Linda Lucas Walling Collection for Disabled Children

The mission of the Linda Lucas Walling Collection for Disabled Children is to improve understanding of how to evaluate materials for their usefulness with children and young adults who face challenges.

Purpose

The purpose of the Collection is to help librarians, educators, parents, guardians, and other professionals effectively evaluate materials for their usefulness with children and young adults with differing abilities.
Background and overview of the Collection»

Goals

To promote positive, accurate messages and portrayals of various challenges and abilities and aid in selecting, evaluating, and modifying materials to enhance accessibility and enable multimodal learning.

Over 14.8% of children and young adults in South Carolina ages 3-21 are reported to have one or more disabilities. Most notable among barriers to early literacy skill development and access to information for children and young adults who are differently-able have been educational or professional development opportunities for teachers, librarians, parents, guardians, and caregivers.

Overcoming Barriers to Library Services and Materials

Through the physical collection and its webpage, the LLW Collection is used nationally and internationally.

The Collection is available to anyone with a desire to learn how to make books and other materials accessible to all children and young adults, including those who have differing abilities or struggle with reading. Doing so can powerfully impact access, early literacy skill development, and a love of reading.

The Collection also provides books and other information sources that offer positive portrayals of various challenges and abilities experienced by children and young adults.
See a list of internet resources available »

Support the Collection

It is our hope that the Linda Lucas Walling Collection will be well used by people who are interested in equity of access to information and the accessibility of materials for those who are differently able. Everyone can help support the Collection and its work in one or more of the following ways:

Contribute ideas, articles, links, titles of books and other materials to include on the Collection’s website and/or in the Collection. Suggestions for improving the website are always welcome.
Consider making a monetary donation to help update and maintain the collection.
Publishers are encouraged to send copies of their materials to be considered for addition to the Collection. Please contact Dr. Clayton Copeland with inquiries regarding donations.

Contact Us for More Information?

Dr. Clayton A. Copeland
Email: copelan2@mailbox.sc.edu
Phone: 803-777-4311

This collection is not a “best of” collection. As with any library collection, the materials in the Linda Lucas Walling Collection are intended to serve a variety of purposes. Materials you select should be used with care and should be selected with the individual child or group in mind. Some of these titles are good or excellent examples of quality, accessible materials, and others are very poor examples. Materials that are of poor literary quality or materials that may be difficult for populations with identified challenges are included for their educational value to librarians, other educators, professionals, and families who are learning to evaluate materials for quality and accessibility. Please be certain to examine all materials according to the criteria that appear on this page before purchasing or using them.

Criteria for Evaluating Accessibility »

College of Information and Communications