Our Story
How a simple insight about photographs led to two decades of making information easier to understand.
It started with a photograph
In the 1990s, Karl and Pete - the founders of Photosymbols - were working within the NHS as specialists in accessible information and user involvement with people with learning disabilities.
They noticed something interesting: when creating Easy Read materials, people often connected more easily with photographs than with the traditional symbols that were commonly used.
That insight led to a question: what if there was a photo library designed specifically for Easy Read? One featuring real people – people with learning disabilities themselves – in images that were clear, uncluttered, and relevant to their lives?
In 2003, Karl and Pete founded Photosymbols to answer that question. They started photographing people from the learning disability community, paying them fairly, and building a library that would help organisations create better information.
Two decades of growth
What started as a small library has grown into something much bigger. Today, Photosymbols images are used by NHS trusts, government departments, charities, local authorities, and self-advocacy groups across the UK – and increasingly around the world.
We've been adding new images continually for over twenty years – the library now contains thousands of pictures. We've developed training courses that have helped more than 1,000 people improve their Easy Read practice. And we've built tools like EasyMaker to help people create accessible documents more easily.
But some things haven't changed. We still photograph real people from the learning disability community. We still pay them fairly. And we still work closely with Expert Advisers to make sure our work stays grounded in what actually helps people.
Where we're going
We're not standing still. Our Newton Project is gathering research directly from people who use Easy Read, helping us understand how information needs are changing. We're building new tools, developing new courses, and expanding our work internationally.
But our mission remains the same: to help people with learning disabilities access the information they need to live their lives. Everything we do comes back to that.