Gift A Child A Book This Christmas

Hi I'm Claire and I'm a Carer for my child who is 5 and has a number of disabilities. She is an incredible child who doesn't let her differences stop her leading the life she wants but unfortunately, society has other ideas. Already, she has been subjected to exclusion, prejudice and discrimination because of her disabilities. In just the last 6 months she has been unable to access art, dance and swimming classes and forest school because of barriers which organisations refuse to remove.

Not only that, but almost all establishments are poor in accessibility options which makes life so much harder than it already is for disabled people. We experience that daily. Whether it be a lack of accessible toilets or space to tend to toileting related care, softplay centres refusing autistic children to take their own food/drink in or a disabled child's carer being refused to stay to care for the child during groups; the general understanding of inclusion is limited. And those are just a few examples.

Most people are still very much lacking in understanding what inclusion is and why it is vital for disabled people.

To be clear, inclusion means ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to join in and be involved with a group or activity, regardless of any minority background. For disabled people, this means that organisations and establishments must make reasonable adjustments to their rules where required so that the disabled person has the same access and opportunity as everyone else. Sounds simple? You'd think so.... Yet, refusal to make reasonable adjustments is one of the biggest barriers that disabled people face in trying to lead a happy, content life like others. This only reinforces segregation, isolation and exclusion. It is heartbreaking and we need to change it.

I'm just one person, and there are thousands of others out there working tirelessly to change the narrative and make the world a more inclusive place. I've spent the last 15 years advocating for disabled people in a variety of roles but this time, I'm reaching for a different generation. The ones who are going to grow up and be able to see and lead change. Children! Those who have little to no preconceived ideas about disability. And I'm doing it though the power of books. We know that books are an excellent tool to share as a family, to give conversation prompts and get discussion going.

There are so many beautiful children's books about disability, but as we know, buying books is a huge privilege. When finances are stretched, the last thing a parent/carer thinks about is buying books...

So, this Christmas I've teamed up with the local food bank. I want to raise money to buy and donate as many disability awareness books as I can to the food bank. The books will be given out with the Christmas food parcel this year. Our food bank supports around 300 families which is usually around 600 children. Even if I only raise enough for 5 books, that is 5 families who will be chatting about disability this christmas, and 5-10 children who have received a book for Christmas.

Please help to make a difference to the future of disabled people facing discrimination just for trying to live their lives like everyone else. And by donating you'll see to gifting a child a book this Christmas, which they otherwise may have gone without. Thank you.