Talk, Literature

Book Panel

Part of the Accessible Book and Story Festival

A discussion about representation and accessibility in picture books for children with additional needs. The panel includes Amy Lankester-Owen (Editorial Director of Jessica Kingsley Publishers), Pat Graham (parent picture book expert), Rose Robbins (author) and Ailie Finlay (My Kind of Book). Hosted by authors Julie McNeill and Paul McNeill.

Amy Lankester-Owen oversees Children's, and Inclusive Teaching and Learning at Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Amy developed Hachette's Dyslexia and Neurodiverse friendly style guidelines.

Pat Graham is the parent of a daughter who has a profound learning disability. Pat’s interest in representation has been motivated by her daughter’s lifelong love of picture books, very few of which reflect either physical or learning disability.

Ailie Finlay is founder of My Kind of Book. My Kind of Book creates, researches and campaigns for sensory stories and books for children with additional needs.

Rose Robbins is an author and illustrator of several picture books exploring themes around disability and neurodiversity. As an autistic person herself with other autistic family members, she is passionate about inclusion in children’s literature.

Julie and Paul McNeill are joint authors of Mission Dyslexia an interactive resource for parents and children with dyslexia.

This event is sponsored by Hachette UK.

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Accessible Book and Story Festival (Fri 13 & Sat 14 Sep)

Making stories fun for everyone! Join My Kind of Book for a packed two day programme full of practical sensory story skills workshops and interesting discussions around the issues involved in creating accessible books. Be inspired by the leaders in this field: pioneers, performers and practitioners from across the UK and beyond. The festival will celebrate some of the fantastic ways books and stories are being made accessible, especially for those with additional needs. This year the focus is on sensory stories.

My Kind of Book is a not-for-profit organisation founded to research and create books for children with complex additional needs and to campaign for greater accessibility in the children’s book world. Made possible by the support of Creative Scotland.