Inclusive reading table (2024) — © Photos by Guusje Meeuwissen
All children should be able to experience stories equally. Lotte investigates the role of the other senses in the visually dominant world we live in. The inclusive reading table helps children connect language to experiences they have with their noses. Together with researchers from Radboud University, Lotte has set up a research project called What do you smell?
What's on
CODA Apeldoorn
1 – 30 June 2025 | Inclusive reading table
RAUM Utrecht | Sensory Play Days
20 July – 24 August 2025 | Inclusive reading table
LocHal Tilburg
1 – 21 September 2025 | Inclusive reading table
Roermond | Expeditie Next Festival 2025
30 April 2025 | Inclusive reading table
Library Rotterdam | Media Ukkie Dagen
4 – 11 April 2025 | Inclusive reading table
Rijksmuseum Boerhaave Leiden | Nationale Voorleesdagen
26 Januari 2025 | Inclusive reading table
Library Eindhoven | Dutch Design Week
19 – 26 Oktober 2024 | Inclusive reading table
News
May 2025 | Scientific study What do you smell? during Expeditie Next Festival
Together with Dr. Laura Speed, Prof. Asifa Majid and Dr. Ilja Croijmans (Radboud University), Lotte set up a scientific study. During Expeditie Next 2025, they collected data on scent language from 150 children using the inclusive reading table. The research results will contribute to new scientific theories about language and help develop new educational material for children about smell language. More soon!
April 2025 | Media Ukkie Dagen in the Rotterdam Library
Together with Karin Roeders, Jolanda Gerard and colleagues from the Rotterdam Library, we provided a programme with the inclusive reading table during the Media Ukkie Days. We welcomed 5 classes from Visio Rotterdam (school for children with a visual impairment) and 12 classes from the Taalfontein (school for children with a language development disorder) to the Library for reading sessions with smells and workshops on smell words. Many beautiful stories came from children about what they were smelling. The involvement of children was so much fun!
January 2025 | Start scientific study for Expeditie Next Festival
In collaboration with Dr. Laura Speed and Prof. Asifa Majid, Lotte is starting a scientific study into how children connect language to experiences with the sense of smell. During Expedition Next Festival on the 30th of April 2025, data will be collected with the inclusive reading table. Funded by the Dutch Research Council.
December 2024 | German translation UNICEF toolbox
The toolbox ‘Together we discover Children’s Rights’, that Lotte developed in 2022 in collaboration with UNICEF the Netherlands, will as from 2025 also be used in Austria to give workshops to children in municipalities participating in the Child Friendly Cities campaign.
October 2024 | Inclusive reading table at Dutch Design Week
From 19 to 27 October 2024, the inclusive reading table was exhibited in the Eindhoven Library. Funded by the National Foundation for the Blind and Partially Sighted, Stichting Blindenhulp, De Gelderse Blinden Stichting and Stichting Blindenbelangen.
September 2024 | Start new project Tangible Images
Lotte is starting a project to give the sense of touch an innovative role in telling and enriching stories in picture books for children with a visual impairment. In the coming period, she will collaborate with Visio Amsterdam within this project. Funded by Creative Industies Fund NL grant scheme Experiment.