Research Guide - Disabilities

This research guide has been created to help students, faculty and anyone else doing research on disabilities. Simply click on the links below to find information on how to find books, journal articles and more!

How Do I........?

How do I........Find books about disabilities?

By using COAST- The CSULB Library's online catalog! COAST is the way you check for books and other items that the library owns. Here are some helpful searches you can try in COAST to find topics related to disabilities!

Using the KEYWORD search, type in:

Disability studies

Independent living

Specific disabilities, such as: Visual impairment, deafness, spinal cord injury, etc.

Using the SUBJECT search, type in:

People with disabilities

Disability evaluation

Sociology of disability

Discrimination against people with disabilities

Barrier-free design

Reference Books:

AFB Directory of Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons in the United States and Canada
REF HV 1791.A537 1997 (accompanying CD-ROM is packaged separately with the same call number)
Lists federal and local government programs as well as state and regional nonprofit services.

Caring for Kids with Special Needs: Residential Programs for Children and Adolescents
REF HV 863.C35 1993
Directory of care and treatment facilities for children with physical, mental, behavioral, and/or educational disabilities.

Dictionary of Mental Handicap
REF HV 3004.L35 1989
Entries include definitions for hundreds of terms related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. Some entries include bibliographic information for further research.

The Early Intervention Dictionary: A Multidisciplinary Guide to Terminology
REF HV 891.C63 1999
In addition to defining hundreds of terms related to the diagnosis and treatment of childhood disabilities, this dictionary includes a variety of growth and development charts, as well as nutritional and immunization guides.

The Encyclopedia of Deafness and Hearing Disorders
REF RF 290.T93 2000
Includes more than 600 brief entries, written in non-technical language, related to the physical and psychological treatment of hearing disorders. Also includes an appendix of resources and services for people with hearing disorders.

Encyclopedia of Special Education
REF LC 4007.E53 2000 (3 vols)
Contains hundreds of brief entries on topics and people related to special education, including accessible design. All entries include a bibliography for further research.

Resources for People with Disabilities: A National Directory
REF HV 1553.R48 1998 (2 vols)
In addition to a list of federal, local, and nonprofit resources for people with disabilities, this directory includes definitions and suggested practices for equal access and accessible design.

Special Education: A Reference Handbook
REF LC 3981.S33 2001
This brief handbook contains definitions, analysis, and resources for a wide variety of topics related to special education, including legal issues, assessment, curriculum development, and advocacy.


How do I.......Find articles about disabilities? By using our Research Databases!
Use the following databases to help you find journal articles related to disabilities. For a complete A-Z list (with descriptions) of all the research databases at the CSULB Library, please click HERE.

Article Databases:
Academic Search Elite General subject database containing indexing and abstracts for nearly 3,000 journals, with many dating back to 1984. Academic Search Elite also provides full-text of articles for over 1,200 journals, with some dating back to 1990. Updated continuously. Ageline The Ageline database is produced by the American Association of Retired Persons, and contains information about all aspects of aging, including age-related disability. The database indexes over 300 journals, reports, and magazines, and article coverage is from 1978 to date (some information is available from 1966 onward). Updated regularly. Alt-HealthWatch Alt-HealthWatch indexes articles from a wide variety of sources that address alternative, complementary, and non-traditional health care practices. Worldwide coverage is available from 1990 to date. ERIC Good source for references to journal articles and documents on the educational aspects of disability. References to thousands of educational topics. Coverage is 1966 to date. Updated monthly. MEDLINE Produced by the National Library of Medicine, this database contains scholarly journal articles covering all areas of medicine, including disabling diseases and conditions. Coverage is 1951 to date, and the database is updated daily. PsycInfo Good source for articles related to all areas of psychology, including psychological disorders. Covers nearly 1300 current journals, some from as early as 1887. Updated quarterly. Social Sciences Abstracts This database contains citations and abstracts from more than 400 sources, including sociology, anthropology, economics, and law journals. With coverage from 1983 to date, Social Sciences Abstracts is a good place to look for analysis and research on disabilities from a scholarly perspective.

Social Services Abstracts
Social Services Abstracts contains citations and abstracts for articles related to social work and human services, including social welfare, health care, and social policy. Coverage is from 1980 to date.

Sociological Abstracts
A well known and popular database providing international coverage on Sociology topics as well as related disciplines in the social & behavioral sciences. Coverage is 1963 to the present.

This page created by Kimberley Wilcox and Denise Penn
Maintained by Tracey Mayfield,
Gerontology Librarian
University Library, California State University, Long Beach