What are reference resources?
"Reference resources" are information resources that are intended to be read a portion at a time, as needed. Encyclopedias and dictionaries are great examples. When you want to find an explanation of an unfamiliar term or concept, you can look it up in an encyclopedia or dictionary, read the part that is about the term or concept, and then set the encyclopedia or dictionary aside until you need it again.
The reference resources chosen for this page are good places to find background information about disability as it pertains to culture, the humanities, and the social sciences - as opposed to health or medicine.
Reference resources exist in print and electronic formats. Location information and call numbers are provided for printed reference resources below, so that you may find them on the shelf.
Reference databases
These databases are collections of encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc. They are multi-topic. Gale eBooks tends to include sources that are a few pages in length, whereas Oxford Reference Online's content tends be a few paragraphs in length. Oxford Handbooks Online contains books that provide topically-organized introductions to subjects.
Individual reference works about disability
These are individual reference works about disability. The list is not exhaustive, so if you need an encyclopedia or similar resource about your topic but don't find one here, see this guide's help and tips page to get in touch with a librarian.
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Encyclopedia of Disability
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The Encyclopedia of Disability is an award-winning five-volume set from SAGE Reference, awarded Best Reference 2005 award from the Library Journal along with an Outstanding Award from the American Library Association′s Booklist journal. It represents the first attempt to bring an authoritative reference resource to the many faces of disability. More than 500 world-renowned scholars have written over 1000 entries, in a clear, accessible style, with the desire to bring all students, researchers, and interested readers closer to the daily experience of disability. The first four volumes cover disability in an A to Z format, including a reader′s guide, comprehensive bibliography and index. Volume five contains a wealth of primary source documents in the field of disability, everything from photographs to correspondence to excerpts from movie scripts and more. ·· Sample entries are available to download from the resources section of the website - click on Sample Chapters & Resources to see more ·· The Encyclopedia of Disability is a must-have reference for all academic libraries, large public libraries and any social science, medical, legal, or governmental reference collections. Non-governmental organizations, charitable foundations and law firms will also want to add this set to their collections. Senior Editors Jerome Bickenbach, Queen′s University Scott Brown Dudley Childress, Northwestern University Medical School Joseph Flaherty, Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago Allen Heinemann, Northwestern University Tamar Heller, Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago Christopher Keys, Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago David Mitchell, Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago Trevor Parmenter, University of Sydney, Australia Mairian Scott-Hill, Marsh Hills Cottage Tom Shakespeare, University of Newcastle Sharon Snyder, Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago Henri-Jacques Stiker, Univeristy of Paris Key Themes Conditions Therapies Biographies/History Laws Policy Consumer Organizations/Advocacy Definition/Concepts Movement Ideology International Developing Countries/Cultural Differences Professional and Lay Cultures Interventions Prevention Identity and Representation Products/Technology/Assisted Devices Social Political Universal Design/Architecture /Physical Environment Outcomes/Efficacy Cross Cultural/Cross National Journals/Resources Gary L Albrecht is Professor of Public Health and of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2005 -
The ABC-CLIO Companion to the Disability Rights Movement
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Since the nineteenth century, Americans with disabilities have fought for a range of personal and civil rights. The ABC-CLIO Companion to the Disability Rights Movement chronicles this struggle during the last 150 years. It presents biographies of pivotal individuals and groups in the movement, including Justin Dart, Judy Heumann, Ed Roberts, Frank Bowe, and such organizations as the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities and Americans for Disabled Attendant Programs Today. Other entries, many of them illustrated, cover legislation, programs, litigation, historic events, and concepts.
Call Number: Bracken Library General Collection HV1553 .P42 1997Publication Date: 1997 -
The Encyclopedia of Blindness and Vision Impairment
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More than 500 detailed entries are written in clear, concise language with a minimum of technical jargon. The volume incorporates a history of blindness and vision impairment with an A-to-Z presentation of health issues, types of surgery, medications, medical terminology, social issues, myths and misconceptions, economic issues, and current research trends. This volume also features updated statistics on blindness and vision impairment, as well as new and updated appendixes offering information on schools for the blind, relevant web sites for further study, and much more.
Call Number: ONLINE and Bracken Library General Collection RE91 .E63 2002Publication Date: 2002 -
The Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies, Language, and Education
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The field of deaf studies, language, and education has grown dramatically over the past forty years. From work on the linguistics of sign language and parent-child interactions to analyses of school placement and the the mapping of brain function in deaf individuals, research across a range ofdisciplines has greatly expanded not just our knowledge of deafness and the deaf, but also the very origins of language, social interaction, and thinking.In this updated edition of the landmark original volume, a range of international experts present a comprehensive overview of the field of deaf studies, language, and education. Written for students, practitioners, and researchers, The Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies, Language, and Education, Volume1, is a uniquely ambitious work that has altered both the theoretical and applied landscapes.Pairing practical information with detailed analyses of what works, why, and for whom - all while banishing the paternalism that once dogged the field - this first of two volumes features specially-commissioned, updated essays on topics including: language and language development, hearing andspeech perception, education, literacy, cognition, and the complex cultural, social, and psychological issues associated with deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. The range of these topics shows the current state of research and identifies the opportunites and challenges that lie ahead.Combining historical background, research, and strategies for teaching and service provision, the two-volume Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies, Language, and Education stands as the benchmark reference work in the field of deaf studies.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2011 -
The Oxford Handbook of Music and Disability Studies
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The Oxford Handbook of Music and Disability Studies represents a comprehensive state of current research for the field of Disability Studies and Music. The forty-two chapters in the book span a wide chronological and geographical range, from the biblical, the medieval, and the Elizabethan, through the canonical classics of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, up to modernist styles and contemporary musical theater and popular genres, with stops along the way in post-Civil War America, Ghana and the South Pacific, and many other interesting times and places. Disability is a broad, heterogeneous, and porous identity, and that diversity is reflected in the variety of bodily conditions under discussion here, including autism and intellectual disability, deafness, blindness, mobility impairment often coupled with bodily difference, and cognitive and intellectual impairments. Amid this diversity of time, place, style, medium, and topic, the chapters share two core commitments. First, they are united in their theoretical and methodological connection to Disability Studies, especially its central idea that disability is a social and cultural construction. Disability both shapes and is shaped by culture, including musical culture. Second, these essays individually and collectively make the case that disability is not something at the periphery of culture and music, but something central to our art and to our humanity.
Call Number: Bracken Library Music Collection ML3916 .O96 2016Publication Date: 2016 -
Encyclopedia of Special Education
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This new edition of the American Library Association Top 25 References of the Year (1987) Award includes alphabetized entries covering the full gamut of special education research and practice. Entries include biographies, reviews of assessment instruments and teaching approaches, cross-cultural issues, legal issues, overviews of specific learning disabilities, and much more
Call Number: Bracken Library General Collection LC4007 .E53 2000Publication Date: 2000 -
Sports and the Physically Challenged
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This encyclopedia is a great resource for those wishing to learn more about the history of the disability sport movement. Research shows that little has been written about disability sports and the people, events and organizations that created the movement. Sports and physical activity transcend many barriers_thus, a book about disability sport and the people and events involved is likely to eradicate some of the barriers people with disabilities themselves face, by creating a greater awareness and understanding of the abilities of people with disabilities. This encyclopedia is a great resource for those wishing to learn more about the history of the disability sport movement. Research shows that little has been written about disability sports and the people, events and organizations that created the movement. Sports and physical activity transcend many barriers_thus, a book about disability sport and the people and events involved is likely to eradicate some of the barriers people with disabilities face, by creating a greater awareness and understanding of the abilities of people with disabilities. The comprehensive coverage of disability sport will be of interest to people in sports, recreation, and rehabilitation, as well as to those who are interested in learning more about it. The resource pages will interest people with disabilities, their families and friends. The work also includes a historical timeline of disability sport.
Call Number: Bracken Library General Collection GV709.3 .M37 2006Publication Date: 2006 -
Pocket Guide to the ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities
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Updated to include the latest Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines This book helps readers understand the facilities requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). This Third Edition presents the technical building requirements for accessible elements and spaces in new construction, alterations, and additions. Expanded and updated with numerous illustrations, this pocket guide covers special requirements for public accommodations and commercial facilities, including businesses, restaurants, medical care facilities, libraries, transportation facilities, and more. Portable and practical, it's a compact reference that can be used easily at a desk or in the field.
Call Number: Architecture Library Collection KF5709.3.H35 P63 2007Publication Date: 2007
