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Watch the webinar!
Our 2024 Book Power webinar is a fantastic resource for teachers, parents, writers, readers, librarians, advocates, and anyone interested in disability representation in literature.
Presenters spoke about the history of disability representation in the media, the impact of positive representation, how it’s improving, and where we can do better.
Featuring disability advocate and children’s author Eliza Hull, young advocate and book reviewer Lily Gaulton, advocate and PHD student Chloe Rattray and writer and advocate Laura Pettenuzzo.
About the presenters
Tiana Offord
Host
Tiana is a 20-year-old woman who is completely blind. She has been interested in reading since she was a primary school girl but has unfortunately never seen a blind character portrayed in the books she reads. Tiana believes that characters in books give children confidence, and she is a huge advocate for kids seeing people like them in the books they read, so they can take inspiration from them and know that they are not alone. Tiana reads using braille and audiobooks and would love to see these types of media becoming more mainstream and accessible to the wider public. She dreams of a world where she can walk into a regular library and borrow a braille book. This dream, she believes, should not be far away but a present reality.
Ezra Burnett
Host / Moderator
Ezra is a youth advocate, activist, facilitator and peer support worker in training who lives in Naarm (Melbourne) on beautiful Wurundjeri land. He is a queer, neurodivergent, chronically ill, transgender man who is passionate about creating systemic change with a focus on intersectionality, lived experience, and accessibility. He is a member of CYDA’s 2024 Youth Council, Orygen’s Youth Council, and a Young Leader at Minus 18.
Eliza Hull
Keynote speaker
Eliza (she/her) is an award-winning writer, musician, disability advocate, and proud disabled woman. She is the editor and creator of the book ‘We’ve Got This, essays by disabled parents’ which features parents who identify as Disabled, Deaf or Chronically Ill. The book has been released in Australia and internationally. She has been a guest on The Today Show, The BBC, The Drum, ABC News Breakfast, ABC’S Q&A and ABC Radio. She is also a contributor to the anthology ‘Growing up Disabled in Australia’ and ‘Teacher Teacher’. Eliza is a regular writer for the ABC and wrote the ABC Kids show ‘And Then Something Changed’ about a child with disability. She co-wrote the children’s book ‘Come Over to My House’ which authentically represents various families with disability.
Lily Gaulton
Presenter
Lily (she/her) “I am 10 years old and have cerebral palsy, autism, anxiety, ARFID, allergies, and a few other medical conditions. I was born at 26 weeks, and I have many doctors and appointments. I also have a physio therapist, speech therapist, and an occupation therapist (OT). I like to read, play on my iPad or switch, and cuddle on the bed or couch with my cat Paula. I am quite smart. I am good at writing stories, and I am an advanced reader. I am in a Challenge program at school which is for academic kids. I have a mother, father, and a little brother Ethan, but he can be annoying sometimes. We have quite a few pets including a dog, a cat, two fish, two rabbits, and a hermit crab. We also sometimes foster cats. My favourite pet is our cat Paula, who is my best friend. At the moment, I am currently doing things to advocate for people with disability and other programs I’ve helped out with.”
Chloe T. Rattray
Presenter
Chloe (she/they) is a passionate inclusion advocate and PhD student living in Boorloo (Perth). Chloe’s research explores the portrayal of queer and disabled stories in children’s animated TV and aims to highlight the importance of diverse representation in media. Chloe holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Humanities. Awarded with First Class Honours, their project explored the representation of disability in Australian documentary TV and earned her a place on the Vice Chancellor’s List for academic excellence. In 2022, Chloe received an Out for Australia 30 Under 30 award, given to young queer people who demonstrate success in their careers and make tangible contributions to the LGBTQIA+ community. Chloe currently works in Inclusion & Diversity in the private sector, where she develops and implements inclusive initiatives to build a thriving, accessible workplace for people with disability.
Laura Pettenuzzo
Presenter
Laura (she/her) is a writer and disability advocate living on Wurundjeri country. Her lived experience of physical and psychosocial disability informs all her work and her writing explores disability and queer rights, including the value of accurate media representation. Laura’s words have appeared in places such as Griffith Review, Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings, ABC, SBS, The Age and The Guardian. She is passionate about accessibility and writes plain language and Easy Read content for various organisations. She was on the nomination panel for the inaugural DANZ Children’s Book Awards and was a judge in the 2023 Melbourne Press Club award for reporting on disability. She is a Commissioning Editor at Mascara Literary Review, where she publishes work by disabled writers. Laura is also a member of the minister-appointed Victorian Disability Advisory Council.
Toolkit to help you advocate for disability representation in your local library
Creating a disability representation section in your library is a meaningful way to promote diversity, representation, and inclusion. By curating a collection that showcases the voices and experiences of authors and characters with disability, libraries can play a vital role in fostering empathy, understanding, and connection within their communities. We hope this CYDA Guide provides valuable insights and resources to support your efforts in creating a more inclusive library environment.
Supported by:
The Book Power webinar was made possible with Information Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) funding from the Department of Social Services (DSS).
