What to do next... 11 steps to take
01
Review your representation. How many disabled authors are you working with? Proportionally it should be 20%.
02
Assess your accessibility. Examine everything from physical access to virtual meetings and events, all forms of communication, websites and online submission processes. Are they accessible to all?
03
Demonstrate how you are adapting: call for submissions by disabled authors and detail your accessibility and inclusion processes.
04
Support your disabled staff—acknowledge the expertise they bring, and trust and invest in them.
05
Create specialist schemes and opportunities. Set up projects to support and encourage disabled authors and staff.
06
Remove barriers to inclusion in existing schemes —review schemes that need in-person participation.
07
Check your disability portrayal—use the Fries Test on every publication.
08
Honour authentic voices and experiences, include disabled voices in all conversations and, when commenting on disability, turn to disabled people over their non-disabled counterparts.
09
Build relationships. Create links with disabled readers, bloggers and critics.
10
Disability awareness training for all—beware of ableism and unconscious bias.
11
Celebrate Disability. Being disabled isn’t something to be ashamed of. Disability Pride Month in July is the perfect opportunity to celebrate disabled voices.
TheBookseller.com
Disabled readers don’t want to solely read books by disabled authors, but seeing them- selves represented on the page and in the industry is important. Visibilit shows people what is possible and spotlighting disabled authors does this.
Disabled readers don’t want to solely read books by disabled authors, but seeing themselves represented on the page and in the industry is important
However, promotion must be handled sensitively. Some authors are willing to discuss their experiences of disabilit, but the focus must always be on their books first. Disabled pain is not a promotion tool.
Positive portrayal In the past, disabled stories have been told by non-disabled people without lived experience; this has proven problematic and alienating to the disabilit communit. When referencing existing stories of disabilit or choosing future publications, make sure they aim to pass the Fries Test. Similar to the Bechdel Test, which is a measure of the representation of women in fictional works, the Fries Test ensures positive disabilit portrayal. For more details, see the article by Catherine Miller (p16) and Lisete Auton’s piece on avoiding disabilit tropes (p20).
Gathering momentum The publishing industry has taken steps to become more inclusive and as a result we are hearing more diverse voices, learning about different lives and expanding our understand- ing of the world we share. The publishing industry holds enormous power and therefore must ensure that everyone is represented. I have felt an incredible responsibilit writing this piece, because how do you cover something as vast as disabilit in a single article? How do you capture the nuance of different disabilities and even differences within the same disabilit? You can’t. That’s why this Disabilit Issue of The Bookseller is only the start of the conversation, and one that disabled authors look forward to continu- ing with the industry long aſter this edition of the magazine goes to print.
For a free guide to working with disabled authors, visit
clairewade.com/adci
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