Providing support and promoting respect for everyone with a visible difference

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Hilary’s story: “Sharing experiences is the first step”

Inclusive Minds ambassador Hilary writes about parenting a child with visible difference, and why diversity in books is so important.


My 3-year-old daughter has complex bilateral talipes (club foot). I’m a parent ambassador for Inclusive Minds as my daughter is currently too young to share her own experiences. She has balance issues and is expected to wear her braces in the long term. Her physical condition is under control, but I’m very concerned about preparing her for the emotional side of her visible difference as she grows.

I would like to see illustrations in all books portraying much more in the way of diversity. More stories that address diversity realistically are so important.

I didn’t have any experience of visible difference before my daughter was born. I know that it’s impossible to predict what issues she may face in life, but I’m driven to support her as much as I can, so that I can help her navigate life in the most positive way possible. I’ve searched for children’s books that present visible difference in a sensitive, normal and realistic way but found comparatively little.

I would like to see illustrations in all books (to whatever extent) portraying much more in the way of diversity. More stories that address diversity realistically are so important. In my experience, books that clearly address difference in some way end with the central character being accepted by all their peers just as they are. We need stories that acknowledge that the world isn’t necessarily 100% accepting of difference all of the time, setting out coping strategies and encouraging self-acceptance.

I have written a children’s story for ages six to eight, addressing visible difference anthropomorphically. Its focus is on self-acceptance and carries advice around coping with various issues such as stares, whispers and questions, being less good at something, discovering an individual talent and using it, and finally sharing the wisdom and acceptance learnt.

A young girl with club foot sits on a patterned carpet, playing with some colourful egg timers.

Hilary, whose daughter has club foot, was inspired to write a children’s story portraying visible difference.

Sharing this story with Inclusive Minds and receiving wonderful advice is how I came to know about the collective and joined its Inclusion Ambassadors Network. It would be great to see the network expand because the bigger it is, the more accurately children’s literature will present diversity. And the better known it is, the more the children’s book publishing world will (and should) recognise and address the need.

Details on becoming an Inclusion Ambassador for Inclusive Minds are available on its website. Please consider what you could bring to the network – sharing experiences is the first step towards helping anyone with visible differences now and in the future. Only by doing that, can the world in which our children grow up become a more understanding place to be.

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Workshops for children & families

Find out about our workshops which offer practical advice to both children and young people with a visible difference and their parents and carers.