The Dolly Gray Award recognizes high quality fiction/biographical books for children, adolescents, and young adults that authentically portray individuals with developmental disabilities. Special Needs Project, a worldwide leader in the distribution of books related to disabilities, co-sponsors this award.

Fran Prezant, disability consultant, author, presenter, and Dolly Gray Award panelist notes, “Engaging books that feature people with disabilities as individuals with personalities, strengths and talents as part of the story line, have the exponential power to change attitudes and promote inclusion in education, jobs and community life. These are important, not only for young readers with and without disabilities, but for parents and teachers who read books to them and model societal attitudes through words and actions. This year, it is wonderful to see so many positive contributions to the literature choices compared to a decade ago when people with disabilities were rarely featured in positive ways if at all, in children’s books. The Dolly Gray Award has been a positive vehicle to call attention to this and authors and progressive publishers should be commended and encouraged to put more of these books into the hands of readers.”

New this year is the Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award Special Collection at the Harold B. Lee Library on the Brigham Young University campus in Provo, Utah. This collection will house all books considered for the award since its inception in 2000, and is likely to be the most complete collection of children’s books that include individuals with developmental disabilities. A list of all books eligible for the award, procedures, and submission guidelines are available on the DADD website:  http://daddcec.org/Awards/DollyGrayAwards.aspx.