Students with special educational needs deserve more inclusive books, publishers say

“I was often asked to teach classics as part of the English curriculum, but those books were not appropriate for my students’ access,” said Ms. Steel, whose publishing company is Every Cherry.

“These formats are so important for people with learning disabilities. As a society we are becoming more inclusive, but we need to think about what these children need in order to have access to these books.

“Many people use reading as a form of escapism. We worked with people with disabilities and they gave us their input. It’s a huge thing.

“I would like to see adapted books in as many different formats so that people with disabilities can go to a library and pick up a book that they can enjoy independently and confidently.”

The titles are now being introduced in educational institutions such as Ellesmere College, a special school in Braunstone, Leicestershire.

Staff at the school, which supports pupils aged four to 19, have called on other publishers to consider the needs of people with learning difficulties.

“There should be no restrictions for any child who wants to read a book. They should have access to what they want to read,” said Georgia Varney, a teacher who has worked at Ellesmere College for three years.

“It allows children to still enjoy the book, with language they can understand. That’s what we want for all the children we teach.”