This event is being hosted by the EFA office in collaboration with the EFA Kid Lit Affinity Group.
From the speaker: When my son was diagnosed as visually impaired, it not only had a big effect on my personal life, but my professional life and perspective as well. I started going on courses to study SEND, Accessibility and Neurodiversity – anything I could find to help grow my own understanding. The more courses I went on, the more I discovered a direct intersection with my own work as an editor, writer and proofreader. I could see reoccurring accessibility issues in most of picture books we read at home together, from nearly all publishing houses, that I know could be easily fixed in-house.
The changes needed are not only achievable, but are easy to build into workflows … if only, I thought, everyone who worked in children’s books knew about this perspective. The possibility of making all books more easily accessed, enjoyed and cherished by more children is within our grasp.
So join me to find out how you can make these changes to your editorial perspective, and together, let’s become the squeaky wheels of positive change in the publishing industry.
Gemma Wilkinson-Lowe has been working in children’s book publishing for 15 years, across trade picture books as well as licensed titles for brands such as Marvel, Disney, Crayola and more.
Her personal life circumstances opened her eyes to SEND and accessibility. Now she is focussed on passionately advocating for accessibility in children’s books, not only to benefit children with SEND, but also to make picture books easier to read for all.