Accessibility within writing centers is extremely important. As a part of the university, a space where students come for support, we have a responsibility as tutors to ensure that our space is accessible for all students. Accessibility can be thought of in terms of universal design, undisclosed disabilities, and best practices. As a student with a disability who has worked with writers with disabilities, I find this topic significant to the work I do and would love for others to learn more as well.
What is a disability?
The International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) accepts the United Nations and World Health Assembly’s definition of disability as:
“Any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being….[Disability] is a universal human experience and not a concern to a minority of humanity: every human being can suffer from a decrement in health and, thereby, experience some disability.“
Disability is a universal human experience and because of this, we as peer writing tutors need to be prepared to work with writers who experience a variety of disabilities. Students with diverse physical, learning, medical, mental health and sensory disabilities will come into the writing center, and we must be equipped to offer support to students to achieve their academic goals while promoting their independence as writers.
Individuals may require different learning environments and may have learning needs that interact in complex ways with standard tutoring practices. Listening and learning about disabilities from the perspective of the disabled is an important way for tutors to recognize and understand a need for change and to begin thinking about how to work towards that change.
Do I need to change my tutoring practices to work with writers with disabilities?
Every year, thousands of students with disabilities attend institutions of higher education. Some of these students disclose their needs, while others navigate college with little or no support.
They come to the writing center (in person or online) for help with writing and research, and sometimes they need emotional support.
As a part of the university, we provide academic support for students. By helping them in their work and listening to their struggles, we can help make students feel safe and more secure in disclosing their disabilities.
When working with writers with disabilities you don’t have to abandon your tutoring practices. When working with writers with disabilities you may have to better focus your efforts on the specific needs of writers and build bridges with other organizations within the university. Organizations such as the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) can be a great resource to learn more about best practices.
Disability is not a secret or a shame. You can talk about it freely and comfortably while maintaining appropriate confidentiality. Ask all writers if they have any special learning or communication needs or preferences.
Discomfort may be a part of the process. It is okay to feel uncomfortable, to not know the answers, to be embarrassed. What is important to remember when working with students with disabilities, like all students, is that even we as tutors are learning. Do not be afraid to ask questions, research, or reach out to organizations such as the CSD.
How is this topic relevant to me as a peer writing tutor?
Kiedaish and Dinitz performed a quantitative study of tutoring sessions and collected 376 post conference surveys of tutors and writers in their writing center. They found students with learning disabilities rated their sessions lower than any other group. The writers wished they had more time in each session; the tutors of students who didn’t disclose their disabilities reported feeling frustrated, while their writers reported the need for more precise assistance.
What is crucial to note here is that both the tutor and the writer have a negative experience when disabilities go undisclosed. Ensuring writers feel comfortable and safe to disclose their disabilities will make their appointments more beneficial, and tutors will feel less frustrated and like they were able to help the writer.
Kiedaish and Dinitz advocated more training for tutors. Also, they invited a panel of learning disability writers to speak to their tutor-training classes and recommended that other writing centers do the same.
Other studies recommend similar training, suggesting university disability resource centers meet with tutors to provide training. I feel it would be beneficial to incorporate this training into our professional development workshops within our own writing center and feel other writing centers could benefit from this training as well.
How to Implement UCWbL Core Values into Tutoring Practices
- Transparency: Although we at the UCWbL value transparency, it is important to remember that not all writers will feel comfortable disclosing their disability. Remain understanding, empathetic, and calm in the face of challenging appointments.
- Revision: As members of the UCWbL community, we all value revision. When working with students with disabilities, you may have to revise your own beliefs, stereotypes, and misconceptions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, do research, and learn more about disabilities.
- Collaboration: Collaborating with writers is what we do at the UCWbL. When working with writers with disabilities this does not change. However, there are other ways to collaborate. Use the DePaul Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) to learn more about specific disabilities and best practices.
- Respect: Respecting all writers is extremely important. When working with writers with disabilities, part of that respect involves allowing writers to express what they need. Allow for autonomy in decision making about how an appointment should go. Writers will know what they need, respect their input and insight into their disability. Furthermore, due to the stigmatization of disabilities, not all writers will feel comfortable discussing their disabilities. Building and maintaining respectful relationships will help all writers regardless of disability or disclosure status.
- Diversity: Unique perspectives on writing and learning can be gained from working with writers with disabilities. Understanding how disability figures into and proves consequential for writing center work can only be achieved by hearing from those with disabilities.
- Reflection: As peer writing tutors we must reflect on our own appointments, our experience, or lack thereof with writers with disabilities. We must also constantly reflect on how we can make the UCWbL space more accessible to all people.
Serving students with disabilities provides a challenge and an opportunity for people working in writing centers. Tutors can learn new skills and grow as individuals by working with diverse populations of writers.
Personal narratives of disability matter. Writers should feel safe to share their stories and their unique perspectives on writing within the writing center. We all know that writing and sharing one’s writing is a vulnerable process, and disclosing one’s disability can be a vulnerable process as well. By making the writing center more accessible to all writers, regardless of disability status or disclosure status, the entire UCWbL will benefit. We will see more writers coming in with diverse narratives and perspectives on writing, which makes all of us better.
And while it’s important to study writers, we must also look to our tutors and administrators with disabilities and how their unique perspectives can enhance our writing center.
References
“About IWCA / Position Statements.” International Writing Centers Association, writingcenters.org/position-statements/.
Brizee, Allen, et al. “Writing Centers and Students with Disabilities: The User-Centered Approach, Participatory Design, and Empirical Research As Collaborative Methodologies.” Computers and Composition, vol. 29, no. 4, 2012, pp. 341–366., doi:10.1016/j.compcom.2012.10.003.
Brueggemann, Brenda Jo, et al. “Becoming Visible: Lessons in Disability.” College Composition and Communication, vol. 52, no. 3, 2001, pp. 368–398. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/358624.
Day Babcock, Rebecca. “Disabilities in the Writing Center .” The University of Texas at Austin, Praxis: A Writing Center Journal , 2015, repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/62615/Babcock_praxis_13.1_final_whole%20issue-5.pdf?sequence=2. Haen, Mike. “Centering Research, Practice, and Perspectives: Writing Center Studies and the Continued Commitment to Inclusivity and Accessibility.” Composition Studies, vol. 46, no. 2, Fall 2018, pp. 212–218. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com