Wilson to take over management of Inklusion Guide

Inklusion has announced that Elspeth Wilson will take over the management of its guide, which outlines ways in which the UK literary sector can ensure accessibility when planning events. 

The guide – which is available on the Inklusion website – was launched by Ever Dundas and Julie Farrell in 2022, covering accessibility for disabled speakers and audience members alike. 

Now, Inklusion is seeking to raise £6,800 to fund Wilson’s role, which will initially last three months. During that time, Wilson will apply for funding to join the team on a permanent basis. 

Speaking of their new role, Wilson said: “I’m honoured to carry on the fantastic work that Ever and Julie have led with Inklusion, because there is still so much work to be done: such as ensuring that the talent and voices of disabled writers are nurtured, valued, prioritised and properly supported. It’s vital that disabled audiences and authors continue to have their needs recognised; and that access is placed at the heart of all literary events. Inklusion can continue to drive positive change by building on conversations with stakeholders around these issues. 

“Looking towards the future with Inklusion, it’s particularly urgent we see targeted development schemes for disabled writers, which ensure that disabled stories are uplifted by agents and publishers. I’m also very keen to grow and diversify the Inklusion team to ensure continued organisational capacity and to ensure that we are taking an intersectional approach to accessibility within the literary world.”

In their new role, Wilson – an access advocate and former Inklusion consultant – will oversee the guide’s mission to improve accessibility for disabled people within the literary sector. 

Speaking about their plans for the future of Inklusion, Dundas and Farrell said: “Many have been asking to book consultations and training, and there have already been some very promising discussions around other avenues where Inklusion can drive positive change such as industry transparency, fair pay for authors, author support, and funded retreats – it’s a long list.”

The founders have said they are taking a step back to focus “creative work and wellbeing”, with Wilson poised to step up in March. The fully designed print version of the Inklusion Guide is now available, with the PDF, easy read, BSL & audio, and Braille versions "following imminently". They will all be clearly linked on Inklusion’s website