Where to begin: a pilot study of accessibility in the English composition classroom

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Date
2019
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Publisher
University of Alabama Libraries
Abstract

Black, Weinberg, & Brodwin (2015) report that Universal Design for Learning and Universal Design for Instruction (UDL/UDI) may help reduce learning barriers for students of all abilities, but few examples of UDL/UDI are provided in the literature within higher education, especially within writing studies. Brewer, Selfe, and Yergeau (2014) call attention to this gap, challenging writing teachers to establish a culture of access, making accessibility ‘a defining feature of our composition processes and our professional practices.’ Answering this call, my dissertation seeks to create a UDL/UDI training program for the Old Southern University English department. To create this training program, I first conducted a survey of the faculty, part-time temporary instructors (PTTI), full-time temporary instructors (FTTI), and graduate teaching assistants. This survey sought to identify how teachers understood disability and how those understandings impacted their classroom policies. Survey data was then coded using an initial coding methodology. Following the survey, metanarrative interviews were conducted with a sampling of six instructors. These instructors described their Blackboard Learn websites and how they did or did not work to enact accessibility during the design process. The interviews were coded and analyzed using a theoretical coding methodology. Based on the findings of this study, I then propose a training program to be piloted in the Old Southern University English department next fall. This program represents would act as the beginning of a larger cultural shift within the department, intended to help the department work towards a culture of accessibility.

Description
Electronic Thesis or Dissertation
Keywords
Disability studies, Pedagogy, Educational evaluation
Citation