INTERVIEW:THEY SAY that necessity is the mother of invention, and this has certainly been the experience of Avril Webster, founder of Off We Go Publishing.

When a search for clear, simple books to help her 10-year-old son Stephen, who has a severe developmental brain disorder, cope with everyday activities proved fruitless, she decided to fill the gap herself.

With the support of Stephen's speech therapist Jeanne Dippenaar, she set about creating books at her kitchen table that would prepare him for new experiences - like a trip to the dentist or the swimming pool - which would normally cause him stress and anxiety.

She broke each event down into 12 steps with a sequence of uncluttered pictures and functional language and soon found that her little home-made books had a marked effect on Stephen's reaction to these events.

"What I had found out was that, if I could prepare him in advance, he was less scared and less anxious, and could manage the task better," recalls Webster, who holds a degree in marketing and languages from DCU.

"Just like we have a ramp for those with physical disabilities to access a building or a restaurant . . . for my son - and for children like him with autism or intellectual disabilities or learning difficulties who can get anxious with a change of routine - the book is a ramp."

Soon the books began to take on a life of their own. The artist who illustrated them showed some mock-ups for the books to a friend of a friend in the publishing business, who asked whether they could take them to international book fairs.

Before long, Webster found herself being approached with a contract by British publishing house Speechmark.

Last year, six titles written by Webster were launched in Ireland and Britain by Speechmark. The first print run quickly sold out and good reviews piled in from professionals in the field.

It also became clear that the books were not only effective for children with intellectual disabilities, but were also helpful for pre-school toddlers and children for whom English is a second language.

Despite the warm reception that the titles received, Webster hit a major stumbling block late last year when Speechmark was taken over by Electric Word Group. "They said they weren't that interested in moving forward with me," she says.

As Stephen's primary carer, and with two other children to look after, Webster already had her hands full and could easily have taken this as a sign that it was time to give up her dream of enabling children with intellectual disabilities to access their local community, and enjoy family outings. A week later though, when the publishers came back to say they had changed their mind and were interested in working with her again, it was too late - she had already made the bold decision to set up her own publishing company, Off We Go.

It was a daunting task, she admits, but the fact that she was accepted on to the Limerick Enterprise Acceleration Platform (Leap) programme was a huge boost, as it provided her with practical training, a business network, mentoring and team support.

"I found that having that structure behind me has really helped."

She provided the funding to get the business off the ground, but recently qualified for Commercialisation of Research and Development (Cord) funding of €38,000 from Enterprise Ireland, which she intends to plough into marketing.

Six Off We Go titles are currently available, and a further six titles are in production with a view to launching in 2009.

At the moment the books are stocked in big bookstores in Ireland, and they are being exported to Britain. They are also sold through Webster's website (www.offwego.ie). The next step is to try and crack the US market, a move Webster hopes to make with the guidance of her Leap business mentor.

Off We Go (which was among several start- ups being showcased yesterday at the midwest entrepreneur showcase and seminar at the Enterprise Acceleration Centre at Limerick Institute of Technology) is turning a small profit at the moment - although not yet enough for Webster to take a salary - and she is optimistic about future prospects.

"There does seem to be enormous potential in the disability market and I am looking at projected turnover of €130,000 for the next year," she says.

Did she always see herself becoming an entrepreneur?

"If you said to me as I sat in DCU taking my notes at a lecture, this is where you're going, I probably would have said there's not a chance. But here I am and it's my son Stephen and his speech therapist who inspired me to go and do something."

ON THE RECORD

Name:Avril Webster

Position:Off We Go Publishing, www.offwego.ie

Age:38

Background:Graduated with a degree in marketing and languages from DCU in 1992. Worked in the computer industry before moving into project management in the localisation industry. For the past 10 years she has worked at home caring for her three children, including her eldest son, Stephen, who has a very rare and severe developmental brain disorder.

Inspiration:Stephen and his speech therapist, who inspired her to set up the business, and her first boss when she graduated from college, Fintan Mulligan: "He always inspired in me the importance of building customer relationships."

Challenges:Returning to the world of business after a decade out of the paid workforce.

Loves to:Cook and, when she gets the chance, go out for dinner and drinks with her husband and friends.