability Discourse And The Mediation Of Disabled Identity In Young Adult Literature And Television (Master’s Thesis). Illinois State University, Illinois.

Haegele, J. A., & Hodge, S. (2016). Disability Discourse: Overview and Critiques of the Medical and Social Models. Quest, 68(2), 193–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2016.1143849

Hall, A. (2015). Literature and Disability. London: Routledge.

Harry Stack Sullivan, & Mullahy, P. (2013). Conceptions of Modern Psychiatry. W. W. Norton and Company, Inc.

Hogan, A. J. (2019). Social and medical models of disability and mental health: evolution and renewal. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 191(1), E16–E18. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.181008

Hunt, P., & G, S. (2014). International companion encyclopedia of children’s literature. London: Routledge.

Kingsbury, M. (2021, April 28). The Current State of Disability Representation in Children’s Books. BOOK RIOT. Retrieved from BOOK RIOT website: https://bookriot.com/disability-representation-in-childrens-books/

Kurtts, S. A., & Gavigan, K. W. (2017). Understanding (dis)abilities through children’s literature. Education Libraries, 31(3), 23. https://doi.org/10.26443/el.v31i3.259

Ladau, E. (2021). Demystifying disability: What to know, what to say, and how to be an ally. Ten Speed Press.

Lalvani, P. (2015). Disability, Stigma and Otherness: Perspectives of Parents and Teachers. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 62(4), 379–393. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912x.2015.1029877

Lewis, C., Enciso, P., & Moje, E. B. (2007). Reframing sociocultural research on literacy: identity, agency, and power. Routledge.

Lukins, J., Naima Bhana Lopez, Mary Rose Sallese, & Andresen, J. (2023). Fostering Inclusive Dispositions: Integrating Disability Studies in Teacher Education. Journal of Special Education Preparation, 3(3), 4–15. https://doi.org/10.33043/josep.3.3.4-15

Marks, B. A. (2000). Jumping Through Hoops and Walking on Egg Shells or Discrimination, Hazing, and Abuse of Students with Disabilities? Journal of Nursing Education, 39(5), 205–210. https://doi.org/10.3928/0148-4834-20000501-05

Mitra, S. (2006). The Capability Approach and Disability. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 16(4), 236–247. https://doi.org/10.1177/10442073060160040501

Mueller, C. (2019). Adolescent understandings of disability labels and social stigma in school. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 32(3), 263–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2019.1576940

Rieger, A., & McGrail, E. (2015). Exploring Children’s Literature With Authentic Representations of Disability. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 51(1), 18–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2015.988560

R, Roshini., & V, Rajasekaran. (2022). More Than an Invalid: A Comparative Study Addressing Disability Portrayal in Children’s Fiction. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(3), 551–557. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1203.15

Roush, S. E., & Sharby, N. (2011). Disability Reconsidered: The Paradox of Physical Therapy. Physical Therapy, 91(12), 1715–1727. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20100389

Moje, E. B. (2004). Powerful spaces: Tracing the out-of-school literacy spaces of Latino/a youth. In K. Leander & M. Sheehy (Eds.), Spacematters:Assertions Of space in literacy practice and research . New York: Peter Lang

Shyman, E. (2016). The Reinforcement of Ableism: Normality, the Medical Model of Disability, and Humanism in Applied Behavior Analysis and ASD. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 54(5), 366–376. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-54.5.366

Sugiarto, T. (2020). Reading Disability in Indonesian Children’s Literature. Indonesian Journal of English Language Studies (IJELS), 6(1), 25–34. https://doi.org/10.24071/ijels.v6i1.2693

Preston, D. L. (2010). Finding difference: Nemo and friends opening the door to disability theory. The English Journal, 100(2), 56–60. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25790036

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24071/joll.v25i1.10082