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Welcome to ECTI 2026! You will be able to register for individual workshop sessions on Monday during our intention setting session.
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Reading for Belonging: Disability Representations in Young Adult Literature
Wednesday July 29, 2026 1:15pm - 2:45pm CDT
Computer Sciences and Statistics: Room 1221
Young Adult (YA) literature is a powerful tool for shaping adolescents’ perspectives on identity, community, and difference. In this interactive session, participants will explore a variety of texts designed to engage adolescent readers and featuring disabled and/or neurodivergent characters. The session will underscore how YA texts can be used to support students’ understanding of disability as a natural part of human diversity and how disability intersects with complex social forces. Additionally, participants will apply criteria for selecting high-quality texts that move beyond stereotypes and inspiration narratives toward authentic, asset-based representations of disability. Drawing on research in disability studies and early literacy, the session will highlight how YA literature can promote adolescents’ sense of belonging, vocabulary development, and growing awareness of varied lived experiences. Participants will engage in hands-on activities using sample texts and practice discussion routines that encourage curiosity, empathy, and respectful dialogue (e.g., Save the Last Word for Me, Thought-Question-Ephiphany). Attendees will leave with recommended YA books, instructional strategies, and reflection prompts to meaningfully integrate disability representation into literacy instruction and classroom culture.

In this session, you will:
  • Identify key considerations for selecting texts that authentically and respectfully represent disability and neurodivergence, aligned with principles of disability justice and inclusive education.
  • Explore how young adult literature can shape students’ developing understandings of disability, including belonging, identity, and perspectives on difference.
  • Practice instructional strategies and discussion routines that use young adult literature to foster empathy, critical thinking, and disability awareness in classrooms.
Presenters
avatar for Lauren Zepp

Lauren Zepp

Assistant Professor, Special Education, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
Lauren Zepp (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses on special education, reading and writing interventions for students with disabilities, and reading... Read More →
CW
Wednesday July 29, 2026 1:15pm - 2:45pm CDT
Computer Sciences and Statistics: Room 1221 Computer Sciences and Statistics, Madison, WI 53715, USA
  Workshop

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