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Focus on…Diversity & Inclusion
JOINING THE DOTS The greeting card industry might not be right at the top of the game where diversity and inclusion is concerned, but ground has been gained over the last few years with publishers and retailers keen to see that there are designs for everyone. PG touches on this important area and shares some of the developments. Black, brown, gay, lesbian, differently-abled, ginger – there are so many elements that publishers are trying to cover, it’s a good job there are also plenty of designers who have their own take on the subject of diversity and inclusion where greeting cards are concerned. One of the newest is Hayley Kellard, who has turned her own visual impairment challenge into thriving publisher Dotty About Braille and, just six months after setting up, her tactile greeting card range featuring the language of raised dots is one of the finalists in the Health, Wellbeing & Accessible Gifts category of the Gift Of The Year 2024 Awards. “My range was designed with blind people at the forefront of my mind, so all aspects of Below: Hayley Kellard types her braille captions on a Perkins machine.
Above: Nyha’s Naomi with her designs in Morleys Brixton. Left: BSL works for Kitsch Noir.
the card are fully accessible,” Hayley explained, “braille greeting cards help to normalise visual impairment, which is especially important for visually impaired children and young adults, who may be struggling with being different to their friends. Seeing braille greeting cards in shops, alongside printed cards, can help make them feel included and valued.
“It can be very empowering for a blind or visually impaired person to receive a braille card and be able to read it by themselves, rather than having to rely on somebody else. This is especially important for those who are somewhat isolated and don't have regular visitors.” The simple design has cards in different shades – blind people have favourite colours too – with no images, patterns or printed text, just the wording in the raised dots on the front, and the colour choice noted on the back to ensure full accessibility, and Hayley can also produce cards in any language that has a braille code, so far that includes English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, French and Polish options. Hayley’s ambition that all major greeting cards retailers will stock a braille range in their stores and online, is echoed by Matt Nguyen, founder and illustrator at Jolly Awesome, who’d like all designers to PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 31