How A Dash of Adventure brings wheelchair adventures and imagination to life for kids

Best friends Mitch and Julie have always shared a love of adventure and creativity, which shines through their debut children’s book A Dash of Adventure. It’s a story that celebrates imagination, family and the joy of seeing the world in your own wonderful way.

The book follows siblings Millie and Dash on a trip to the shops, where imagination turns everyday moments into extraordinary adventures. The fruit aisle becomes an orchard and the dairy shelves a busy farm. Millie uses a power wheelchair, and while some things work a little differently, her joy and imagination are limitless.  

Mitch is a graphic designer from Albury, NSW, and a long-time MDNSW community member. Living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Mitch navigates the world in a wheelchair. He embraces life with creativity and a curious spirit. With this story, he set out to help others see the endless possibilities of imagination, and the importance of support and inclusivity.

“Growing up, I have been extremely lucky to be able to go on many adventures with my family,” Mitch says.

“I rarely see my own disability as a limitation – rather as an opportunity to discover things in my own unique way. This is what Millie and Dash are doing in the book – being kids just getting on with the fun stuff.”

For Mitch, writing this book with Julie has been an exciting, meaningful and “magical” achievement.

Co-author Julie is a pharmacist, mother of two and passionate advocate for inclusion. Bringing together her medical expertise and dedication to helping others, she recently became Mitch’s support worker. For Julie, A Dash of Adventure represents imagination, resilience and the power of connection.

Through the story, Mitch and Julie hope to show that disability doesn’t limit curiosity or fun – it simply adds a new perspective to exploring the world. By creating Millie, they wanted young readers to see someone who focusses on possibilities rather than limitations. “Maybe people will think of someone they know and create new conversations about how they can go on their next adventure together,” Mitch says.

Already, the book has received fantastic feedback and has secured a publishing deal with Scholastic India.

They hope that this book illustrates that inclusion and representation can be fun and bring a little magic to everyday moments. Books like A Dash of Adventure “are extremely helpful for us to reach more people and advocate for more accessible, inclusive stories,” Mitch says. “The aim is to get the book into classrooms and can be read in conjunction with the learning resources on our website.”

These learning resources help spark conversations about inclusion, accessibility and how everyone can explore the world in their own way.  

For more information or to purchase a copy of A Dash of Adventure, visit the website https://adashofadventurebook.com/ or socials @adashofadventurebook.

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