World Book Day — or World Book Week as it sometimes feels when you’re visiting schools — is always a busy and enjoyable time of year.
This year started with a local visit to St Mary’s, where we spent some time together exploring accessibility through Nicky and Candy’s Street.
The visit included an an interactive reading of the book followed by a Q&A with the pupils. I was really impressed with the questions. They were thoughtful, curious and genuine — which is where the best conversations and learning comes from.
It’s always great seeing children engage with the idea that small changes in our streets and places can make a big difference for disabled people.
From there, it was a hot step down to Westbrook Primary School in Hounslow, London, for a full school day visit.
Westbrook has become a regular stop during World Book Week since meeting the brilliant Richard Broad at an event a few years ago. The school has strong provision for blind and visually impaired pupils, and its design has been shaped to better support their needs.
The day included readings of Nicky and Candy’s Street, workshops exploring accessibility and visual impairment, and a session with visually impaired pupils to share some insights from someone a little further down the road.
What I always enjoy about these visits is how naturally children engage with the topic. Accessibility isn’t complicated to them — they quickly understand how thoughtful design can make places work better for everyone.
Hopefully some of that learning sticks with them, whether that’s something they notice tomorrow or something they carry forward into adulthood.
Thanks to both schools for having me and continuing to support Better Places.
If you’d like to book a school visit to help children understand access for disabled people in a fun, light-hearted and interactive way, you can do so here.
Witten by Ben Andrews on