Upper Peninsula Teaching & Learning Conference - 2026

As I have progressed over the past eight years as a writing instructor, both as an adjunct and as a graduate student teaching first-year writing and technical communication, I, like most instructors, am constantly reflecting on ways to improve my course materials. My goal is not only to strengthen assignments in ways that enhance student learning outcomes but also to ensure that all materials are accessible and free from barriers for every student. 


My efforts to make my courses more inclusive align with scholarly conversations about the ethical responsibilities of educators and the importance of designing learning environments that welcome all students. According to Selfe and Howes, who argue, “For educators, it is ethically questionable to practice pedagogies and construct spaces that categorically exclude entire classes of people. We need to pay attention to the teaching of composition through the lens of disability studies to remind ourselves of just how much our profession has to learn, and just how much we have been content to ignore”(para. 2). The sentiment from Selfe and Howes can be applied to all classes. All instructors should strive to foster inclusivity through all materials and pedagogical strategies, aligning with Titchkosky’s (2011) assertion that “a classroom, a policy, or a professor can be perceived through questions of access” (p. 7). It should be clear that there is no question of access, and there will be no need to worry about whether accommodations will be followed in the classroom.


This presentation will explore strategies for designing courses through a disability studies/justice lens. Drawing on disability studies scholarship and my teaching experiences, I will offer practical approaches to accommodations, including creating accessible course materials —such as syllabi, slide decks, office hours, and other instructional resources —and pedagogical practices that foster access, empathy, and inclusion for all students.


References
Selfe, C., & Howes, F. (2013). Over there: Disability Studies and Composition. Kairos A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, vol. 18, no 1. https://kairos.technorhetoric.net/18.1/coverweb/yergeau-et-al/pages/index.html
Titchkosky, T. (2011). The Question of Access: Disability, Space, Meaning. University of Toronto Press.