1. The Quentin Blake Award Project Report
Making Exclusion a Thing of
the Past: Children’s Views on
Disability in Books
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2. 1. Background
1.1. The Quentin Blake Award and Booktrust
This project is funded by the Roald Dahl Foundation's
Quentin Blake Award.
The Quentin Blake Award is made annually to a charity,
supported by the Foundation in the previous calendar year.
The Award is made to an organisation selected by Quentin
Blake himself, which he feels has special merit and would
benefit from additional support for a new project.
In this case, it was awarded to Booktrust in recognition of
the success of the Foundation-funded Booktouch project,
which extended the Bookstart scheme to children with a
visual impairment.
Other relevant Booktrust projects include Bookstart, the books for babies
scheme, of which the Roald Dahl Foundation was one of the original funders, and
Bookmark, an online facility providing support, information, reviews and
signposting on the subject of books and disability.
1.2 This project
Booktrust chose to use the Quentin Blake Award to give children a voice about
the way disability is portrayed in books.
In September 2005, an invitation was sent to every school in the UK encouraging
them to consult students on this subject and feed their views back to the project
manager.
In November 2005, a series of workshops also began in a selection of UK
schools. Each workshop was led by a children’s writer or illustrator with a specific
interest or expertise in this field.
Each workshop used a customised approach to give the selected group of
children a chance to tell us what is important to them about books.
Discussions covered anything from images of disability to reading difficulties and
access to the right books.
The material generated has been collated into this resource to share with the
publishing/ writing sector and the wider community. Booktrust is now working to
explore appropriate means of building on this important activity.

3. 2. This report
2.1 Report aims
This document aims to document the progress of the Quentin Blake Award project and
present some of the many views, concerns and suggestions voiced by those who
participated between Autumn 2005 and Spring 2006.
2.2 Report contents
1. Background
2. Report aims, contents and approach
3. Summary of workshop schedule and participants
4. Key findings under the headings:
- What is Disability?
- Do enough books feature disabled characters?
- Why are positive images important?
- How has disability been portrayed to date?
- How would you like to see things change?
- Additional comments from non-disabled participants
5. Workshops in detail
6. Additional material and findings
7. Conclusion and plans for the future
2.3 Acknowledgements
Booktrust would like to express its sincere thanks to
The Roald Dahl Foundation, and all the artists and
schools who have participated in this project. Thanks
also to Quentin Blake, Jacqueline Wilson, Michael
Rosen, Jeanne Willis, Stefan Casta, Luke Jackson, the
publishers who have supplied books and indeed all
those who have leant the project their valuable support.
See References and Further Reading at the end of
the report for more information about Booktrust, the
Roald Dahl Foundation, the Quentin Blake Award and
other relevant initiatives.

4. 2.4 The Report approach
Whilst this report can only represent the views of those consulted through the
project (namely 200 workshop participants and approximately 30 other schools,
groups and individuals), additional widespread discussion suggests that it can be
considered to be a valuable general representation of many wider views.
Amongst its findings, the consultation carried out has affirmed that disability is a
very subjective area, and the range of different conditions (and people’s views)
diverse and complex. As such, this report aims to avoid over-generalising about
disabled people, what they like/want or what it is like to be disabled.
Likewise, it is recognised that ‘pigeon-holing’ people as ‘disabled’ or ‘able-bodied’
where this is not helpful or relevant should be avoided.
The report does, however, on occasions acknowledge where views were
submitted by people who specifically stated that they were ‘disabled’ or ‘not
disabled’. It is hoped that this is useful in illustrating and explaining the diversity
of comments. It is also felt there are some additional learning points which can
be identified through the differences in views and language of those consulted.
Likewise, whilst avoiding over-generalisation, a number of very clear, common
themes emerged, which this report will aim to outline.
Finally, this report aims to present the findings in the context of the ‘social model’
of disability, i.e. recognising that people are disabled by society’s barriers, as
opposed to their specific conditions.
“I think this is an excellent, much-needed project. It's great news that the
children themselves are being involved and consulted.”
Jacqueline Wilson
“I am really excited to have the opportunity to be associated once again
with Booktrust. This far-sighted project will enrich the lives of children
as well as the lives of all those of us who work with books for them.”
Quentin Blake

5. 3. The workshops
Seven workshops were held around the UK
between November 2005 and April 2006:
Pippa Goodhart, worked with 60
students from Leicestershire
including many with dyslexia
Jackie Gay explored physical
disability in books with 40 students
in a Hampshire college
Heather Maisner discussed disability in books with children of different ages and
reading abilities in Ipswich
Jane Ray and Joyce Dunbar worked with a small group of deaf and hearing
children in London to discuss the portrayal of deafness in books
Writer/teacher Mark Roberts and storyteller Karen Tovell generated creative
responses from representatives of 12 different Merseyside schools
Writer Michaela Morgan worked with 20 Year 8 students in Surrey, focusing on
books for less confident/enthusiastic readers
Writer in Residence at the Roald Dahl Museum in Buckinghamshire ran a creative
consultation workshop with 16 students from a local school.
In addition to the core workshops, a mailing to all UK schools has generated debate and
discussion around the country, with many other schools and groups choosing to explore
this subject. This report therefore also includes some of the feedback from these 30
plus schools and individuals, who gave their comments and views to the project, by
submitting letters, drawings and creating writing.

6. 4. The messages
This report now goes on to outline some of the many findings and comments of the
project.
The report aims to use some of the discussion headings applied during workshops, and
wherever possible to employ children’s own choices of language and terminology.
Where the project uses a phrase or words used by one or more children, these are
presented in full (double) inverted commas. Where a direct and full quote from a child is
given, it is also presented in a box.
4.1 Key findings
The overriding observation (from children consulted through the mailing and the
workshops, disabled and non-disabled alike) corroborated the belief that there
are simply not enough images of disability in books.
Many of those consulted shared powerful comments and thought-provoking
personal experiences illustrating feelings of isolation and often demonstrating the
effects of the absence of positive images when children are growing up.
All those consulted agreed that disability is not a simple, ‘black and white’ subject.
People cannot (and need not) be simply and easily categorized into ‘disabled’
and ‘not disabled’.
Everyone has “different needs and different challenges” in life.
Books need to feature a wide range of children with different needs and different
abilities. Books should include protagonists who are disabled in some way but
also characters who just ‘happen’ to be disabled without this being a tool or
plotline.
Books should include the less ‘obvious’ sorts of disability and ‘invisible’ conditions
such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, mild learning difficulties, AD/HD. Etc.
Every disabled child is different – just as every child is different, and indeed every
individual is different, and books should reflect this.
Finally, it is worth noting that this project seems to have generated several
additional benefits, for example challenging the attitudes to disability of those who
had not previously given the subject thought, and introducing disabled/non-
disabled children from a wide range of different backgrounds who might not
otherwise meet.

7. 4.2 What is Disability?
Many of the workshops encouraged children to consider and share their views on the
word ‘disability’. The discussions that followed drew out some common points of
agreement:
Disability is not a black and white subject, but rather a ‘relative’ subject – one of
the workshops tried considering it as a ‘continuum’.
Whilst some people are ‘obviously’ disabled, there are many less visible
conditions which affect people in different ways.
People tend to think of disability in terms of “wheelchairs and other physical
problems that you can see straight away.”
One group of students with no previous ‘direct’ knowledge of disability, concluded
that in fact each of them in the group could identify a way in which they could be
considered disabled – for example, by poor eye sight, dyslexia, poor coordination,
difficulty with maths, poor spatial awareness, etc.
Participants tended to agree with the ‘social model’ of disability – in other words
that it is society and its barriers which disable people, not their conditions.
Many people who, for example, happen to use a wheelchair or a hearing aid, do
not see themselves as being “disabled”.
Several of the workshops concluded that someone is only really disabled if they
do not have what they need to get on with their lives, for example a ramp, hearing
aid or large-size font.
4.3 Are there enough books featuring disabled characters?
Many of the workshops and the consultation carried out with other schools/individuals,
started by asking children to think of books featuring disabled characters.
The majority of those consulted could think of one or two books featuring disabled
characters. However, it should be acknowledged that many would have discussed the
subject in preparation for the workshop/activity.
In two of the workshops, it was ensured that there was no preparation at all. Where this
was not the case, many children/young people could not think of any disabled
characters.

8. The overriding message was that there are simply not enough images of
disability in books.
Whilst this is hardly surprising, what is more interesting is the way in which
children/young people suggest that this can or should be redressed (this report
goes on to illustrate some of these ideas).
The head of department at a school for disabled children in Staffordshire
reported:
“I have talked to our children about your Questionnaire and they are not aware
of any fiction book portraying children who are disabled, although there are a
few – Oxford Reading Tree show a child in a wheelchair and we do have non-
fiction books in our library which address both physical and emotional
difficulties. The children felt that the message it sends to other people is that
they are strange or different.”
One (deaf) student said:
“I love reading and have only read a book that involved a disabled character
twice. Best of the two books that involved a disabled character is called The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time”. It is about a boy with
behavioural problems but is also a maths and science genius, he found a
neighbour’s dog lying dead covered in blood so he decided to investigate but
it is difficult due to his behavioural problems but in the end he overcame all
the odds and did it. The book shows that disabled people are not stupid and
can achieve anything: like the boy in the story got A in Maths A-Level.”
Also note-worthy was the fact that almost all the children (whether they
considered themselves to be ‘disabled’ or not) shared this view, although the
reasons for (and ways of) requesting more positive images were very varied and
different.
Comments included:
“The world is portrayed in a different way from how it is”.
“If I was disabled, I would feel that books are made for the rest of society and
not for disabled people.”
“I would feel that books are avoiding the subject and not acknowledging that
people like me exist.”
“I really think people’s stereotypes of disabled people need to change.”
Another school in Staffordshire fed back to us that:

9. “Year 2 were able to quote two books on disability and said that it was a good
idea, as long as the plot was interesting. The books would also help us to
know how to treat disabled people... Year 6 quoted a considerable list and
would like to see more disabled characters in texts so that the latter would be
seen as ordinary citizens. They also felt it would help to raise awareness of
people in the community and help to appreciate their skills and differences.”
The vast majority of the participants who did not consider themselves to be
disabled in the obvious sense of the word admitted that they had not thought
about this subject before. These comments were typical of those who
participated in a workshop on the subject:
“It has made me think more about the situations disabled people find
themselves in and the reality for disabled people.”
“Today’s experience has opened my eyes to this subject.”
Some recognised this absence of disabled characters as a positive opportunity
for the children’s book world:
“There is a goldmine in this market, Mark Haddon has proven that! It
entertains as well as it raises awareness.”
“I only today realised how little disability is touched on in books and TV.
There is a whole new horizon of writing out there!”
Only a very small minority of ‘non-disabled’ participants had some reservations,
for example:
“I think it is a bad idea, it might be odd to read a book with disabled people in. I
haven’t ever read one before.”
The report goes on to look more specifically at more views from non-disabled
audiences and the associated learning points later.
4.4 Why is it important to include positive images?

10. The overriding response to this question was that the current lack of
representation in books exacerbates the feeling that someone who is disabled is
‘different’.
Many children talked about feelings of being left out or isolated.
Some told us that the subject of their impairment was never or rarely discussed.
This was one of the most poignant responses:
”Thank you for coming to meet us and chatting about what it's like to be
deaf because not many people like talking about it. The day was special to
me because I have been so desperate.”
One teacher from a school for disabled children told us:
“The children did think it was important that people with disabilities be shown
in books because they feel very lacking in confidence when they meet other
children. They want other people to be interested in them but they sometimes
feel that they are treated with a lack of understanding and respect; sometimes
made fun and treated with abuse.”
As already touched on, more positive images could also help to improve
people’s acceptance of difference:
“Disabled people should be illustrated and included so that we grow up more
familiar and aware of people’s differences.”
Another (non-disabled) participant stated simply that:
“I think you should write more books about people with disabilities because
it is an interesting subject.”
4.5 How has disability been portrayed in books to date?
Particularly with the older students, there appeared to be a general acceptance
that times have changed since books that they remembered from their early
childhood and that there are far more books that now feature disability, and in a
more positive way.
Several workshops encouraged older participants to think about the messages
presented in traditional stories like Heidi and The Secret Garden. In retrospect,

11. participants commented that they found such titles to have subliminally negative
messages but they were not (consciously) aware of such messages when they
originally read the books.
that the vast majority of ‘current’ books that they could
name were those such as Curious Incident, Stuck in Neutral, Stoner and Spaz
Participants also observed
and Sleepovers, where disability is featured as an issue, theme or tool in the plot.
was a disappointment about the fact that there are very few books which feature
Whilst the general view was that such books represent positive change, there
a disabled character without comment.
ut non-fiction. Books which were
obviously intended to inform people about disability were seen as being dull and
Comments were also less than positive abo
unattractive. One (deaf) student said:
"I wo heelchairs because it is full of boring
facts but if a book was about for example a person who won a swimming
n't pick up a book about people in w
competition I would pick it up and read it because it looked interesting at least
then I would discover the character used a wheelchair and then I'd learn about
wheelchair people and how to use a wheelchair etc."
Some students talked about disability on television, and commented on the
fact that many programmes (such as Blue Peter and Newsround) are good at
raising awareness of issues but less effective in promoting everyday
acceptance.
le to
book from when they were younger. One student mentioned
One group of Year 9 students could name current titles but were unab
name a single
that Spot the Dog’s Gran had a walking stick and several mentioned
Spiderman and X-Men having characters in wheelchairs.
anotherPositive images clearly need to start at an early age, a point raised by
student:
“S
lo
ome ick on people because they are different. Perhaps if they are
oking when they are younger they might appreciate the differences more.”
people p

12. 4.6 How would you like to see things change?
Whilst some young people consulted particularly wanted to see disabled
characters ‘in the background’ others wanted especially to see disabled
protagonists:
“I don’t like people feeling sorry for me or being sympathetic and giving me
special treatment……It’s like you have a different religion and wear a
different costume from everyone else. I would like to fade into the crowd
more.” (a teenage boy with cerebral palsy)
“Impaired people can be heroes too.” (a deaf student who was asked for her
‘message’ to publishers)
Older students were often able to explore and discuss the question of how
disabled characters should be depicted in greater detail. For example, one
teenager (a wheelchair user) gave the following comments:
“I think we need to see success in disability. For example, the fact that we can
make it to university and then go on to have very successful careers.
I would like to see some humour as well. I am very sarcastic and find my
disability very amusing at times, even though i find things hard at times.
Disability is too frowned upon, people forget that we are people too. They also
think that we are all innocent, which is just so wrong.”
Another child, a (deaf) student from Derby, commented:
“I think more disabled characters should be included in books. It does not
have to be main disabled character, it can just be disabled background
characters. As for illustrator to include a disabled character in the
background, the way to do this is draw the disabled character hanging
around with with normal kids.”
A student from a Gravesend school commented:
“Make sure the illustrations are casual. They mustn’t look like you have only
put them in because you have been told to”.
Many participants recognised the difficulties that this challenge presents for writers and
illustrators:

13. 4.7 Additional comments from mainstream schools with no
s stated at the beginning of this report, it is not generally helpful to ‘divide’ children
disabled students
A
under categories of “disabled” and “non-disabled”. However, this section adds some
additional material and comment from schools in which there were few or no disabled
students, since there are some specific learning points on the subject.
Many schools without disabled students chose to take up the challenge of
considering the subject of disability in children’s books.
On the whole, non-disabled children who gave their views agreed with their
ddisabled peers that there was an absence of disabled characters in books an
that this should be redressed.
Sometimes the language and nature of comments sometimes suggested a limited
f
ther comments from a range of children/young people (the following being from
A
level of familiarity with disability issues. This in itself suggests that books could
play a key role in helping to promote positive understanding and confident use o
appropriate language and terminology in relation to disability issues.
This was a Year 4 student from a mainstream school in Oxfordshire:
O
schools in London, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire), included:
“I quite like the idea of reading books about with disabled people in them
because it can teach me about their problems and how they feel.”
n awareness of the need for disabled people themselves to see themselves in books
nd feel represented came through very strongly ina
“I think that it’s a good idea that children with disabilities be included in books
because otherwise they might feel left out and one of a kind, it doesn’t matter
what they look like its what is inside that matters. I don’t think they shouldn’t
be included in pictures otherwise they might think that they’re different from
other people.”
“It would be good because then they won’t feel left out.”
It’s easy to include someone with a physical disability in their illustrations.
“I think they should be included in books because normal people are always in
books so we should give disabled people a chance. I think you need to be
careful about how you write down their feelings as they may disagree with
you.”
More difficult with a hidden disability like mental illness but I reckon the good
writers and illustrators could do it.”

14. “It could be a good idea to include disabled people in books because they
might feel left out”.
Some noted that it might help to reduce bullying of disabled children or children
who are perceived as being ‘different’ in any way. Comments suggested that it
might help disabled children to find positive role models and to related to
characters in books:
“Some people pick on people because they are different. Perhaps if they are
looking when they are younger they might appreciate the differences more”
“Those children with a particular disability can relate to the characters in the
book. They may even help with their understanding of the effect on their lives.”
Others placed more importance on the need for non-disabled people to better
understand disability issues:
“If we see more in books it will stop them being treated differently or at least
make us understand.”
‘It’s good to be made aware of disability’
“It’s good to learn about peoples disabilities so that we understand more. When
I read Joey Pigza I learnt a lot about ADHD.”
Raising the subject of disability in books in the workshops themselves clearly
helped to achieve this:
“Although before coming here I wasn’t phobic of disabled people, this session
has helped me to understand people with disabilities and I want to read books
which have disabled heroes and heroines. Thank you!”
Although many of the non-disabled participants stressed the importance of
people understanding disability, several children/young people instead stressed
the message that books need to remind people that disabled children are just like
any other children:
“They should be treated like everyone else. People with disabilities are part of
the world so should be shown in books.”

15. “
“Just because someone is in a wheelchair doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be
in a book!”
“We are all the same, really.”
There appeared, however, to be some anxiety and caution on the part of non-
disabled children about how this should be done, for example these comments
from some Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 students:
“People might say what it is like to be disabled when they don’t really know
and offend disabled people.”
“I think you should put disabled people in books because it doesn’t matter if
you are disabled or different. But I am not sure about pictures – would they be
horrible?”
“I think that pictures aren’t such a good idea because it might make them think
that that’s what they are like and it might offend them.”
One of the students from a London school made the insightful comment:
“There shouldn’t be any difference. Although I think it might be hard to
illustrate that without it looking like you have just plonked someone in for the
sake of it.”

16. 5. Workshops
The report now goes on to describe each of the seven workshops held as part of the
project.
5.1 Pippa Goodhart at St Crispin’s
School, Leicestershire
Pippa Goodhart is a well-established author who
had already included the subject of Dyslexia in
her writing.
The workshop involved a full day’s activity for
around sixty children from years 3 to 7, all
together for first part of the day, then splitting
into four workshop groups later.
Like most of the artists involved in this project,
Pippa found that it was impracticable to make
(and adhere to) a precise plan for the day, not
knowing the students and how long their
attention would last, or what they would ‘make’
of the subject. So the workshop started with a
loose plan but the exact programme evolved
naturally on the day and it proved to be a huge
success.
The children began the day learning about Pippa’s work, the writing process and the
Quentin Blake Award project. Then they worked with Pippa to start developing their own
creative writing ideas. A storyline started to form, which would be used as the basis for
each child to develop. The story described the plight of a girl with a third eye, sent
away from home by her parents to join a circus. They were then split into smaller
workshop groups to explore different ways of writing the story (e.g. through play scripts,
diary entries, comic strip/graphic novels and newspaper articles). The workshop thus
generated a huge selection of interpretations of the children’s basic story, delivered and
presented in a range of different formats and styles.
Pippa, the children and project manager also spent time discussing different (published)
books which the project manager had sent to the school prior to the workshop, including
a number designed for less confident readers. Several children had read books from
this selection and gave their reviews/comments. Together, the group looked at some
books for less confident readers and books for children with reading difficulties,
discussing those that they felt were more (or less) effective.
Whilst being extremely positive about reading in general, the children were less than
enthusiastic about some of the books created for low-level readers. It was clear that the

17. children strongly disliked the feeling that books had been “written down to them”, not in
terms of sentence length, number of pages or vocabulary, but in terms of story
presentation. As Pippa Goodhart commented, “these aren’t children who need
things spelling out for them.”
The children might perhaps struggle to de-code words, but Pippa concluded that they
like the opportunity to “dig deep” and interpret and explore stories and complex issues
for themselves. Having an ‘older’ topic (such as the question of smoking, theft or
bullying) isn’t enough, it still needs to be handled in an entertaining, exciting and
surprising way.
Feedback from the school was extremely good, and the children remained interested
and engaged throughout, a result which Pippa attributed to their very active involvement
in the workshop and story generation. Pippa was also overwhelmed by the quality of the
children’s work, particularly those with reading difficulties. She was astounded by how
the most “witty, insightful and entertaining” pieces of writing were in fact by a child
who was apparently not able at all to produce handwritten work because of Dyslexia. It
was apparent that however much a child might struggle to read – and therefore perhaps
lack some reading experience – their understanding of story was at least as
sophisticated as other children.
Pippa Goodhart said of the workshop:
“My overall impression from tackling these issues
of disability in fiction is to realise what a very
complex area it is, involving so many different
variables in terms of audience and story and book
format. What’s clear is that there will be no clear
and neat conclusions from it all. But that doesn’t
matter. An appreciation of the children and the
many different ways they want to be involved in
fiction will be very worthwhile.
Pippa also made some interesting points about the
highly original (and potentially controversial) story
generated by the children:
“You never know what you’ll get when you play
that game, but I’d hate to feel that their story
content was being censored in any way by adult
preconceptions – hence a pretty hard-hitting story
of big emotions!
It was interesting that, while adults might well have felt uncomfortable with having
a disabled (was she? She actually had an extra ability rather than anything
lacking?) child being sent to a freak show, I think that’s refreshingly honest and
straightforward. It’s exactly that emotional situation that we would tackle in a
novel, but we’d come at it by a more embarrassed and roundabout route.

18. And, actually, making the ‘disability’ something entirely fictional, that was another
way of putting the issue at a comfortable distance and avoiding preconceptions
about a ‘condition’ that would have been there if the story had featured a
recognised disability.”
5.2 Jackie Gay, Treloar College, Hampshire
Jackie Gay is the author of Wist, a highly original and thought-provoking teenage novel
published in 2003.
Over 40 teenage students at Treloar College in Hampshire joined Jackie, and
representatives of Booktrust (in collaboration with a representative of the national charity
Whizz-Kidz) for a workshop looking at physical disability in books.
The students were keen to find out more about Jackie’s writing career and fired
questions at her regarding how and why she had become a writer. Then the workshop
moved on to the students brainstorming books featuring disabled characters that they
could remember from their childhood. Those named by students included Heidi,
Pinnochio. What Katy Did and the Secret Garden.
Jackie and the students noted that the memories they had of the books were in fact
generally very positive. For example, overriding memories of Heidi might be the book’s
evocative images of mountains, blue skies and friendship, rather than any statements it
might make about disability. However, on closer examination, the group concluded that
the underlying messages within the story were often not so positive. The students were
extremely vocal about the ‘subliminal’ messages that, as they grew older, they identified
in many such books. They described them as:
“Suggesting that disabled people are sickly”
“Telling society that we should be hidden”
“Saying that disabled people are weak and
should be taken away from the rest of
society.”
The students also felt that many such stories
promoted the idea that disability was something
that could be cured by lots of fresh air or a positive
outlook! They also felt that the books tended to
concentrate on the extremes, portraying a
disabled person as either evil or bitter or angelic
and a martyr (such as Tiny Tim).
The group then went on to look specifically at fairy
tales and agreed with Jackie’s fascinating insight
into the subject. The group agreed that in a fairy

19. tale things are not always as they might appear. For example, people dramatically
transform - ugly ducklings grow into swans, warty frogs turn into beautiful princesses,
Pinocchio’s nose grows when he lies. Baddies have one leg, one eye, a hunched back,
a hook as a hand, or an ugly, twisted face. Thus fairy tales (in their various forms)
create a sort of shorthand which can reinforce stereotypes and suggest that a villain is
easily recognised by his or her physical ‘deformity’. Disability or disfiguration can be a
punishment or something from which one wants to be rescued.
However, the students were quick to point out that contemporary films and books are
starting to redress this balance. They immediately gave examples of several films,
television programmes and books which they felt gave a more positive message about
disability. Shrek includes some positive messages (although the prince is still ridiculed
for being short) and Tracy Beaker includes a disabled character. Interestingly they saw
the Little Britain ‘fake’ wheelchair-user character as being quite positive, due the humour
and sarcasm the character demonstrated.
The group then brainstormed ways to raise awareness and improve visibility of disabled
people without making it an ‘issue’ or exacerbating stereotypes. Their ideas included:
“Disabled people can be heroes or just ordinary characters”
“Disabled people can be strong, healthy, intelligent and successful”
“Make the hero ugly!”
“Show that disabled people are just like anyone else”
“Focus on what we can do, not what we can’t”
“Don’t make us feel different”
“I think we need to see success in disability. For example, the fact that we can
make it to university and then go on to have very successful careers.”
The workshop was fittingly rounded off with an inspiring few words from a previous
Treloar student who had come back especially to be involved in the workshop, and to
tell his former college of his achievements since leaving.
The college later told us that the students were still talking about the workshop several
weeks later, and several had been inspired by Jackie to further develop their own writing
skills.
Jackie Gay herself said of her Quentin Blake Award experience:
“My most lasting impression from the workshop at Treloar School was how much
the young students had to say. They are strongly aware that their life experience
is outside of what is considered the 'norm' and they - quite rightly - don't like it
one bit. So the opportunity offered by the Quentin Blake project - that their views
are important and can make a difference - must be followed through with vigour;

20. we must not let them down. The humour, resilience, mutual respect and individual
sparkle of these young people is a cause for celebration in both life and
literature.”
5.3 Heather Maisner, Thomas Wolsey School, Ipswich
Heather Maisner also had some basic prior knowledge of (and substantial interest in)
this subject, and was therefore keen to volunteer for this project, recognising it as a
valuable way to build her knowledge and understanding.
The workshop comprised a small group of twelve students of various ages (from 9 to
16), some of whom had reading difficulties.
The workshop started with a brief introduction
to the project and its aims. The children then
discussed different types of books - horror,
thrillers, magic/fairy stories, fantasy,
adventure and war. The children discussed
which sorts of books they liked best – the
majority citing scary books and adventure
books, and two of the girls preferring to read
love stories and romances.
The discussion progressed onto what makes a good story and generated ideas for their
own book. Many of the children liked a ‘good ending’ although they agreed that this
didn’t necessarily have to mean a ‘happy ending’. Some said that they liked books
which still included pictures. One student was particularly keen to see “someone get
killed” in the book!
The workshop moved on to developing a story
and descriptions of potential characters.
Without prompting, one of the very first
suggestions was that at least one of the
characters should be a wheelchair user. There
were several debates about how many of the
characters should be disabled and also about
which characters should be disabled – just as
there were also debates about which should be
male or female, heroes or villains.
The children also worked on illustrations, particularly creating the characters that they
had envisaged.

21. The story created by the children was highly creative, reflecting the children’s
enthusiasm for spies, mysteries and monsters, whilst also including some love interest
and successfully acknowledging the ‘practical’ considerations of including a wheelchair
user, such as how she might get dressed, when she might ask people for assistance
and whether she could propel herself or would need to be pushed.
Facilitating the storymaking process, engaging all the participants and trying to include
all the salient ideas and challenges required without ‘spoon-feeding’ required huge skill
from Heather. Although the story was still incomplete at the end of the workshop, the
children were enthusiastic enough about the project to complete it and send it in
afterwards, and the school reported excellent feedback from the day.
Follow-up comments from the children included the following from one of the older
students:
Heather Maisner’s comments on the workshop included:
“The story isn’t how I imagined it, it’s very clever how she’s brought people’s
ideas about disability into a story.”
“They were a really lively, imaginative group – full of enthusiasm and lots of fun.
They hadn’t worked together before, there were several people watching them and
we didn’t have much time, and yet they managed to come up with a good plot and
lots of fantastic ideas. It was great to work with such positive and creative young
people.”
Heather was passionate about this project, and went on to take her involvement one
step further, by interviewing a set of twins she already knew, who both attend a
mainstream school, and one of whom has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.
The twins shared their views on disabled characters in books with Heather. They felt
that there were not enough images, especially where a person in a wheelchair is the
heroine:
“it’s good when they just happen to be a passing figure, like in the Tracy
Beaker book that’s on TV”.
They described how Cerebral Palsy can mean that you “walk in a funny way” or sit in a
wheelchair, and that this means people stare at you in the street. They felt that adults
“are the worst” in this respect.
At school, they described the tendency of some children to “try to smother you”.
“They argue about who should push the wheelchair. Teachers treat you like
you can’t do anything. They over-explain things even when you’ve understood.
They treat you as if you’re brain isn’t working properly.”

22. The twin with Cerebral Palsy said:
“I hate it when people ask mum questions about me when I’m sitting there. I
don’t like people feeling sorry for me or being sympathetic and giving me
special treatment. I don’t like people telling me what to do. Everyone likes
pushing the wheelchair, saying, ‘I bagsy first.’ Teacher often advises me to sit
out when really I would like to join in. It feels lonely at school ‘cause no one’s
the same as me. It’s like you have a different religion and wear a different
costume from everyone else. I would like to fade into the crowd more.”
When asked about what sort of story they’d like best, the twins agreed they’d like “a
main character in a wheelchair but not make a fuss about it”.
They also said that:
“The story should be about someone being able to fade into the crowd and be
normal. Perhaps one girl moves away and they miss each other’s company.”
The twins were so inspired that they went on to develop their own idea for a storyline
about a girl at school who happens to have Cerebral Palsy.
5.4 Jane Ray and Joyce Dunbar, Meridian School, Greenwich
Joyce Dunbar and Jane Ray are a successful writer and illustrator respectively, and
have worked together on a number of titles. Prior to the workshop, both already had an
interest in this subject and a developing relationship with the school in question.
The school, based in Greenwich, has a special unit for pupils with partial hearing and
the workshop involved a small group of both deaf and hearing children.
Various factors created additional challenges for
the artists, for example the addition of ‘new’
children halfway through the workshop, and the
number of adults present in relation to the small
number of children. However the workshop
successfully generated some extremely
interesting discussion and some poignant and
thought-provoking feedback. As with many of
the workshops, it was clear that the children
hugely enjoyed the opportunity of meeting Jane
Ray and Joyce Dunbar, as well as author Anne
Colledge whose interest in the project inspired
her to attend the workshop too.

23. As with many of the workshops, the session was inevitably quite ‘organic’, responding to
the children’s personalities, reactions and interests. The day started by explaining the
aims of the project and looking at some of Jane’s and Joyce’s respective books. The
children were very interested in the artists’ books, often asking questions about the
characters, how they had been created - and what happened to them! Jane and Joyce
told the children about their forthcoming title Moonbird and Jane read from Can You
Catch a Mermaid?
Jane, Joyce and the children discussed the difficulty of trying to draw deafness. A
particularly insightful exercise followed, setting the children the challenge of trying to
draw a deaf character.
Each child drew a character and then presented it
to the rest of the group, explaining his or her
interpretation of the subject. Some children chose
to draw themselves, others chose friends or
fictional characters. One particularly interesting
illustration showed a deaf girl (the child told us that
this was a self portrait) positioned on the ‘margin’
of the sheet. The girl’s comments suggested that
this was not an intentional ‘message’. Another
showed a very tiny character, taking up just a few
square centimetres of an A4 page. Interestingly,
many depicted their hearing aids not in their ears but in their hands, or being put away in
boxes. One showed it being accidentally broken! Some showed their hearing aids very
visibly/colourfully, whilst in other pictures they were not noticeable.
At lunchtime, the artists met a group of keen poets (interestingly all girls) who wanted to
meet the duo to find out more about their work.
In the afternoon, the workshop resumed, with Joyce’s innovative way of helping the
children to create potential characters, by drawing something with their eyes closed and
using their non-writing hand. The group then went on to write the beginnings of a fairy
story.
The day ended with the two artists attending the
full school assembly to outline their reasons for
coming.
Feedback from the writer/illustrator team was very
positive, with Jane Ray telling us:
“This was a fascinating and stimulating day.
Neither Joyce nor I knew quite what to expect
and came to the session with an open mind. Some of the imagery, both written
and drawn, that the children came up with was extraordinary. The image of the
deaf children holding their hearing aids in their hands, for example, seemed to
indicate how they saw these instruments - not as a part of them but as something

24. to be put in and taken out at the end of the day, necessary but separate. One girl
drew herself only half on the page - very poignant. I felt this was a very exciting
starting point from which to develop a workshop or series of
workshops exploring these ideas further. I was delighted by the amount of
material that presented itself and feel there is scope to take these sessions
further...”
Follow-up feedback from the children themselves was also informative and touching. It
was particularly interesting that whilst the deaf children did not always specifically see
their deafness as a form of disability, several described how refreshing it was to talk
about being deaf. Their extensive follow-up comments included:
“Now I will look at books more critically about who the main characters and
heroes are, whether they are deaf, blind or people who have a disability....the
discussion we had about what it’s like to be deaf was very important because not
many people like talking about people’s disability and most people do not write
books about people with disability...”
“We have finished the story about a girl called Blossom. She is a great character
and she is lame....Moonbird is one of my favorite books because it has got a deaf
character and it is a loving book about a magic bird. If you were to read it, you
would feel loved.....Everybody likes to be seen in books as the main character. We
all have similar sentiments, it is only fair we should all be represented in
children’s books otherwise it is as if they do not exist, this would be out of order.”
“This is the first time we have written a fairy tale with disabled heroine. It is only
right that every child should be treated equally because we (are) all important.”
“Our favorite illustration in your book is when Orla is in the moon garden. The
gazelle is looking very gently. The silver monkey is kind of kissing him very
tenderly. Orla seems to be in heaven”.
"’Mundo and the Weather child’ has fantastical characters which I love. My Mum
read the book with me. The hero was a deaf boy. I like this because I am deaf and
I feel that the writer is talking about me. There are not many books with deaf
characters. This is sad because I want to see myself in books as hearing children
do. Please come back soon to have another workshop with us about fairy tales. “
”Thank you for coming to meet us and chatting about what it's like to be deaf
because not many people like talking about it. The day was special to me because
I have been so desperate. I like 'Mundo and the Weather child 'because it tells me
how you feel for your son and his deafness. I will treasure the experience we had
together in my heart. “
”The story that we are writing is doing great and we love it and we hope
you will come back soon.”
”I did love the day. If I could do it again I would.”

25. Joyce Dunbar was struck by the emotive quality of the follow-up letters:
“What struck me about the letters - apart from their general level of fluency which
I'm sure is testimony to Nati's (the head teacher’s) teaching - is that they seem so
heartfelt. The workshop was obviously a significant experience for these
children.”
5.5 Mark Roberts and Karen Tovell, Palmerston School,
Merseyside
Writer Mark Roberts is also a teacher in a
special school in Liverpool. For this
workshop, we wanted to collect (and
potentially challenge) views of non-disabled
children who had no previous contact with
or experience of disability, as well as
providing an interesting and enjoyable
workshop about books.
Mainstream schools from across
Merseyside were invited to take part in a
'books and storytelling' workshop at
Palmerston School. Each of 12 different schools sent at least one representative.
For all the mainstream children who attended, this represented the first time that they
had visited a special school. Two students from Mark's school joined the other children
(and quickly made them very welcome!)
The workshop started with an interactive session from storyteller Karen Tovell to get the
students' creative juices flowing. Only after her lively, participative story had come to an
end, did Karen suggest to the children that the central character might actually be
disabled. She then encouraged them to think about how this might (or might not) have
affected the plot or their interpretation of the story.
Mark Roberts and project manager Alexandra Strick then moved the workshop on to talk
about books and disability, with Mark describing how and why he included Downs
Syndrome characters in one of his books. The children were able to name no more than
two titles of books that they had read which featured a disabled character.
The children then split into groups to develop their own 'story maps' with the stories
featuring a disabled and non-disabled character. Under Karen’s guidance, each group
were asked to draw a giant treasure island and to illustrate their characters' journey
across the island to reach hidden treasure.

26. Some of the children's ideas were extremely
thought-provoking and showed that their
perceptions of disability already seemed to
have changed during the course of the
morning's discussions. For example, one
group described how the treasure they were
seeking was a ‘cure’ for one girl’s disability,
however after travelling across the island and
facing a series of challenges, the children in
the story agreed that the girl did not need to
be cured – she was actually perfectly happy
being a wheelchair user.
In the afternoon the groups presented their maps to each other. The children then took
part in a writing 'masterclass' by Mark Roberts, helping them to understand the way
stories are written and some of the tricks of the trade.
The day finished with a brief wrap-up session and children gave their views on the most
memorable aspect of the day. Each child was given one of Mark's titles and another
book of their choice to read and review.
Mark Roberts said of his experience:
“The aim of the day was to raise awareness of disability issues both in fiction and
in the real world. Particularly gifted and talented children from each school were
chosen for the experience because it is hoped that in twenty years’ time they will
be in a position to fight the corner for disabled people. This workshop was the
start of what is hopefully a journey of growing awareness for the children who
were invited. Already these children have more real knowledge and disability than
most grown-ups will ever have.”
Karen Tovell echoed his views that the day had clearly had a genuine impact on the
children involved in the project, expressing how inspired and impressed she was by their
creativity and enthusiasm. Feedback from the participants themselves was also
excellent, and many of the children from the various schools have since chosen to
maintain contact with each other and with the special school.
Another exciting and unexpected outcome of the workshop was that Mark Roberts has
since been seconded for one day a week to work in other schools across Merseyside to
inspire good literacy practice and raise disability awareness.

27. 5.6 Michaela Morgan, Glyn Technology School, Surrey:
Michaela Morgan’s workshop took place in Glyn
Technology School, a secondary school and sixth form for
boys. The age range is 11-18 and there are over 1300
students.
Michaela Morgan has written well over 100 books for
children, including junior fiction, picture books, poetry and
non-fiction.
The workshop aimed to collect and then share the views
of children with a slightly lower than average reading level,
particularly in terms of their likes and dislikes. As a result,
this section is rather longer than the other workshop
reports.
The boys in the group selected were from Year 8 and had a reading age of 8.3 to11.3
years. The group included students with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, speech and language
disorders, ADD (attention deficit disorder) and Tourette’s.
After being introduced by Alex Strick, Michaela started the workshop by explaining that a
horse-shoe format had been chosen for the room and the students had been given
place names, aiming to reflect the sort of conference or meeting which might take place
at a publishing house to discuss children’s book titles. The boys brainstormed the
people who would usually take part in such a meeting (editors, writers, illustrators,
design and layout, printers, marketing, sponsors, etc) and quickly agreed that the people
frequently missing from such a meeting about children’s books would be children
themselves. Michaela outlined how some publishers do involve children, with Barrington
Stoke being a particularly good example, as young consultants read and comment on all
possible manuscripts.
The workshop then introduced the boys to Michaela’s work. Some of them had already
read one or more of her books. Michaela gave them the unique opportunity of seeing
how books develop from start to finish. She showed the students how one of her picture
books (Dear Bunny) book had first been developed two years earlier in the form of rough
scribbles on the back of an A4 envelope and had progressed through many stages to
reach its final form.
She talked about the pleasures of picture books and the fact that such books should not
be regarded solely as the domain of the very young. Michaela is also a writer in
residence and has worked in prisons, where picture books can bring life, colour and
pictures to a grey and cold environment.
The workshop then went on to look at other titles by Michaela including The Monster is
Coming, Cool Clive, The Beast, Letter from America, Respect! and Invasion of the

28. Dinner Ladies. The boys gave their comments on these titles and books generally,
highlighting their likes and dislikes.
This report will now summarise their feedback on some of the specific topics:
Blurbs and author biographies:
• Most of the boys said they read the blurbs on books.
• “I often read the blurb to help me decide whether I like the book”.
• Information about the author is important – “it helps them understand why you
wrote what you did and what you have been through”.
• “It helps the reader to get to know the author and helps you identify more with
him/her and to look for other books by the same author”.
• “It helps you associate with the author and feel like you have a connection”.
Titles:
• Titles should be “catchy”. (All agreed).
• “Repetition”
• “Short, powerful words”.
• “Eye-catching colours”
• Titles and the style in which they are written help you to work out what sort of
book it is – bubble writing for a funny book and spooky writing for a ghost story.
Favourite types of book:
• Several boys agreed mystery books were their favourites, one particularly
suggesting a book with detectives.
• One suggested cliff-hangers and all the others agreed.
• Ending chapters on a really exciting bit “to make you read on”.
• All agreed that suspense is really important.
• It can be good to get to know the characters and then read other books about the
same characters.
• All liked action and drama, and several said that sometimes a bit of violence (or
at least some reference to violence) makes them read more.
• Many liked war stories.
• Interestingly, historical storylines appealed to them more than contemporary
settings.
• All liked the ideas of reading stories about their favourite heroes, and they went
on to list the sporting heroes they would most like to read about, such as
Ronaldinio, Freddy Flintoff, Michael Jordan, Bruce Lee, Mohammad Ali and
Rivaldo.
Fact or fiction?
• Well over half of the boys said that they preferred fiction to books based on
fact. “They stretch your imagination” said one boy.
• One boy said he liked both equally, as “you can also learn from the past.”

29. • If choosing just one book from a library or bookshop, 12 said that they would
choose a fictional book, five chose fact and two chose books featuring
rhymes.
• If reading non-fiction, the majority preferred it to be told as a story rather than
chunks of facts.
Choosing books
• Most of the boys said they read the blurb on the back to help them choose books.
• Sometimes it is on the recommendation of a friend.
• The cover is also important.
• Sometimes they have bought or borrowed a book because it was by an author
they knew, but less often.
Covers
• The vast majority did not like the cover of Letter from America.
• This shows a pensive-looking young teenage boy writing.
• Comments included “it’s boring”, “he looks bored” and “there’s no real
background”.
• Only two or three liked it, one saying “I like it because it’s realistic”.
• “I like the flags”.
• “I like the way the American flag is in the writing”.
• Only four of the 20 said they liked photos on the front cover, the rest preferring
illustrations.
• “You can create emotion better in a drawing of a person”.
• One boy suggested computer generated graphics made for a more stylish cover,
and the others agreed.
• Almost all preferred the covers of Respect! and The Beast.
Michaela then showed them the possible cover for the second in the series of Letter
from America – this is called Buddies and features a photograph of a smiling girl
writing in a note pad. Interestingly, they were more positive about this cover than
that showing the photograph of the boy, because:
• “She’s pretty!” (All agreed).
• “You can see what she’s writing”.
• “She’s smiling – there’s more emotion”.
• “It makes a nice set with the other one”.
However, they also all agreed that they would be unlikely to buy or borrow it as it looks
too girlish. Comments included:
• “I wouldn’t buy it”
• If I found it on the floor in the library I’d put it on the shelves with the girls’ books
as I’d assume it was for them.”
• “It would be better to have two people on the cover – the boy and the girl”.

30. • “There’s no background”.
• “If I was separated from someone I cared about I wouldn’t be smiling like that”.
• “It’s too similar to the one before”.
• 9 of the 20 said they would not even read it because it was too girly.
Their ideas for improvement included:
• “You should be able to see the room she’s in”.
• “It definitely should have a proper background”.
• “A split screen so you can see both the boy in one country and the girl in the
other would be good”. (Many agreed).
• “You could give her a thought bubble so she is thinking about him.”
• “You could have a ripped piece of paper with them trying to reach each other
through it”.
• “Hands writing diary entries or writing on the computer keyboard”.
• “A split down the middle so you can see
both the boy and girl”.
• “Each one writing with a flag over their
heads”.
• “A door between them and they are both
wanting to get through it”.
• “Who are they?”
• “Just change it!”
Paper and font
The boys looked at the paper type in Respect!
• All except one agreed that they liked the cream paper and found it easier to read
than white paper.
• One said he would prefer a “louder colour”.
• Several said they liked the font and the others agreed.
The workshop then ended with a group photograph and autograph-signing. Michaela
and Alex encouraged the boys to consider becoming consultants for Barrington Stoke
and reviewers for Booktrust/Bookmark.
Michaela drew the workshop towards a close by reading to the boys from Respect! With
many following the story themselves in their own copy of the book.
Michaela Morgan said of the day:
“Year 8 reluctant readers can be a challenge... Especially when there are twenty of
them - for a two hour session. A collection of dyspraxic, dyslexic, disengaged,
attention deficit disorder students. All boys. But we all enjoyed the session. I
enjoyed talking with them, and they enjoyed being consulted, having their
opinions on books and reading taken seriously and noted down. They were full of
good ideas and they listened wonderfully well – to me and to each
other…Apparently, they don’t often get the chance to have a whole story read to

31. them and they were captivated. I am sure they now feel a greater connection to
books and the world of books.”
5.7 Adam Guillain, Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre:
This final workshop of the series was held, very appropriately, at the Roald Dahl
Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. It session involved
16 Year 8 mainstream students from a local school, all with no obvious experience of
disability and all with no preparation, so coming to the subject 'cold'.
The session was run by the Museum's Writer in Residence (Adam Guillain) and the
project manager. The group started by brainstorming the term disability. Many of the
suggested definitions suggested a lack of confidence/familiarity with the subject:
“It means someone has a serious defect in one area.”
“A person who is handicapped either mentally or physically.”
“Unable to do things, struggling with work, hard to do sport.”
“Physically and mentally challenged.”
All agreed that trying to express what it is to be disabled was much harder than they
would have anticipated.
The workshop then moved on to discussing the extent to which disability is a ‘black and
white’ issue, or whether it is more of a spectrum or continuum. Having thought that they
had no awareness of disability, many of the students started to talk about family/friends
with different challenges such as Autism/ADHD and some even talked about their own
problems with Dyslexia and Dyspraxia.

32. The workshop then moved on to introducing the social model of disability and a
discussion about disabled characters in books, with Adam giving the students a series of
discussion questions and statements to debate in groups.
For example, the groups were asked to consider the statement: Readers will not
accept disabled heroes or heroines
Most of the children rejected this idea. Their comments included:
“I would be more interested in reading a book about someone who was disabled.”
“It would make the character more interesting and different – mostly they are just
the same.”
Another statement was: People are more likely to accept a disabled villain.
The views on this were mixed, with many analyzing why it might be easier to make the
villain disabled than the hero. Their responses included:
“A disabled character can be seen as seeking revenge in a book.”
“The hero is seen as being perfect and so the villains have to be the opposite”.
“The writers perhaps don’t want us to relate to the villains so they use someone
different – someone in a minority.”
After a lunchtime exploring the Museum, they then developed their own characters,
each complete with backgrounds, motivations, etc., an illustration and plot ideas.

33. Each involved disability in some way. Their ideas were diverse and thoughtful -
including conditions such as Autism and Epilepsy.
The students were also asked what their final comments were of the day. Their
responses included:
“Today has changed my view about disability because I now see anyone can have
a disability from not being good at maths to being in a wheelchair.”
“Disabled people should be included in more books and films! They are just like
any other person, but they have a difficulty in certain things. Disabled people do
read books and must feel very left out.”
“Today has changed my views. I used to think I would never be disabled and that
disabled people were different from me. Now I could say I’m disabled myself as
I’m not confident in drama. I could be more disabled in the future, I could get an
allergy or have to have a leg amputated. We are all the same really.”
Adam Guillain himself also felt inspired by the day and described plans to share the
findings with writers in the Oxford area and to use the learning points to shape some of
his forthcoming writing. He commented:
"I came into the workshop feeling anxious and rather embarrassed that I'd always
given the issues we were about to work through a wide berth. I ended the day
inspired."

34. 6 Additional messages from other schools, individuals,
writers and publishers
6.1 Other schools and individuals
In addition to the workshops, a mailing to every UK school generated an extremely good
response, with many teachers sending back their students’ comments, ideas, pictures
and writing.
Particularly note-worthy examples include:
Year 9 students from a London based school who worked with their local library
to take on this as a project, exploring how books feature disability. The children
chose favourite illustrators and created artwork in their style, but featuring
characters on crutches, characters in wheelchairs, blind characters and
characters with hearing aids. For example:
In the style of Lauren Child

35. In the style of Debi Gilori
Another school which has a children's book group which meet every month.
Following our mailing, they felt it would be interesting to discuss this issue.
The children were asked if they could name a disabled character in any
book. Most named the series Tracy Beaker but could not name the
character.
Another school held a book group on the subject and fed back the following
views:
“The students concluded that it is equally important for both non-disabled and
disabled children to see disabled characters in books. As many of children know
a disabled person either through school or home life they had strong views on
this subject. They felt by including disabled characters in books would raise
awareness of the experiences of disabled people, because they were disabled did
not mean they did not lead interesting lives. They also felt it was important for
illustrators to draw disabled characters in everyday situations. Thank you for this
'theme'. This was a very interesting and stimulating meeting”.
Another school, a small one in Lancashire with no disabled students, also chose
to explore the subject. They have just 46 students and two classes, juniors and
infants. They have no disabled students at present but did have a pupil in the
past who was in a wheelchair then crutches due to a serious broken leg, so felt
that the children had some experience of this disability. Following the mailing
about the Quentin Blake Award seeking their views, they spent a lesson
discussing the themes of disability in books, reading a few stories with disabled
characters in and came up with the following views:
"You need to have more books with disabled characters in to promote better
understanding"

36. "...books or cartoons or telly programmes with disabled characters in
helps non-disabled people to be more aware"
ve something to overcome"
It doesn't matter if someone is in a wheelchair, it's the person who is
s, it would have felt
ood to be able to relate to it”
We certainly got a lot of discussion from it and enjoyed hearing the children talk
m writers, illustrators and publishers
eye-opening.
"It is important for disabled people to feel part of a normal community
and see themselves in characters"
"Having characters with any form of disability in a book gives the story
some depth as it shows that they ha
"The characters disability shouldn't be an issue to the story!"
"
important and this should be the same in books"
"When I was on crutches it was hard and if I read a book with a
character in who had to overcome similar problem
g
Whist their teacher told us:
”
so openly about it.”
.2 Feedback fro6
This project has also generated some feedback from children’s publishers, writers and
illustrators on the subject. Views here have been equally interesting and
Almost all concerned have expressed interested in the project and welcome the
children’s views and specific ideas for how to approach this issues.
Only a small minority gave negative feedback, for example, one publisher stating
that there would be ‘no demand for such books’.
Some publishers, whilst agreeing with the general principle, expressed concern
that a book featuring a wheelchair user (for example) would be seen as trying to
“make a point” or be “too politically correct”.
view and ideas/proofs for
comments.
Writers and illustrators have been extremely interested in the work, with many
sending the project manager their books for re
sMany writers and illustrators stated that they had quite simply not thought of thi
before.

37. One writer told us that he would have felt ‘self-conscious’ trying to include a
disabled character, as though he was ‘trying too hard to tick every box’.
Others felt that they felt that they did not have the knowledge or expertise to
‘tackle’ the subject.
Several writers and illustrators said that they tended to use animals in books,
opposed to human ch
as
aracters, and therefore this subject would not be relevant.
One even suggested that one of the chief reasons for using animal protagonists
was to avoid concerns about ‘such issues’.
nowledge of disability issues. One
writer told us: "I came into the workshop f
However, involvement in the project reassured them that there are many ways of
including positive images without extensive k
eeling anxious and rather
embarrassed that I'd always given the issues we were about to work
through a wide berth. I ended the day inspired."
orted
the
6. C
of use and interest to
d now action needs to
taken to enable the book world to respond promptly and appropriately to this need.
Almost all the writers and artists who took part in the project have since rep
back plans to develop books including some of the messages generated in
workshops.
onclusion and Plans for the Future
The project has clearly generated a substantial level of material
he children’s book world. The messages are loud and clear, ant
be
This should include:
Practical support and guidance for the book world. A key development is that
of Scope’s “Pu
Lottery funded scheme will raise further
tting Disabled Children in the Picture” project. This three-year,
awareness of this important topic and
provide practical tools to support writers, illustrators and publishers in generating
more positive images in picture books. An online ‘picture bank’ will provide
examples of good practice and a conference will share key messages.
s.
Facilitation and promotion. Booktrust and the Project Manager hope to
continue to help and advise writers, illustrators and publishers and to ensure
appropriate review and recognition of books that promote positive image
Further consultation with children. Booktrust is now working to identify mea
of continuing to consult and involve children in the positive representation of
disability in children’s books.
ns
Starting young. Booktrust is working to still further enhance its Bookstart pack
and associated materials, to ensure the most positive messages continue to b
sourced and included.
e

38. Signposting to additional sources of expertise. Booktrust now plans to furthe
develop its “Bookmark” site (which provides support, information, reviews and
signposting on the subj
r
ect of books and disability).
Thi e
would
s r port ends with some of the final messages from children, when asked what they
like to say to writers, illustrators and publishers:
“We are still children, but with a hearing impairment”
ks and learn people to
are”
I think it would be better to have more disabled children because the only
Go to a disabled school and find out about the people there, and if you are
roubles and publish their story.”
r
“Don’t make us feel different.”
“Include others so they can have their moment”
“It would be good to put more disabled children in boo
c
“
book I can think of is Tracy Beaker”
“
still uncomfortable writing about this subject, then ask a teenager or adult
who is disabled to wrote about their t
“If you don’t write about disabled people then you are missing out on a majo
part of reality. People want to know about this and want to read about it
also.”
“Through this project, hopefully in years to come you’ll see more media on
the market involving more disabled people.”
“

39. References and further reading:
The Roald Dahl Foundation
The Roald Dahl Foundation is a grant making trust which aims to help
children and young people in practical ways and in three areas that were
particularly important to Roald Dahl during his lifetime: neurology,
haematology and literacy.
www.roalddahlfoundation.org
The Quentin Blake Award
The Quentin Blake Award, now in its fifth year, is made annually to a
charity, supported by the Foundation during the previous calendar year,
which Quentin Blake, our president, feels touches the lives of children in a
special way. The Award is made to an organisation selected by Quentin which
he feels has special merit and would benefit from additional support for a
new project. The Foundation sees the grant as an annual reminder of the
importance of Quentin's contribution to the Foundation and support to a
particular organisation as a means of providing additional help in a very
practical way by enabling them to undertake a piece of work which would not
otherwise have been possible. The 2003 Award was presented in September 2004 to
Booktrust recognising the success of their Booktouch project.
Booktrust
Booktrust is an independent national charity that encourages people of all ages and
cultures to discover and enjoy reading. The reader is at the heart of everything the
charity does. Its many projects, prizes and activities include Bookstart, Writing
Together, the Booktrust Teenage Prize and Bookmark (books and disability issues).
Alexandra Strick is the freelance project manager and consultant responsible for
managing this project for Booktrust. She has worked for/with Booktrust for over ten
years and has worked with disabled children and disability organisations for over five
years. The photographs in this report were also taken by Alexandra Strick.
www.bookmark.org.uk – the resource on books and disability issues
www.booktrust.org.uk – Booktrust’s comprehensive book website.
Scope and In the Picture
Scope is the disability organisation in England and Wales whose focus is people with
cerebral palsy. Their aim is that disabled people achieve equality: a society in which
they are as valued and have the same human and civil rights as everyone else. In The

40. Picture is an innovative three year project which aims to promote the inclusion of
disabled children in early years' picture books. Booktrust is an active supporter of the
project and Alexandra Strick is a member of the project’s steering group.
www.childreninthepicture.org.uk
Other useful sources of reference
Happy Ever Afters – a storybook guide to teaching children about disability by
Kathy Saunders (http://web.ukonline.co.uk/happyeverafters/)
Healthybooks.org.uk
‘Of Both Worlds’ - Images of Disability in Fairy Tales – an essay by Jackie Gay,
contact alex@strick.co.uk for details.