Children's literature has a history of presenting disabled kids as life lessons, plucky objects of pity, grotesque enemies, or simply absent. Where do we find the disabled adventurers and learners, heroes and family members, written for disabled and non-disabled young people alike? What's it like writing young characters who are disabled like you—or in different ways to yourself?

Mandy Hager (Gracehopper), Erin Donohue (Because Everything Is Right but Everything Is Wrong) and Helen Vivienne Fletcher (Beside The River Styx) talk about their writing process, their favourites, and what they want to see in the future. Chaired by Elizabeth Heritage. This is a mask-friendly event.