About Clare

I have been designing Easy Read information since 2003. Since the summer of 2023 I have been a full-time freelancer specialising in accessible information, engagement projects and training. The majority of my work is designing Easy Read documents for local councils, NHS organisations, universities, museums and charities. I can produce quick, stylish, affordable, accessible documents, in any format.

I have 25 years of experience in the charity, academic, health, and social care sectors as a support worker, advocate, project manager and senior leader. My work has always been focused on promoting equality, citizenship, and self-advocacy.

While I primarily create resources for people with learning disabilities, my designs are valued and used by a much broader audience. My experience and subject knowledge enable me to summarise complex information across a very wide range of topics.

As an independent freelancer, I can offer a fresh a perspective on complex projects and documents, which helps organisations to think about their information in a different way.

My story

I was incredibly fortunate to be start my career at the time of Valuing People: learning-disability-specific legislation which was launched in 2001. It was a time of great hope and change in the sector. Learning Disability Partnership Boards were set up, along with the Valuing People Support Teams and the National Forum of People with Learning Disabilities. All of these initiatives propelled self-advocacy forward, and Speaking-up groups were started up across the country.

After a 2-year stint working full-time in residential care, I joined People First Dorset in 2003. I have been making Easy Read information ever since. Being a support worker made me realise that my heart was in Advocacy, because so much needed to change. I saw that people with learning disabilities had very little control over their own day-to-day lives. Self-advocacy, supported by accessible information, was (and still is!) an important route to giving people the power they need and deserve.

At People First Dorset and also Bournemouth People First (now People First Forum) I was very fortunate to work on many different projects, alongside my colleagues and trustees with learning disabilities;

Total Communication
Easy Read - design work and delivering training courses
Local Authority consultations
Making the Partnership Boards accessible and inclusive
Quality Checkers
Speaking Up groups
Learning disability awareness training - for the police, NHS staff, care providers and more
Dorset Forum
Speak Up Make Music - more information here

Easy Read - as well as being a project in its own right - was the thread that ran through every single part of my work. Meeting notes, training plans, Quality Check reports, consultations and more. My work was regularly (and honestly!) reviewed by our members. This enabled me to get better and better!

Design

I started out by thinking: “What IS it that makes a page design look professional?”

This is a good place for anyone to start! There were no Easy Read courses in the early 2000s, so I looked for inspiration everywhere I went. There are many good "mainstream" graphic design courses and other resources online, and the principles of clear, minimalist design are universal.

Easy Read has evolved to follow a loosely accepted format, but I still love to draw, experiment, and push the boundaries from time-to-time. The guiding force must always be the reader, and what is most useful and interesting to them.

Business and management

In 2016 I became more and more interested in organisations as complex systems of people who “get things done”. I wanted to know why some organisations function well, and why others don’t.

I also saw a need for business skills in the charity sector. So, I enrolled on an MBA with The Open University, signing up for modules in strategy, finance, creativity, entrepreneurship, HR and much more. I was very lucky to be working with a fantastic staff team at Dorset Advocacy whilst studying alongside.

During the course I met a student who had some Easy Read work that he didn't want (what are the chances??), and my side-hustle was born. In June 2023, my side-hustle became my full-time job, and I couldn't be happier!

And apart from all that…

I live in a beautiful part of the world - Dorset, on the south coast of England. I love to go out running, walking and paddle-boarding near my home, which is on a farm.

At the weekends I often play in ceilidh bands, for weddings and other functions. Violin playing is a lifelong passion, especially Irish fiddle, which has been my preferred style since about 1999. I'm also very keen on horses, and get to ride thanks to a colleague from my People First days. I am very lucky!