has a disability" (Beck, 2004). Thus, books featuring characters with visual
impairments are not automatically inclusive because when used by those with little
understanding of blindness, tokenism can occur. Tokenism perpetuates
misconceptions, unrealistic expectations, social isolation, assimilation, and a
singular narrative (Kanter, 1977; Tschida et al., 2014). So as to avoid this pitfall,
the rubric developed by the authors critically analyzes the following inclusivity
attributes: traits of the character with a visual impairment, the quality of
relationships between the main and supporting characters, blindness attitudes, and
story attributes.
The Rubric
The rubric contains 35 forced-choice dichotomous questions pertaining to
the aforementioned inclusivity factors. The rubric then contains 23 common
blindness stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions. Furthermore, the rubric contains
the seven types of relationships and the psychosocial adjustment stages both of
which have been outlined by Tuttle and Tuttle (2004). Finally, the rubric contains
four open-ended discussion questions about the book's strengths, liabilities,
suggested enhancements, and intended audience caveats. The rubric can be used
individually or with groups.
When scoring the 35 forced-choice questions the attribute that gets the most
votes is recorded. If the first attribute (which is viewed as a negative attribute) is
