Happy World Book Day!

A lot has changed since I was at school. I’ve always been a fan of World Book Day, but now I believe there is more to celebrate than ever before. Despite the many accessibility issues that still exist in society, over the past two decades we’ve taken huge leaps towards equality in terms of literature. Of course, there are still difficulties to overcome. Hopefully by recognising the progress that’s been made so far we can learn how to continue moving forward.

When I started school in 2001 the internet was barely a thing. I grew up with blackboards, floppy discs and the annoying paperclip that just wouldn’t leave me alone. We didn’t get our first interactive whiteboard until Year 2 and ICT classes were non-existent until the very end of primary school. Modern technology was a total game-changer in all areas of life. Fortunately, this included access to books.

One of the things that frustrated me most as a child was the sense of rejection I felt whenever it was time to choose something to read. My options were limited. As a very young child things weren’t too bad. I have some useful vision which means I can read large print- most children’s books have this quality naturally. My difficulties began when I started to transition from these basic stories to more advanced reading material. The text seemed to shrink with every new book I opened, until the point where struggling through triggered horrendous migraines. Magnifiers help to some extent but still cause a high level of eye strain.

I remember how every year we would each be given a book voucher for a £1 discount. They were always so beautiful and precious. I looked after all my vouchers as if they were the Crown jewels and felt very reluctant to use them. A pound was a lot of money to mini Kim, but these tokens were even more valuable! My joy turned to misery when I came to the realisation that I couldn’t use these vouchers anymore, even if had I wanted to. There were no books left except those far below my reading level. Truthfully, even as an adult I still find it painful to walk past a bookshop or library knowing almost every story is out of reach.

Obtaining a book in large print was extremely difficult during my time at school. Only highly popular novels would be published as a large print edition, which was typically triple the price of the original paperback. Audiobooks were no better. You had to walk right to the back of the shop, to a dusty corner where you would find a jumbled assortment of cassettes and CDs. If by some miracle the audio book you wanted happened to be there, it would cost £20-£30, maybe £15 during a sale. People with a visual impairment are more likely than average to live in poverty. The thought of breaking the bank several times a week for books definitely pushed some readers away. There are wonderful charities that still to this day will lend books in accessible formats free of charge. Some can even transcribe them into custom formats to meet your individual needs. I had the entire Harry Potter series printed in size 24 on cream paper! So the past wasn’t completely awful, but it was a slow and frustrating process to get your hands on anything new to read.

Everything changed for me with the rising popularity of eBooks. I got my first Amazon Kindle when I was around 14 and it instantly made my life so much easier. I do miss holding a physical book. Flicking across a screen is nowhere near as satisfying as smelling the pages and turning them with a swooshing noise. However, the flexibility of eBooks, especially now in 2022, is amazing. I can change the brightness of the screen, the background, the font, the size and the orientation. If audio books are your thing, similar advancements have been made in this area. You can join eBook and audio together if you want and create a more immersive experience. You can even hook up to a refreshable braille display, removing the need to emboss a dozen hefty volumes. The other thing I love is instant downloads. When you have a disability, physically getting yourself to a shop or library can be extremely difficult. Tapping a couple of buttons and waiting a minute is a mini-miracle.

I believe that as technology advances, the number of options available to those with a visual impairment is only going to grow. This is fantastic news for avid readers like myself. It does come with more challenges though. Technology can be used as a crutch by people who want to cheat their way out of providing accessibility to services. There is no area where I have observed these negligent practices more than in education. Most textbooks are still delivered in inaccessible PDF documents. Sometimes the publishers refuse to send an electronic format at all. They are seemingly not held to the same standard as other organisations, with no large print, braille or audio versions available. It takes an enormous amount of work to modify these materials for lessons so students often go without. Technology is supposed to be used a positive force to create more options, not less.

Encouraging reading should be one of our top priorities, especially for students with disabilities. Strong literacy skills can help to level the playing field and provide a route into successful employment. The more we do to make access to books easy, the better. We should use all the tools at our disposal to keep making progress, but above all there is a need to recognise individual requirements. The most special quality of literature is its ability to open up a whole new world and create total immersion. It’s a highly personal journey- so it only makes sense that the way we access our books should be equally as unique.