Academics from the University of South Australia have unveiled a website dedicated to celebrating the contributions of disabled authors to Australia's rich literary heritage.
Finding Australia's Disabled Authors aims to bring greater visibility to their achievements and experiences, and over the next two years will focus on crafting a searchable index of disabled historical writers before expanding to include contemporary authors.
Award-winning author and UniSA Creative Senior Lecturer, Dr Jessica White, and UniSA Creative Research Fellow, Dr Amanda Tink, who are both disabled people, aim to ensure that disabled writers are counted in discussions about Australian literature.
"Little is known of Australian literature about disability, and our project is designed to educate readers and listeners on the contributions of disabled writers to the literary landscape of Australia," Dr Tink says.
"We want to share how disabled authors became writers, how their impairments influenced the genre and form of their writing, and how cultural attitudes shaped responses to their work."
Dr White says it is crucial to educate people on the lived experiences of disabled authors and how their disabilities have shaped their lives and works.
"Australian literature has frequently relied on representations of people for narrative intrigue, but these representations cannot substitute for the experiences of Australian disabled authors, who in contrast, are often marginalised or erased," she says.
"Our project will allow people to find and learn more about disabled authors who tend to be missing from conversations of Australian literature."
The website, funded by the Australian Research Council, will compile an index of Australia's disabled authors alongside case studies on the impact of impairment on writing processes, and underscore the vibrant literary lineage of disabled writers in Australia.
Renowned poet Andy Jackson spoke recently at a three-day online symposium for the project, where presenters discussed writing processes and publishing experiences of current and previous Australian disabled authors.
Note on terminology: Dr White and Dr Tink prefer to use identity-first language rather than person-first language when referring to disability. This is the terminology used on their website and accordingly has been used in this release.
