Children's Literature for the Primary Inclusive Classroom: Increasing Understanding of Children with Hearing Impairments

As a result of recent federal legislation and positive research findings of educators, children with disabilities, including hearing impairment, are being included in general education classrooms. This development has many implications at the state, district, and classroom levels. While helping the child with disabilities assimilate into the general education classroom may appear to be the teacher's primary challenge, increasing awareness and understanding among those students without disabilities is a growing concern of educators. The use of children's literature featuring children with disabilities is one way to promote this understanding. This article includes an annotated bibliography of children's literature featuring children with hearing impairment, along with related classroom activities to enhance experiences with the books.