Innovative learning resources introduced for young disabled children

Disabled children will now be able to understand their experiences through a new story-based leaflet published by Scope.

The national disability charity believes that there is not enough information explaining disability and the experiences that go with it for young disabled children.

To help children understand and put them ‘in the picture’ about their own condition or impairment, Scope’s In The Picture project has published Celine’s New Splints – a leaflet that tells the story of a young girl with ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) or splints.

Celine’s New Splints is the first of its kind - a fictional story in the form of a leaflet designed for disabled children to read themselves, or for parents to read to their child. It explains the process of being fitted for splints in a story-book fashion that young children can appreciate and understand.

Susan Clow, Scope’s In The Picture project manager, says: “Currently, there is a severe shortage of materials about disabled children for disabled children – most of the literature produced on disability is aimed at the parents.

“Scope’s In The Picture project wants to put disabled children ‘in the picture’ both metaphorically and literally – so they know and understand first-hand more about their disability. A story like ‘Celine’s New Splints’ immediately gives disabled children a narrative, and images with which they can identify - something other children can take for granted.”

Celine’s New Splints is based on the real-life experiences of a young disabled child from Leicestershire, Celine Matthews. Parents Jean and Peter Matthews found that, not only could they not find storybooks that included disabled children, but there was little child-friendly information available to help Celine understand her disability. Their experiences helped to launch Scope's In The Picture project in 2005.

Celine’s mother comments “This new leaflet is exactly the sort of resource we needed for Celine when she was younger. Now she’s nine and, though we’re still struggling to find fictional stories and images that she can relate to, Scope’s In The Picture project is really challenging this. As a mother, I’d like to see more children’s authors, illustrators and publishers including disabled children in their stories.”

Celine’s New Splints can be downloaded from Scope’s website – www.scope.org.uk - or call 0808 800 3333 and ask for a copy.