A kickass guide to making literature events accessible to disabled people
We’ve done the research, so you don't have to!
Good access should be the norm, not the exception.
The Inklusion Guide is here to help with that – a free, kickass guide to making literature events accessible for disabled people. Summarising best-practice accessibility across hybrid, online and in-person events.
Our Impact
of impact survey respondents felt confident about making access provisions after using the guide
of impact survey respondents have changed their access provisions across planning, budget, and delivery
of impact survey respondents are now communicating on access provisions across all teams
o fimpact survey respondents are advertising inclusively with alt-text, captions, and audio-descriptions
“As a disabled author, I know access needs are a fundamental part of us being able to do our job on a level playing field and this guide is helping to reach all the untapped disabled talent out there.”
— Frances Ryan, Guardian columnist and author of Crippled and Who Wants Normal
Stats at a glance
1 in 5
More than 1 in 5 potential UK consumers have a disability.
£2 billion
Businesses lose approximately £2 billion a month by ignoring the needs of disabled people.
£274 billion
The spending power of disabled people and their household continues to increase and is currently (2020) estimated to be worth £274 billion per year to UK business.
73%
73% of potential disabled customers experience barriers on more than a quarter of websites they visited.
Statistics from Purple Pound, 2021
“Inklusion has taken great leaps towards spreading the voice of accessibility. This work is rarely something disabled people get paid support on, or the ability to dedicate specific time to. Inklusion’s ongoing work is so incredibly valuable to this industry.”
Key sections of the guide
of impact survey respondents found the guide accessible, informative and would recommend it to others.
We raised specific funds to create the guide and report as free resources, but we still have to cover annual costs for our website, audio platform, and administration. Your support will ensure these resources can continue to be available for free to all.
What our partners are saying
“The guide was at the heart of our inclusion journey. It made us realise that there is so much more we can do and should do, so much so that our Accountability Charter for 2024 is focused entirely on Accessibility – enhancing accessibility in both our live & online events, supporting access to the creative arts industry, and fostering an accessible and inclusive workforce.”
— Fane
“The Inklusion Guide has had an oversized positive impact on the literature and publishing industries given the support it has received thus far. It is to your credit what you have achieved without the structure of an organisation behind you.”
— Disability Arts Online
“We’re making sure that our EDI team has a representative from every team and that they are feeding back to their teams after every meeting. EDI is now EDIC – we’ve added ‘care’ after our work with you and using the guide.”
— Edinburgh International Book Festival
Tell us what you think
We are all allies in access. And we need your help making sure that disabled people get equitable access in literature.
Your feedback highlights our impact – so if you’ve used the guide, please answer our survey which takes just five minutes.
What authors say
“The Inklusion Guide is going to create enormous change in the industry: by bringing people together in a unified way to make events and hybrid festivals much more accessible to the disabled customer - who had been left behind for far too long.”
Our partners
“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.”