diff --git a/recap/converters/json_schema.py b/recap/converters/json_schema.py
index d413e15..ffdac9b 100644
--- a/recap/converters/json_schema.py
+++ b/recap/converters/json_schema.py
@@ -50,10 +50,14 @@ def to_recap(
 
     def _parse(
         self,
-        json_schema: dict,
+        json_schema: dict | str,
         alias_strategy: AliasStrategy,
     ) -> RecapType:
         extra_attrs = {}
+        # Check if json_schema is just a string representing a basic type, and convert
+        # to a dict with a "type" property if so
+        if isinstance(json_schema, str):
+            json_schema = {"type": json_schema}
         if "description" in json_schema:
             extra_attrs["doc"] = json_schema["description"]
         if "default" in json_schema:
@@ -66,12 +70,23 @@ def _parse(
             extra_attrs["alias"] = alias_strategy(resource_id)
 
         match json_schema:
+            # Special handling for "type" defined as a list of strings like
+            # {"type": ["string", "boolean"]}
+            case {"type": list(type_list)}:
+                types = [self._parse(s, alias_strategy) for s in type_list]
+                return UnionType(types, **extra_attrs)
             case {"type": "object", "properties": properties}:
                 fields = []
                 for name, prop in properties.items():
                     field = self._parse(prop, alias_strategy)
+                    # If not explicitly required, make optional by ensuring the field is
+                    # nullable, and has a default
                     if name not in json_schema.get("required", []):
-                        field = field.make_nullable()
+                        if not field.is_nullable():
+                            field = field.make_nullable()
+                        if "default" not in field.extra_attrs:
+                            field.extra_attrs["default"] = None
+
                     field.extra_attrs["name"] = name
                     fields.append(field)
                 return StructType(fields, **extra_attrs)
diff --git a/recap/types.py b/recap/types.py
index fdbe679..ac0875f 100644
--- a/recap/types.py
+++ b/recap/types.py
@@ -55,6 +55,14 @@ def make_nullable(self) -> UnionType:
         type_copy = RecapTypeClass(**attrs, **extra_attrs)
         return UnionType([NullType(), type_copy], **union_attrs)
 
+    def is_nullable(self) -> bool:
+        """
+        Returns True if the type is nullable.
+        :return: True if the type is nullable.
+        """
+
+        return isinstance(self, UnionType) and NullType() in self.types
+
     def validate(self) -> None:
         # Default to valid type
         pass
diff --git a/tests/unit/converters/test_json_schema.py b/tests/unit/converters/test_json_schema.py
index b61401d..095e32b 100644
--- a/tests/unit/converters/test_json_schema.py
+++ b/tests/unit/converters/test_json_schema.py
@@ -65,6 +65,72 @@ def test_all_basic_types():
     ]
 
 
+def test_nullable_types():
+    """Tests nullable types (["null", "string"]), with and without default values. Also tests that nullable properties aren't
+    made double nullable if they're not required."""
+    json_schema = """
+    {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+            "required_nullable_no_default":  {"type": ["null", "string"]},
+            "required_nullable_with_null_default":  {"type": ["null", "string"], "default": null},
+            "required_nullable_with_default":  {"type": ["null", "string"], "default": "default_value"},
+            "nullable_no_default":  {"type": ["null", "string"]},
+            "nullable_with_null_default":  {"type": ["null", "string"], "default": null},
+            "nullable_with_default":  {"type": ["null", "string"], "default": "default_value"}
+        },
+        "required": ["required_nullable_no_default", "required_nullable_with_null_default", "required_nullable_with_default"]
+    }
+    """
+    Draft202012Validator.check_schema(loads(json_schema))
+    struct_type = JSONSchemaConverter().to_recap(json_schema)
+    assert isinstance(struct_type, StructType)
+    assert struct_type.fields == [
+        UnionType([NullType(), StringType()], name="required_nullable_no_default"),
+        UnionType(
+            [NullType(), StringType()],
+            name="required_nullable_with_null_default",
+            default=None,
+        ),
+        UnionType(
+            [NullType(), StringType()],
+            name="required_nullable_with_default",
+            default="default_value",
+        ),
+        UnionType([NullType(), StringType()], name="nullable_no_default", default=None),
+        UnionType(
+            [NullType(), StringType()],
+            name="nullable_with_null_default",
+            default=None,
+        ),
+        UnionType(
+            [NullType(), StringType()],
+            name="nullable_with_default",
+            default="default_value",
+        ),
+    ]
+
+
+def test_union_types():
+    json_schema = """
+    {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+            "union":  {"type": ["null", "string", "boolean", "number"]}
+        },
+        "required": ["union"]
+    }
+    """
+    Draft202012Validator.check_schema(loads(json_schema))
+    struct_type = JSONSchemaConverter().to_recap(json_schema)
+    assert isinstance(struct_type, StructType)
+    assert struct_type.fields == [
+        UnionType(
+            [NullType(), StringType(), BoolType(), FloatType(bits=64)], name="union"
+        ),
+    ]
+
+
 def test_nested_objects():
     json_schema = """
     {