Innovating access in the literature sector
A kickass guide to making literature events accessible for disabled people
The Inklusion Guide will summarise best-practice accessibility across hybrid, online and in-person events and will be available as webpages on our website from 25th August, launching at Edinburgh International Book Festival.
A free limited-run A4 printed booklet and downloadable PDF are scheduled for early in 2023. BSL video and audio recording, Easy Read, and Braille versions will follow.
“Paradoxically, lockdown made festival access easier for many disabled people because everything went digital. What’s important as we emerge from that is to make sure this access is replicated in the face-to-face world. A guide to make that more straightforward for everyone organising a book event of any kind is exactly what we need. I want to live in a world that’s inclusive; books break down all kinds of walls, and access to books and writers should also be free from barriers.”
What the Inklusion Guide does
Centralised resource
The Inklusion Guide will be available for free to organisations who deliver events, programmes, festivals, retreats, courses and residencies, to help ensure accessibility is implemented at the planning stages.
Consistency
Rolled out across the UK, the guide will ensure that best-practice accessibility provisions are delivered across the board, instead of being patchy and inconsistent.
Self-advocacy
Individuals can use the guide to aid them in asking for their access needs to be met, reducing the labour on the individual.
“At last! A no-excuses guide to make sure disabled people are included in literary events, right from planning through to the event itself. A much needed resource that will do away with bolted-on, afterthought provision and help make literary events thoroughly accessible for everyone.”
All the tools you need for success
We’ve done the research, so you don't have to!
The Inklusion Guide will provide a checklist of best-practice provisions for in-person, online, and hybrid events for both authors and audiences. It will give tips on funding access provision, outline the importance of hiring disabled staff, provide advice and experience from disabled authors, use stats to back up our recommendations, and list further resources.
Funding and Partnership
We achieved our target project funding budget of £32,324 thanks to the incredible support from our sponsors.
We've partnered with Penguin Random House UK who have taken on the design and production of the Inklusion Guide PDF and printed booklet, and they are funding the various accessible versions. Meredith Adams and Zainab Juma are leading on our partnership, with Loz and Stewart Bremner working on the design and illustrations respectively. Cinn Curtis designed the Inklusion logo and is leading on the web design.
“To put it simply, Inklusion’s work is essential. The literary sector has to become accessible to disabled and chronically ill people, and only through that accessibility can literary events be truly relevant in the modern world. Through information and education, Inklusion is offering the opportunity for real, meaningful change, and I urge organisations across the sector to listen and to support their work.”
Launch Event
We will be launching the Inklusion Guide at Edinburgh International Book Festival, ‘Celebrating Inclusion’, on Thursday 25th August. You can attend in person or online via the livestream.
The event is chaired by Sinéad Burke, disability activist and founder of Tilting the Lens. Farrell and Dundas come together with industry figures including Jenny Kumar (Literature Alliance Scotland) and Zaahida Nabagereka (Head of Social Impact at Penguin Random House UK). With a special performance reading from writer and poet Jeda Pearl.
Let’s work together
We’re always looking for new opportunities and are comfortable working internationally. Please get in touch and one of our project managers will contact you about beginning the proposal process.
