Inclusive literature is an important step towards understanding in society
While writing this article, I have repeatedly asked the question, which of the terms will be the most ethical and correct? " People with special needs", "people with disabilities " , or just "special people"? I have never thought about this before, and I do not remember being taught it by at least one teacher from an educational institution, or someone from my family explaining to me the difference between these terms. Perhaps, if the topic of inclusion was discussed during my studies, I would know that the correct form is "a person with a disability."
Fortunately, today there is such a term as "inclusion", which is heard by all, and thanks to this, our society becomes more tolerant, conscious and indifferent to people with special needs. The heroine of our interview, Olena Osmolovska, is one of those people who made the term "inclusion" a trend in Ukrainian society. Ms. Olena publishes inclusive literature that focuses on building a positive perception of disability and personal diversity, as well as literature for children with special educational needs.
We will talk about such a term as "inclusive literature".
Is your publishing center "12" publishing inclusive literature? Please tell us where the idea came from and why did you choose this direction?
Inclusive literature is one of the publishing house’s priorities.
Precisely because without the development of this area it is impossible to build a modern socio-cultural policy of the state, to establish understanding in society, to fully implement the reform of inclusive education. Personally, my story with inclusive literature began with the publication of my own book "The Sun in Your Lake", where the main characters are a girl with Down syndrome and a boy with autism. I started looking for similar books in Ukraine. And when I realized that we actually do not have a culture of perception of inclusive books, I began to move this business on my own.
What is the main concept of your project and what is its goal?
The goal of the Inclusive Literature project is to make the principle of “Everyone
a person has the right to see himself in books. " We form the very term "Inclusive Literature". We offer the following definition: it is literature focused on the formation of a positive perception of disability and personal diversity. Literature on people with disabilities, inclusive literature, has a definite and important purpose: it can help students become more tolerant of individual characteristics, especially in today’s inclusive classrooms. Inclusive literature combines the following areas:
• literature about people with disabilities, forming in readers a positive perception of the condition of such people (books that focus the reader’s interest on the universal qualities and capabilities of literary characters with disabilities; designed to communicate with such people both interesting and comfortable);
• literature aimed at the perception of personal diversity;
• literature for children with special educational needs (books in Braille, with the use of icons, tactile, picture books, etc.). More about the project on the site .
What audience are your readers most often? Who is it for?
Inclusive literature is literature for the general public, it allows you to expand the boundaries of your own perception of the world, to cultivate respect for "otherness". Such literature is enlightening, motivating and simply fascinating for the reader’s pleasure.
Perhaps you know that the authors of inclusive books are usually writers, or people who know about these problems from their own experience?
Many authors have somehow faced the problems they write about. But these are not necessarily people with disabilities. Still, we are talking about fiction, and there is room for authorial fiction. But many works are based on real life stories, real people.
Were there any feedback from your readers? Did they share their impressions, talk about how they were influenced by inclusive literature, or did their views change after reading?
Reviews come constantly. It is gratifying to see society come to life and foster respect for human rights. So far we have not received any negative feedback. But every work has its supporters and harsh critics. And this is normal.
How do you plan to disseminate information about your project? Maybe you have ideas or you are already planning to collaborate with certain resources?
Since I deal with the topic of inclusive literature systematically and comprehensively, I study it as a scientist, writer, publisher and reader, I can form an objective picture. We disseminate information in different ways - social networks, website, shops, exhibitions, educational events, competitions. And yet, everyone who has read our books becomes our agent and spreads our book information further.
Author Anna Koznyuk.
Fortunately, today there is such a term as "inclusion", which is heard by all, and thanks to this, our society becomes more tolerant, conscious and indifferent to people with special needs. The heroine of our interview, Olena Osmolovska, is one of those people who made the term "inclusion" a trend in Ukrainian society. Ms. Olena publishes inclusive literature that focuses on building a positive perception of disability and personal diversity, as well as literature for children with special educational needs.
We will talk about such a term as "inclusive literature".
Is your publishing center "12" publishing inclusive literature? Please tell us where the idea came from and why did you choose this direction?
Inclusive literature is one of the publishing house’s priorities.
Precisely because without the development of this area it is impossible to build a modern socio-cultural policy of the state, to establish understanding in society, to fully implement the reform of inclusive education. Personally, my story with inclusive literature began with the publication of my own book "The Sun in Your Lake", where the main characters are a girl with Down syndrome and a boy with autism. I started looking for similar books in Ukraine. And when I realized that we actually do not have a culture of perception of inclusive books, I began to move this business on my own.
What is the main concept of your project and what is its goal?
The goal of the Inclusive Literature project is to make the principle of “Everyone
a person has the right to see himself in books. " We form the very term "Inclusive Literature". We offer the following definition: it is literature focused on the formation of a positive perception of disability and personal diversity. Literature on people with disabilities, inclusive literature, has a definite and important purpose: it can help students become more tolerant of individual characteristics, especially in today’s inclusive classrooms. Inclusive literature combines the following areas:
• literature about people with disabilities, forming in readers a positive perception of the condition of such people (books that focus the reader’s interest on the universal qualities and capabilities of literary characters with disabilities; designed to communicate with such people both interesting and comfortable);
• literature aimed at the perception of personal diversity;
• literature for children with special educational needs (books in Braille, with the use of icons, tactile, picture books, etc.). More about the project on the site .
What audience are your readers most often? Who is it for?
Inclusive literature is literature for the general public, it allows you to expand the boundaries of your own perception of the world, to cultivate respect for "otherness". Such literature is enlightening, motivating and simply fascinating for the reader’s pleasure.
Perhaps you know that the authors of inclusive books are usually writers, or people who know about these problems from their own experience?
Many authors have somehow faced the problems they write about. But these are not necessarily people with disabilities. Still, we are talking about fiction, and there is room for authorial fiction. But many works are based on real life stories, real people.
Were there any feedback from your readers? Did they share their impressions, talk about how they were influenced by inclusive literature, or did their views change after reading?
Reviews come constantly. It is gratifying to see society come to life and foster respect for human rights. So far we have not received any negative feedback. But every work has its supporters and harsh critics. And this is normal.
How do you plan to disseminate information about your project? Maybe you have ideas or you are already planning to collaborate with certain resources?
Since I deal with the topic of inclusive literature systematically and comprehensively, I study it as a scientist, writer, publisher and reader, I can form an objective picture. We disseminate information in different ways - social networks, website, shops, exhibitions, educational events, competitions. And yet, everyone who has read our books becomes our agent and spreads our book information further.
Author Anna Koznyuk.