“If it’s about us we should be able to write in it”: Creating accessible information for people to write in British Journal of Learning Disabilities: Issues of accessibility

Abstract

Editorial: Welcome to this the final issue of BJLD for 2019, and this my last editorial which I share with The Journal Project, formed of self-advocates Lucy, Tracy, Sam, Aisha and Colin, alongside Marsh Stitchman from Lewisham Speaking Up, and Annabel Head and Susan Carroll from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London. As of this issue my tenure as Editor in Chief of BJLD comes to an end, and so I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to the work of the Journal; the authors and reviewers as well as the readership more widely. The last six years have in the main been enjoyable, but they have not been without their challenges. I know I am not alone in that many other Editors face similar challenges in trying to keep Journals, such as BJLD, buoyant, and often with little support-save some dedicated colleagues on the editorial board, and those who offer their unconditional support through peer review of numerous submissions of manuscripts; it is to these people I am indebted to. So for this issue it is our intention to do two things. The first is to explain the back ground, and outcome of an exciting project for BJLD that has been ongoing throughout this year, and that has been concerned with making our author guidelines more accessible. So what has the project concerning accessibility been about? And it is here that I hand over to my colleagues in The Journal Project.