Disability and Teaching: Toward Inclusive Practices

February 27, 2014UCCS

Amy Vidali, PhDEnglish Department

University of Colorado Denveramy.vidali@ucdenver.edu

A packet is available.

About Me

• Research in rhetoric and disability studies

• Disability rights scholar, advocate, and activist

• Not a representative of any disability office

The Plan

• What I mean by disability

• Statistics

• Disability as identity/diversity

• Making your teaching inclusive, particularly in the writing classroom

• Next steps

Making This Talk Accessible

• Role of the PowerPoint

• Handouts, regular and large-print

• Rate of speech for ASL interpreter or captioner

• Scent-free

• Encourage movement

• Requests

• Do you have any access requests for me today?

• I have one more – please call out if you raise your hand and I don’t see it.

Not a To Do List

I can’t know your specific contexts, and I don’t want to reduce disability to what to do and not to do.

What I’m talking about today is more about a mind-set, so when disability enters your teaching space – and it will – you can hit the ground rolling.

What do I mean by disability?•learning disabilities•psychiatric and psychosocial disabilities•other types of neurological diversity

• autism, TBI, mental illness•physical disabilities

• temporary or permanent•sensory disabilities

• Blindness/vision impairment, hard of hearing, d/Deaf, environmental disability

•And these all overlap.

Disability and Higher Education

• Disability is a way of being and functioning in educational settings that is often not “in line” with traditional academic settings and expectations, which may assume

• sight and hearing• ability to (primarily) learn from lecture• ability to (primarily) learn from text/reading• ability to sit for long periods• ability to participate in class without anxiety• and so on.

How Disability is Produced or Exacerbated

• “Disability is a reality – in the lives of those affected, and in the lives of those who believe themselves immune. Disability is also produced, sometimes most powerfully by our uses of space” (Dolmage 16).

• As writing teachers, how do we include disability, and how do we produce disability?

Disability With Us Today

• The danger of us/them discourses.– People typically assume disability isn’t in the

room. It is.

• Resisting required disclosure.– You don’t have to disclose to ask an idea or share

an experience.

Disability: By the Numbers

• Census 2010 counted approximately 56.7 million people (18.7 percent) of the 303.9 million in the civilian non-institutionalized population had a disability in 2010.

“Americans with Disabilities: 2010.”

Students with Disabilities at the Secondary Level

• Served by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted in 1975, which mandates that children and youth ages 3–21 with disabilities be provided a free and appropriate public education (FAPE).

• The percentage of total public school enrollment that represents children served by federally supported special education programs increased from 8.3% to 13.8% between 1976–77 and 2004–05.

NCES Fast Facts

Students with Disabilities at the Post-Secondary Level

• Served by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

• Eleven percent of undergraduates in both 2003–04 and 2007–08 reported having a disability.

• Some students choose not to disclose disabilities or receive services.

• Some students may not be diagnosed into middle or high school, if not college.

• Some students choose not to disclose in particular courses. For students whose primary accommodation is extended time on tests, they may not disclose in a writing class.

That said…

• Do you have any questions so far?

Where I’m Coming From

Disability studies

(academic discipline)

Disability activism

Disability laws

Changing Perspectives

• Moving away from the idea of disability as a “problem” to solve.

• Moving toward the idea of disability as a natural part of the world and our classrooms.

• Understanding that disabled students have gifts and challenges, just like all other students.

• Approaching disability as a teaching issue, not just a legal or policy issue.

Medical model of disability

medical condition disability

“casts human variation as deviance from the norm, as pathological condition, as deficit, and, significantly, as an individual burden and personal tragedy” (Simi Linton, Claiming Disability, 11).

social model of disability

impairmentsociety’s

reaction or environment

disability

Pity, discrimination, history, politics, media, etc.

Physical and/or mental reality of your body

similar to other identity discussions

biology societal attitudes gender

a few tenets

- challenging stereotyped disability representations (pity, charity)

- challenging the idea that all disabilities must be “overcome” or “inspirational”

- demanding rights and access, fighting discrimination

- asking society and environments to change, not disabled people

- considering the benefits of disability

- post-ADA generation

Disability Culture & Humor

How Does Disability Enter Your Classroom?

#1A student with a visible or invisible disability arrives in your class and gives you a letter from the Disability Service Office (DSO) that explains the accommodations s/he requires. (Maybe the student talks to you, maybe not.)

Role of the Disability Service Office (DSO)

• Students do not have to reveal their disabilities to faculty. The DSO cannot give you information on a student’s disability.

• Some DSOs are strictly focused on providing legal accommodations. Others serve more as advocacy and faculty resource centers.

• For a writing classroom, listed accommodations may feel like a mismatch for your course (such as a note-taker). You can contact DSO and/or speak with the student about options, but also recognize your role as a faculty member.

• Disability must be conceived as a pedagogy issue, not a mere policy issue.

Plagiarism Analogy for Disability

• Many of us have plagiarism “blurbs” in our syllabi.

• But we know that if we only read those blurbs on the first day and don’t make plagiarism meaningful in our class discussions and assignments, we won’t avoid plagiarism.

• Disability is much the same. It has to be engaged as a complex issue, and both plagiarism and disability revolve around issues of student authority and ownership, and in some cases, diagnosis.

How Does Disability Enter Your Classroom?

#2A student with a visible or invisible disability arrives in your class. S/he talks to you about her/his disability and possible accommodations (at some point), but does not provide a letter from DRS.

The Honor of Disability Disclosure

This student is trusting you with some important information about herself. She is risking discrimination in disclosing her disability. Thank her and ask what you can do.

Offer the DSO as a resource, but don’t shuttle her off. She came to talk to YOU.

Can I Accommodate Without a Letter?

• As with any pedagogical issue, it makes sense to have conversations with disabled students about what they need. (This is not illegal.)

• The likelihood that a student is faking a disability is extraordinarily small, and more a product of disability discourses of “faking” than any reality.

• I consider all the students who I “accommodate” without “verification” – students who have to attend PTA meetings, have two jobs, or had poor high school training. I treat disability similarly.

• My approach conflicts with my university’s official stand on disability.

How Does Disability Enter Your Classroom?

#3A student with a visible or invisible disability arrives in your class and does not provide a letter or mention their disability. (You may be aware of the disability or you may not.)

“You are a smart/dedicated/hard-working student, and it seems like something is getting in the way of your learning and success in this class. Do you want to talk about this? If so, what are your ideas?”

How Does Disability Enter Your Classroom?

#4You are a teacher with a disability.

(We’ll all be disabled if we live long enough.)

• Do you have questions about how disability enters your classroom, talking to students, and working with DSOs?

Seven Strategies

1. Re-craft your syllabus to welcome disability.2. Open the discussion and ask for feedback.3. Work in multiple modes. 4. Account for your own embodiment as a

teacher.5. Encourage interdependence.6. Make physical and online spaces accessible. 7. Consider disability studies curricula.

Seven Strategies

1. Re-craft your syllabus to welcome disability.2. Open the discussion and ask for feedback.3. Work in multiple modes. 4. Account for your own embodiment as a

teacher.5. Encourage interdependence.6. Make physical and online spaces accessible. 7. Consider disability studies curricula.

• What does your syllabus say about disability?

• Where is the disability blurb on your syllabus?

• Do you talk about disability on the first day? If so, how?

Typical, if Problematic, Syllabus Statement

You must work with the Disability Student Office if you have a disability. Please note that I will not reduce assignments, attendance, or rigor. Talk to the Disability Student Office with questions, and make arrangements by the first week of classes.

UCCS Syllabus Statement

If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to register with Disability Services and provide them with documentation of your disability. They will work with you to determine what accommodations are appropriate for your situation. To avoid any delay, you should contact Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and disability accommodations cannot be provided until a Faculty Accommodation Letter has been given to me. Please contact Disability Services for more information at Main Hall room 105, 719-255-3354 or dservice@uccs.edu.

Possible Disability Inclusion Statement

Disability and AccessThe University of Colorado Denver is committed to ensuring the full participation of all students in its programs, including students with disabilities. If you have a disability or think you have a disability and need accommodations to succeed in this course, I encourage you to contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS) and/or speak with me as soon as you can. (DRS is located in Academic Building 1, Suite 2116, and at disabilityresources@ucdenver.edu.) I am committed to providing equal access as required by federal law, and I am interested in developing strategies for your success in this course.

Amy’s Disability Inclusion Statement

Disabilities & AccessibilityI am dedicated to creating classroom spaces where all students can succeed, including students with various disabilities or other needs. I work to make this classroom as accessible as I can, but I need your input about how you learn and how the class is working for you. Please come talk to me about your ideas and needs. I do not require that you have documentation from Disability Resources and Services (DRS), but I do recommend that you speak to them about what they can offer you. They can be reached at this link; Disability.Resources@ucdenver.edu; and/or (303) 556-3450.

I ask that you refrain from strong scents (perfume, cologne, heavily scented lotions, etc.) when coming to my office (and in class if they are strong), as I have scent-triggered migraines. It’s ultimately your call but it would really help me. Also, I’m somewhat famous for not remembering things I don’t write down, so please don’t hesitate to remind me (that I’d email you, bring you a resource, etc.) if you don’t hear from me or don’t see my write down your request.

“Um, that conflicts with other policies I’ve been told to use.”

It very well might. Take a look at whether the policy you are using is suggested or required. In either case, you can add language to required policies.

Other Syllabus & First Day Ideas

• Think about where disability appears on your syllabus.– Is it always dead last? Why?

• Plan your class so that all can plan ahead.– Avoid assignments given one class and due the next.

• Bring your syllabus in large print.– This announces, right-off, that you are interested in access.

• Go over disability issues the first day.– I think we know that not everyone reads the syllabus, and this

shows that disability access is a priority.

Seven Strategies

1. Re-craft your syllabus to welcome disability.2. Open the discussion and ask for feedback.3. Work in multiple modes. 4. Account for your own embodiment as a

teacher.5. Encourage interdependence.6. Make physical and online spaces accessible. 7. Consider disability studies curricula.

Disabled Students as Authorities

In higher education environments that emphasize certain people and offices that are “in charge” of disability, it can be easy to lose sight of disabled people as authorities over their own bodies.

But they are. Begin the conversation with them.

Ask for Feedback

Build Access Feedback into Peer Review Feedback

• Many already ask for feedback on how peer review (or another class strategy) went. Ask for feedback on access issues:– Were you comfortable working in small groups? Any suggestions

for size of the group or timing?• Anxious students

– Were you able to participate in the discussion? Could you hear your fellow participants – how was the noise level?• Hard of hearing student; Learning disability/ADHD

– Will you be able to remember the feedback you received? How so or not? Would you like to try making “audio notes” on your phone?• Mobility impairment; ESL student

• Think of the question you want to ask a disabled student, and make that a question for the entire class.

Seven Strategies

1. Re-craft your syllabus to welcome disability.2. Open the discussion and ask for feedback.3. Work in multiple modes. 4. Account for your own embodiment as a

teacher.5. Encourage interdependence.6. Make physical and online spaces accessible. 7. Consider disability studies curricula.

Dolmage’s Metaphors

• Steep Steps– inaccessible buildings– faculty who do not provide required accommodations– discrimination in the admissions process

• Retrofit– ramps– accommodations that may be a poor fit– ambivalent tolerance of disability

• Universal Design (planning, not reacting)– full inclusion of disabled students, faculty, and staff– innovative learning practices that include and benefit all

In the Writing Classroom

• Steep Steps– lack of accommodation– timed writing entrance/exit exams– over-emphasis on standardized testing (ACT/SAT) in placement– lack of writing support

• Retrofit– accommodations that may be a poor fit– failing disabled students– lowering expectations

• Universal Design– using multiple methods to “get students to writing”– recognizing the multiple ways that “composing” happens– thoughtfully positioning disability among diversity topics

Accommodation versus Inclusion(retrofit versus universal design)

• Accommodation imagines students all take the same educational train on the same route to the same destination. Attempts are made to get all students on the train.

• Inclusion imagines that students can take different routes (and even trains) to arrive at the same destination (or learning outcome). Inclusion ensures all can ride the train(s) as a prerequisite and reconfigures the tracks.

Accommodation

Universal Design“helps all students, regardless of their ability” (Dolmage 25).

So how do we put these ideas into action in writing classrooms?

Your preferred learning mode impacts how you teach.

Many writing faculty are textual-visual learners. Many students are not.

“But we must also recognize our roles within institutions and disciplines, and perhaps even our our personal pedagogical agendas, in which we may seek to avoid and disavow the very idea of disability – to give it no place” (Dolmage 18).• lecture• PowerPoint• handouts• Canvas• lab

• group work• class discussion• email• blog

• What is your preferred learning/teaching mode?

• (What is your textual preference today?)

Can we get students to become better writers without over-emphasizing

writing along the way?

For example, in a writing class I might ask students to do the following….

freewrite in class

outline

draft

revise at home

But is requiring writing the only way to get to writing? How can I utilize other modes?

sketching

writing

talkingrevising

listening

The end product stays the same (in this case, a written paper). You’re just taking different paths to help students get there.

How can we re-configure these steps?

freewrite in class

outline

draft

revise at home

Goal: Understand How Students Feel About Writing

• Original assignment: On the first day, I asked students to fill out a card with some personal information, then go home and write a “literacy essay,” where they talk about their relationship to writing. Most of the essays are typically grammatically correct and guarded (which AP classes they took, etc.).

• My revision: On the first day, I asked students to sketch their feelings about writing, or pick a writing “theme song.” Most picked a song, and I learned a ton about them, right off the bat.

(Re)Conceiving Your Course Goals/Outcomes

• What do you want them to learn? (Instead of page counts.)

• Is your goal to teach them to write papers, or is it (also) something else?

• Which assignments should be written papers? Which can utilize other modes to impart the rhetorical knowledge you want them to learn?

My “aha!” moment:

All students in my classroom don’t need to be doing the same thing

at the same time.

Goal: Learn Principles of Visual Rhetoric

• Original assignment: Students asked to analyze a visual text and talk about its properties in a written essay.

• My revision: Asked students to write brief arguments about visual rhetoric, then transcribe those arguments into an image of their own creation.

• Or: Let students choose which they want to do. (Your grading rubric should be able to accommodate both – if it’s truly focused on outcomes.)

Make Weaker Writers Stronger, Make Stronger Writers More Diversely Competent

• “[W]e should have greater expectations for all our students, resisting the urge to use one way of making knowledge –writing – as a gauge of their intellectual capacities.

• Those who for whatever reason are not ‘good writers’ should be expected to call upon other strengths to enhance the linguistic-based tasks English Studies requires. Those already ‘good writers’ should be expected to develop what may be for them lesser-used representational systems (talking, sketching, moving, etc.) as ways to gain deeper insights on their print-based work.

• All writers would benefit from multiple intellectual pathways to generate knowledge, and the world in general would benefit from the intellectual contributions of people traditionally excluded from print-loving pedagogies” (Patricia Dunn, 1).

Consider a writing assignment or project in one of your courses.1. What do you hope students will learn? (Which may

not be what you ask them to do.)2. What steps do you usually ask students to take to

get there? Which involve writing?3. How can you more diversely draw on students’

needs and interests by engaging different modes, perhaps to get to a written final product?

What benefits one student may hinder another.

www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty

Making Room for Your Own Embodiment

• Be honest about your needs (with or without explaining why).

• Be aware of your own triggers in the classroom.

• Practice self-care.

Faculty with Disabilities

Seven Strategies

1. Re-craft your syllabus to welcome disability.2. Work in multiple modes. 3. Account for your own embodiment as a

teacher.4. Encourage interdependence.5. Make physical and online spaces accessible. 6. Ask for feedback.7. Consider disability studies curricula.

In the writing classroom, interdependence means:

• Emphasizing how learning is not an independent enterprise, by encouraging students to identify what or who helps them be successful in your course.– Writing Center– regular office hours– writing environment

• Highlighting the ways we work in concert with technology.– reconsider the role of timed writing– laptop/phone policies in the classroom– role of MLA papers in post-college life

Feature group work where students have different tasks and depend on each other.

• Note-taker: Responsible to take defined notes.• Observer: Assigned to watch the conversation

and make a single insight about the interaction. • Reader: Responsible to read materials the group

produces to the class.• Sketch Artist: Responsible to construct an image

related to the discussion (SmartArt).• Etc.

Using Laptops

• Many professors ban laptops from class use. How can they be put to use in the writing classroom to help class activities and increase access for anxious students?

Seven Strategies

1. Re-craft your syllabus to welcome disability.2. Open the discussion and ask for feedback.3. Work in multiple modes. 4. Account for your own embodiment as a

teacher.5. Encourage interdependence.6. Make physical and online spaces accessible. 7. Consider disability studies curricula.

Classroom Access

• Provide visual cues, captioning, and good text quality.• Describe all images, and speak at a reasonable pace for ASL

interpreters.• Avoid highly-scented products, especially during office hours. • Be aware of possible transportation challenges for off-campus

assignments.• Make classroom spaces navigable for wheelchairs and

walkers.• Provide information on textbooks and course materials in

advance of your course.• And again, work in multiple modes.

Online Accessibility

for…• course websites and learning management systems

(BlackBoard, Canvas, etc.)

• online materials you ask them to view (including YouTube, etc.)

• email interface

• various software (Audacity, Google sites, etc.)

Web Accessibility Resources

Access Web (DO-IT): http://www.washington.edu/doit/Resources/accessweb.html

Web Aim: http://webaim.org/Experiences of students with disabilities:

http://webaim.org/intro/#video (video)

Making BlackBoard accessible (free online course): http://accessibility.colostate.edu/blackboard.cfm

• What access challenges exist in your classroom?

Seven Strategies

1. Re-craft your syllabus to welcome disability.2. Open the discussion and ask for feedback.3. Work in multiple modes. 4. Account for your own embodiment as a

teacher.5. Encourage interdependence.6. Make physical and online spaces accessible. 7. Consider disability studies curricula.

Disability Studies (DS) Curricula: Just A Few Thoughts

Disability is everywhere: already implicated in social structures, in health studies, in demographics, in literature, art and culture.

Until students start thinking about disability differently – socially, politically, historically, ethically – nothing really changes, and disability pedagogy will always be “optional.”

DS in the Writing Classroom

• Explain how writing in multiple modes helps reach a more diverse audience, including those with disabilities.

• Have students “translate” their project for someone who cannot read/see/hear it in its current form.

• Consider disability as a feature of diversity in readings and assignments. There are many places to begin – please ask.

https://disabilitystudiesincomposition.wordpress.com/

In Context: Reading and Writing in Cultural Conversations, 2/E

10. Redefining Disability.• Paul K. Longmore, The Second Phase: From

Disability Rights to Disability Culture.• Simi Linton, Negotiating Disability.• Michael Bérubé, Life as We Know It.• James S. Brady, Save Money: Help the

Disabled• New York Times Editors, Blank Check for the

Disabled?• Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, The FDR

Memorial: Who Speaks from the Wheelchair?

But…Is Writing Inherently Inaccessible?

“The university is the place for the very able.” – Jay Dolmage

If some people will always struggle with writing, and writing is required to graduate, then what to do?

Ideas? Questions?