Commissions with a wide-open brief such as this are important as they invite d/Deaf and disabled writers to explore as freely and as radically as we wish without feeling the pressure to adjust our work to suit particular criteria or expectations. It is especially important that the commissions are available to writers working in as broad a range of forms and working dynamics as possible, because inclusive approaches flourish in multimodal, collaborative environments. There are very few opportunities such as this in the literary sector.

“As a deaf and disabled writer, I know firsthand the barriers facing people like me when they try to share and develop their work. [These] commissions provide community, mentoring and opportunities, with an outstanding commitment to accessibility, to a degree that I personally haven’t seen elsewhere.”