Disabilities Research Sources from Rowan University Libraries

Your university library has many resources to assist with research in best practices in serving students and faculty with disabilities.  Use the links on this page for books, search tips, and resources, so that you can learn more about what the library has available! 

When searching in the Rowan University library for books or articles about disabilities, accessibility, or inclusion -- try one of these truncated search terms (stem of a word, along with an asterisk *) in the main search box of any database, along with another term or two to specify the topic you are researching. For example, you could type in

disab* AND college

accessib* AND university

inclusion AND campus

Using the truncation symbol (an asterisk *) will include the widest possible number of our thousands of print and electronic books and journal and magazine articles which use variations of these terms. Remember that simple searches without truncation symbols, such as typing just 'disability' (singular) or just 'disabilities' (plural) may result in two different result lists.

To get a more focused result list, use the facets (choices to limit the results list) to choose particular subject headings or other features of the resource you need (article, book, etc.):

• Disabilities
• People with disabilities 
• [profession or identity group] with disabilities (for example, Athletes with disabilities, Students with disabilities)
• Disability awareness
• Disability studies
• Disabled veterans
• Discrimination against people with disabilities
• [type of] disability (for example, Developmental disabilities, Learning disabilities)
• [type of] disorder (for example, Movement disorders, Perceptual disorders)
• [name of the disorder itself] (for example, Deafness, Autism Spectrum Disorder)

There are many more limiters than these to choose from, so just choose all the most useful ones for your purposes!  Some choices in the 'subject limiter' list on the left may not reflect current terminology... but that doesn't mean the article is bad or outdated.  Instead, be sure to browse many types of items and check on the article quality for yourself (certain articles are not simply 'better' because they have been easier to find!).

More detailed information on descriptive words to try in your searches are provided on websites from the National Library Service, or contact a librarian for more assistance with searching.