Guides: Disability Studies: Books

Franklin Catalog : finding books about disability

Franklin Catalog uses Library of Congress subject headings and subject heading subdivisions to describe books, ebooks, videos, and other Penn Libraries materials that are about impairments and disability and about people with impairments or disabilities. These subject headings are assigned at the most detailed level treated by most of the work.

Look for patterns in subject headings. Identify synonyms among subject headings. Combine subject heading phrases using Franklin Catalog's "Keyword Search" function.

Example subject headings relating to disability are:

`Disability studies`	`Sociology of disability`


`Disabilities`	`Developmental disabilities`	`Learning disabilities`
`Mental disabilities`	`Intellectual disability`	`Social disabilities`
`Blindness`	`Deafness`	`Paralysis`
`Paraplegia`	`Quadriplegia`	`Hemiplegia`
	`Cerebral palsy`	`Abnormalities, human`
`Autism`	`Autism spectrum disorders`	`Down syndrome`


`People with disabilities`	`Developmentally disabled`	`Learning disabled`
`People with mental disabilities`	`People with social disabilities`	`People with visual disabilities`
`Blind`	`Deaf`	`Paralytics`
`Paraplegics`	`Quadriplegics`	`Hemiplegics`
`Cerebral palsied`	`Autistic people`	`Inmates of institutions`
`Intellectual disability facilities patients`


`Children with disabilities`	`Infants with disabilities`	`Learning disabled children`
`Autistic children`	`Children with autism spectrum disorders`	`Youth with disabilities`
`Developmentally disabled youth`	`Young adults with disabilities`	`Middle-aged persons with visual disabilities`
`Teenagers with disabilities`	`Older people with disabilities`	`African Americans with disabilities`
`Librarians with disabilities`


`Deaf culture`	`Subculture`	`Marginality, social`
`Social isolation`	`Difference (psychology)`	`Stigma (social psychology)`
`Identity (psychology)`


`Disability law`	`Psychology and mental health`


`Rehabilitation`	`Deinstitutionalization`	`Institutional care`
`Adult care facilities`	`Group homes`	`Home care services`
`Hospital care`	`Intellectual disability facilities`	`Mental health facilities`
`Nursing home care`	`Psychiatric hospitals`


`Barrier-free design`	`Self-help devices for people with disabilities`	`Blind, apparatus for the`
`Assistive computer technology`	`Communication devices for people with disabilities`	`Hearing aids`
`CIC hearing aids`	`Cochlear implants`	`Artificial limbs`
`Artificial legs`	`Parapodiums`

Narrowing down your book search results

If your Franklin Catalog search results are overwhelming, there are some subject heading phrases that might help you maintain control. Plug these into your Keyword Expert searching with ... AND ....

Conditions and aspects

`attitudes`	`civil rights`
`economic conditions`	`government policy`
`health aspects`	`history`
`intellectual life`	`legal status`
`moral and ethical aspects`	`social aspects`
`social conditions`	`social life and customs`
`politics and government`	`public opinion`
`psychology`	`psychological aspects`
`religion`	`religious aspects`
`religious life`

Methodologies and sources

`methodology`	`anecdotes`
`autobiography`	`case studies`
`correspondence`	`cross-cultural studies`
`diaries`	`fieldwork`
`interviews`	`longitudinal studies`
`newspapers`	`personal narratives`
`statistics`	`surveys`
`testing`

Representations and participation

`... in advertising`	`... in art`
`... in literature`	`... in mass media`
`... in motion pictures`	`... in music`
`... in popular culture`	`... in science`
`... in television`	`... in the Bible`
`... in civil service`	`... and crime`
`... and the arts`	`... and the performing arts`
`influences`	`study and teaching`
`discrimination against ...`