Presentation/Proposal Title

Uncertain Horizons: Improving Accessibility in Writing Centers for Writers with Mental Disabilities

Presenter Information

Andrew Appleton PineFollow

Type of Presentation/Proposal

Individual Presentation or Paper

Start Date

6-4-2019 10:00 AM

End Date

6-4-2019 11:00 AM

Keywords

accessibility; disability studies; universal design; research methodology; survey design

Description

The Writing Center at Michigan State University has sought to open up the Writing Center to more diverse kinds of writers by developing best practices around working with multilingual writers, basic writers, and many other groups. But for an issue such as inclusion, the horizon is never fixed—our conception of inclusion, of who must be included and how, must always change. Recent scholarship in writing center studies has widened discussions around inclusion by bringing attention to writing center users with disabilities. As writing centers become more concerned with accessibility, and frameworks such as Universal Design are incorporated into writing center practice, the ‘horizon’ of disability is quickly becoming fixed. Foundational work in disability from Leonard Davis and others, however, has emphasized the contingent and flexible nature of disability by advancing non-essentialist conceptions of disability.

This paper will explore this tension in our responses to disability in writing centers by examining a current accessibility initiative underway at the MSU Writing Center, which comprises a multi-stage research project and capacity-building program that focuses on improving access for writers with what Margaret Price and others have termed “mental disabilities;” specifically, with mental health issues and learning differences. The presentation will document some of the difficulties in improving access for this population, as well as problems in survey design and qualitative research methodology. It will also discuss the implications disability studies on writing center theory and praxis by suggesting how other centers can study accessibility for students with mental disabilities.

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Apr 6th, 10:00 AM Apr 6th, 11:00 AM

Uncertain Horizons: Improving Accessibility in Writing Centers for Writers with Mental Disabilities

Deeds Boardroom

The Writing Center at Michigan State University has sought to open up the Writing Center to more diverse kinds of writers by developing best practices around working with multilingual writers, basic writers, and many other groups. But for an issue such as inclusion, the horizon is never fixed—our conception of inclusion, of who must be included and how, must always change. Recent scholarship in writing center studies has widened discussions around inclusion by bringing attention to writing center users with disabilities. As writing centers become more concerned with accessibility, and frameworks such as Universal Design are incorporated into writing center practice, the ‘horizon’ of disability is quickly becoming fixed. Foundational work in disability from Leonard Davis and others, however, has emphasized the contingent and flexible nature of disability by advancing non-essentialist conceptions of disability.

This paper will explore this tension in our responses to disability in writing centers by examining a current accessibility initiative underway at the MSU Writing Center, which comprises a multi-stage research project and capacity-building program that focuses on improving access for writers with what Margaret Price and others have termed “mental disabilities;” specifically, with mental health issues and learning differences. The presentation will document some of the difficulties in improving access for this population, as well as problems in survey design and qualitative research methodology. It will also discuss the implications disability studies on writing center theory and praxis by suggesting how other centers can study accessibility for students with mental disabilities.