July 7 @ 7:00 pm - July 9 @ 7:00 pm
Online
$59Overview
A Two-Night Mini Online Course
Children’s books have the opportunity to portray and celebrate the diversity of bodies, and the multitude of ways that people process and proceed throughout the world. Authentic disability representation in children’s books breaks stereotypes, makes connections, and centers the disability experience.
Join authors Lyn Miller-Lachmann, and Halli Gomez to learn more about creating fully celebrated disabled characters and narratives in children’s books.
This program is a good fit if you’re looking for a short course of two, 75-minute sessions offering limited interaction with the community, and information to help you on your path forward in writing novels.
- Monday, July 7 (7pm – 8:15pm Eastern)
- Wednesday, July 9 (7pm – 8:15pm Eastern)
- Webinar-style program with closed captioning available and limited interaction in the chat.
- You’ll have access to the recordings through August 31, 2025.
Why This Workshop?
Disability representation in novels centers the disability experience with respect, authenticity, and fully developed characters. Authors Lyn Miller-Lachmann, and Halli Gomez will offer presentations on crafting novels with strong disability representation. with a focus on:
- Writing for children and teen audiences
- Ways that center, not tokenize the disability experience
- The use of authenticity readers and valuing lived experiences
- and more!
Feedback Expected
- None included in the course. There will be limited interaction in the chat feature of the webinar-style program.
- There will be a Q & A during the second night of the program to engage with direct questions.
It’s a Great Fit If…
- You are an author looking to learn more about the representation of the disability experience in novels.
- You write early readers, chapter books, middle-grade, and/or young adult stories. The authors leading this program have great experience writing for children and teens, with valuable information for representation across many genres of story.
- You’re looking for something short and smart! This is not a full workshop. Instead it is two, 75-minute sessions meant to engage and grow your understanding of disability representation in novels.
Tentative Agenda
At registration:Â You will receive a Zoom link to use each night of the course.
IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND LIVE:
If you are unable to attend either session for any reason, you’ll have access to the recordings (with closed captioning) through November 30, 2023.
Please note that if you register for the course after the start of the first session, you will not receive recordings immediately. You’ll receive both recordings after the close of the last session, usually within 24 hours.
All Times are Eastern Time.
Part One: Monday, July 7, 2025 (7pm-8:15pm Eastern)
- Welcome
- Centering the Disability Experience without Stereotypes
- From my Experience: How to Write Neurodiverse Characters
- Try This at home! Generative writing exercise
Part Two: Wednesday, July 9, 2025 (7pm-8:15pm Eastern)
- Welcome Back!
- Representing Intersecting Identities on the Page (& why this is important!)
- Working with Authenticity/Sensitivity Readers
- Try this at home! Generative writing exercise
- Open Q & A
How It Impacts Kids
Kids and teens need authentic disability representation in books to find their own experiences reflected in stories, and to better understand the multitude of ways that people process and proceed throughout the world. This two-night mini workshop is a starting point to learn more about bringing disabled characters and narratives to the page.
