Selected reference sources in disability studies: an annotated bibliography

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an overview of reference sources in the discipline of disability studies to aid academic and larger public libraries in their collection building efforts. Each discussed source is annotated, offering information on the title’s model for viewing disability, scope, structure and audience.

Design/methodology/approach

Reference titles in disability studies were located through searches in WorldCat, then evaluated, selected and carefully annotated. Resources included in this annotated bibliography are those that move beyond the medical model of disability, exploring disability rather as a social construct. Also, works with interdisciplinary focus were preferred during selection.

Findings

There is a variety of recently published reference resources in disability studies, including companions, encyclopedias, handbooks and series, that would potentially represent good additions to collections in academic and public libraries. Seven of these are annotated in this study.

Originality/value

Post-medical disability studies target a broad range of audiences: sociologists, arts and humanities scholars, activists, people with disabilities, individuals without disabilities and medical practitioners and caretakers. Given this broad audience appeal, it can be argued that any academic library or large public library will benefit from setting up or updating its collections on this relatively new discipline of study. The resources annotated in this study assist interested libraries in this endeavor.

Citation

Khailova, L. (2014), "Selected reference sources in disability studies: an annotated bibliography", Reference Reviews, Vol. 28 No. 8, pp. 2-6. https://doi.org/10.1108/RR-01-2014-0012