ACE invests further in disability book project

Arts Council England (ACE) has confirmed further funding for the next stage of the Reflecting Disability project.

The project, led by disabled people, was established last year to explore the representation of disabled people in books for children aged three to eleven and plans to build a comprehensive framework to support publishers and creators in the representation of disabled realities.

The latest phase of the project will see any books that fit the criteria analysed for the type and quality of representation they portray to create a comprehensive set of data for books published in 2024.

The initial phase of the project established a steering group of people with lived experience of disability and neurodivergence. A website has since launched outlining more project details, including a call for submissions and an opportunity for the book creators to share any experience or research that influenced their book.

Another planned phase, to be funded in the future, will involve analysing the data and producing a report, with an aim for publication in late 2025.

“The vision is that this project (‘Reflecting Disability: Representation of Disabled People in UK Children’s Books’) will develop into an annual survey to report on the quantity and quality of representation of disabled people in children’s literature in the UK, similar to the Reflecting Realities survey and report of representation of ethnic diversity,” a statement from the project says.