In the Picture

There are some 770,000 disabled children in the UK who have virtually no role models in illustrated literature. In the Picture played a vital role in helping national disability charity Scope to address this issue and work towards eradicating disabilism.

The exhibition featured illustrations by children’s book illustrators such as Quentin Blake and Jane Ray representing children with reduced mobility, restricted communication or learning difficulties in a variety of media by established and emerging artists. Most of the artworks were commissioned by Scope to inspire and demonstrate ways of including disabled children in picture books. The exhibition was accompanied by creative work by three London schools – TreeHouse School for autistic children, deaf and hearing pupils from Meridian Primary School and the London School for Children with Cerebral Palsy. The exhibition proposed a world where simple adjustments to equipment, systems of communication and attitudes break down barriers and make both learning and leisure accessible to everyone.

In the Picture was funded by the Big Lottery Fund. 

Image: Fairy, 2008 by Jane Ray © The artist