My latest piece for The Times today.
The article, like the In The picture campaign is not seeking to 'regulate' children's books, but rather to offer the resources to provide some balance. I also acknowledge that the children who carry out such mindless harassment as was seen in the Fiona Pilkington case are not necessarily avid readers of books.
But the point I would make is that while it may not be possible to influence such people directly, children's books can help to shape wider social attitudes by introducing children to disability and the diverse nature of the society around them. If children grow up learning more tolerance, then that can help to define what they as adults will deem acceptable or unacceptable behaviour.
To offer an example: If, instead of the Pilkington family, there had been a soldier back from Afghanistan with a disability caused by a conflict injury, what would the attitude have been from the family that were mainly responsible for the harassment?
Tolerance shouldn't be something that has to be earned, nor should it be something that has to be dictated. Rather, tolerance is a symptom of community cohesion and our sense of responsibility for each other.
The article, like the In The picture campaign is not seeking to 'regulate' children's books, but rather to offer the resources to provide some balance. I also acknowledge that the children who carry out such mindless harassment as was seen in the Fiona Pilkington case are not necessarily avid readers of books.
But the point I would make is that while it may not be possible to influence such people directly, children's books can help to shape wider social attitudes by introducing children to disability and the diverse nature of the society around them. If children grow up learning more tolerance, then that can help to define what they as adults will deem acceptable or unacceptable behaviour.
To offer an example: If, instead of the Pilkington family, there had been a soldier back from Afghanistan with a disability caused by a conflict injury, what would the attitude have been from the family that were mainly responsible for the harassment?
Tolerance shouldn't be something that has to be earned, nor should it be something that has to be dictated. Rather, tolerance is a symptom of community cohesion and our sense of responsibility for each other.
I'll be celebrating when the eloquent Tim Rushby-Smith is employed by The Times for an article which is NOT about disability.
I guess we've all got to start somewhere, and if disability gives you a foot in the door (sorry!) that's something.
But still ...
Good grief, that didn't sound the way I meant it!
What I was hoping to get across is that you seem to have been categorized as:
Disabled (happens to write quite well)
Whereas I'd like to see:
Writer (happens to be disabled).