Every student should be able to fully participate alongside their peers at school. Many students and families may not know the law protects their right to inclusion, nor how to advocate for this. To spread awareness, the Australian Government Department of Education wanted to develop a resource to support First Nations students with disability to understand their rights under the Disability Standards for Education 2005.

First Nations students with lived experience wrote a draft story in consultation with First Peoples Disability Network Australia and Children and Young People with Disability Australia. The Little Rocket team then worked this into a book format, ensuring the messaging was clear while staying true to the narrative written by the students. We then collaborated with Wemba Wemba artist Emma Bamblett to bring the book characters to life.

The result is a 22-page storybook following protagonist Jarrod and his friends and family as they navigate school and TAFE. The book is aimed at First Nations students aged between 12 and 18, but is a useful tool for any young person with disability and their families, friends and carers. We hope Our Right to Learn and Play will assist students in self-determining their education journey for years to come.