About Inklusion
Our mission
The pandemic has seen a rapid increase in access and inclusion in the arts all over the world, and for the first time disabled people are feeling included where they didn’t before. For so long we were told access was ‘too complicated’ or that organisers didn’t have resources, or it was ‘logistically challenging’. The pandemic has proven this is not the case — and we must not go back to our old ways.
We’ve created an accessible and comprehensive access guide for UK literary sector organisations to use when planning events.
Covering accessibility for both invited speakers and audience members, the guide outlines access for various events — from book launches, festival events, conferences, panels, workshops, fellowships, to residencies. It includes information on running in-person, online, and hybrid events.
Our aim is that the guide is a centralised resource that’s accessible and easy to use. It’s for:
small and large organisations alike
freelance authors
individuals to self-advocate.
We wanted to take the onus and emotional labour off disabled individuals to educate events providers and publishers.
The guide is directly informed by disabled writers and other disabled people working in publishing, as well as current research into accessibility in the industry.
“Having a centralised guide to access is a much needed solution for disabled and chronically ill people too often left adrift in the book industry. 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. This guide will help reach all the untapped disabled talent out there.”
Our goal
We want to make access in the literature sector consistent, transparent and reliable. And fun! In all our hours consulting with organisations in the sector, the most common response to accessibility was fear of the unknown. We're here to demystify access provision and instil confidence in every event provider.
“Books should be for everyone, but accessibility issues mean that many disabled people are barred from participating. This guide is necessary, timely and is sure to be well-researched and evidenced. An essential tool for all publishing events!”
Funding
It’s with thanks to the incredible support from our sponsors that we’ve been able to reach our total project funding goal of £32,324, to create this much needed free resource.
We received an initial amount of £4,000 in funding from our seed funders, Edinburgh International Book Festival in September 2021, and just two months later we’d hit our target budget of £18,574.
By June 2022, we’d secured a further £13,750 for our design and production phase, and partnered with Penguin Random House UK who are designing and delivering the guide.
We’ve been overwhelmed with the support and demand for the guide and we are excited to see the ongoing positive impact it has on the industry.
Let's not go back to normal!
Julie & Ever
“The UK literary sector’s response to the pandemic proves accessibility can and should be placed at the heart of all its events. Inklusion is a positive step towards change for everyone. We must not allow accessibility to become an afterthought again.”