Jax Jacki Brown will lead a workshop during Own Voices: Why Writing Matters, a Writers Victoria program at The Cube Wodonga on Wednesday. 

“I think often when it comes to disability, either people view it as a terrible tragedy, as a kind of pitiful thing or as a sight of inspiration,” she said.

“Really, people with disabilities are living rich, full and interesting lives just like everyone else.

“We’re not sitting at home feeling sorry for ourselves and we’re not out there buying a cucumber from Woolworths to inspire all the non-disabled people, you know, we’re just getting our groceries.”

The forum starts Writers Victoria’s Write-ability Goes Regional and Online program in the Ovens Murray National Disability Insurance Scheme region.

Covering the Wodonga, Wangaratta, Alpine, Benalla, Indigo, Towong and Mansfield council areas, the program continues with a monthly writing group for people with disability that will run until July next year.

Aimed at people with disability as well as arts and community development workers, disability and health service providers, teachers, local councils and libraries, the Wodonga forum is part of a three-year roll-out across Victoria.

Now a published author, Brown herself took part in Write-Ability and helped develop the regional and online program.

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“Writing by people with disabilities needs to be out there in the mainstream, it needs to be more widely read,” she said.

“We shouldn’t be scared about writing about disability, it’s an interesting part of human diversity.”

Brown, a wheelchair user who grew up in Lismore, said she took some time to find her own voice as a writer.

“What I wanted to say and to find the messages that I wanted to bring to the world,” she said.

“Once I was feeling a little bit more confident in who I was, to release some of that into the world was definitely a bit of a terrifying and exhilarating step.”

Starting in November, the monthly writing group facilitated by mentor Thalia Kalkipsakis will include author talks and webinars.

For more information about the program, go to writersvictoria.org.au.