ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders among students, and because the Writing Center is a service that works for the student body, it is our duty to try to make our tutoring accessible for our patrons and our staff (Babcock 2015). Of course, ADHD does not manifest the same way universally, and there are many people who do not have access to diagnoses. This is why through accessibility and utilizing a universal design matter, we can create a safe space which caters to the needs of our students and staff without defining people by their diagnoses or expecting disclosure. We have compiled a few methods that we think would make our Writing Center more accessible to our staff and writers.
Accommodating Tutors with ADHD
While there are a number of different ways ADHD can affect employees within the Writing Center, many people with ADHD feel the way a workplace is set up does little to provide them with the tools to succeed. This can lead to them having low confidence about themselves, as Randall Robbins explains in “The Untapped Potential of the ADHD Employee in the Workplace.” However, solutions are not clear cut since ADHD can manifest in a number of different ways, and employees may not feel comfortable disclosing their diagnoses, or may be unable to get one. For this reason, a lot of solutions involve making the Writing Center more generally accessible. Robbins uses the example of a company bringing in a program that helps employees stay organized with deadlines and segmenting work, and states how that would not only help employees with ADHD, “but would help those who are undiagnosed and those without ADHD.” There are a few things the Writing Center does well, such as having a color-coded schedule so tutors know immediately what kind of appointments they have for the day. Something that may benefit the Writing Center’s tutors and admins would be an in-depth training about how to use Slack and Notion to set reminders and keep track of work.
Accommodating Writers with ADHD
As previously mentioned, our goal in the Writing Center is not disclosure, but rather creating a universal design. Expecting disclosure not only assumes that a writer would be comfortable sharing, but also that every writer with ADHD has been diagnosed; this is a very problematic idea especially when we consider populations, including adults as a whole, that are underdiagnosed (Robbins 2017). In doing research, we found that some students with ADHD expressed that they often did not know what they needed help with— something that seems universally common in students, regardless of neurodiversity (Stark & Wilson 2016). One way we might work to alleviate the overwhelming feeling of deciding what’s best in terms of approach or subject is to offer a small list of agenda items and interesting methods as a starting off point. It might be easier for a writer to decide what they’d like to focus on if they have a list which breaks down the elements of their writing to more specific and digestible agenda points. Having a list of approaches might also encourage a writer to try something new, like creating a mind-map or other strategy that might be new (and effective) to them. Adding these lists as a jumping off point for appointments should a writer choose to use them could benefit students across the board by providing a point of focus or even reflection as they sit down to work on their writing.
To create a Writing Center environment that does its best to support writers, tutors, and admins with ADHD, we must be empathetic when we listen to requests for accommodations, with or without a disability being disclosed. This way, we can work towards a more accommodating Writing Center.
References:
Babcock, Rebecca. “Disabilities in the Writing Center.” Praxis: A Writing Center Journal, vol. 13, no. 1, 2015, pp. 39–48, d2l.depaul.edu/d2l/le/content/967582/viewContent/10645481/View. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
Robbins, Randall. “The Untapped Potential of the ADHD Employee in the Workplace.” Cogent Business & Management, vol. 4, no. 1, 2017. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.depaul.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/untapped-potential-adhd-employee-workplace/docview/1994429499/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2016.1271384.
Stark, Savannah, and Julie Wilson. “Disclosure Concerns: The Stigma of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Writing Centers.” Praxis: A Writing Center Journal, vol. 13, no. 2, 2016, pp. 5–11, repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/45599/PRAXIS_13.2_COMPILED_FINAL.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.