Kimo is a lion with down syndrome, Zizi is a zebracorn with cerebral palsy, Lala is a lemur who wears prosthetics, Semsem is a monkey with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, and Mimi is a parrot with visual impairment. These five are the main characters in ‘Pack Pals’, an English book helping children understand and learn about their friends with different abilities. ‘Pack Pals’ was born through a collaboration between Social Inclusion Company (SIC), Once Upon a Time Storytellers, and Danny Arafa. The book includes fiction stories, personal interviews, short comics, and games. Social Inclusion Company (SIC) is a social enterprise startup committed to creating an inclusive and accessible community by raising awareness on different disabilities and correcting myths about them, Once Upon a Time Storytellers offers storytelling services for toddlers and children, and Danny Arafa is a children’s author and illustrator. “We wanted to do something different and with an impact, not just a regular story. We felt a need to teach children a value through characters drawn from scratch,” says Maha Ghaleb, Founder of SIC. The idea started with Packarnival, an inclusive and accessible children’s event where children…
