Fantastic Beasts Screenplay Now Available in Accessible Format

Harry Potter fans have put the print versions of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and more recently, the screenplay of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at the top of many best seller lists for 2016, as reported by Leaky last week.

W.F. Howes Ltd., a UK publisher of large print and audiobooks, has now released an accessible large print version of the Fantastic Beasts screenplay. This comes just three months after the release of the Cursed Child script formatted for individuals with learning differences. (See article here)

These editions are designed specifically for readers who have conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, or cerebral palsy, that may impact their ability to track words when reading. This format is based on research from the University of South Wales and includes features that help improve the reading experience such as specialized fonts, paper and layouts.

There were numerous accolades for W.F. Howes’ efforts when this version of Cursed Child became available:

David Shelley, CEO of Little Brown Group & Orion said, “I am so pleased that W. F. Howes will be making their editions of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child more accessible for dyslexic readers, allowing the playscript to be read and enjoyed by even more people.”

Professor Amanda Kirby from the University of South Wales said, “Congratulations on leading the way by providing this inclusive book. It opens up opportunities for both children and adults with dyslexia and other learning difficulties to enjoy and be a part of the world of Harry Potter.”

The head of publishing and commerce for W.F. Howes, Dominic White, said about their decision to publish this format of the Fantastic Beasts screenplay:

“We’ve had a huge response to the first ever Dyslexia format we created for J K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and it is exciting to build on it with the next installment, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Accessibility should be a key consideration in publishing and this is an example of how we can open up a new and important audience.”

According to W.F. Howes, J.K. Rowling had expressed the desire for the script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to be as accessible as possible, for as wide an audience as possible. As this specialized format becomes available to new audiences and the Harry Potter fandom continues to grow, it appears that her vision is coming to fruition!