University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Navigating ‘normal’: the writing lives of students on the spectrum

Saunders, Pamela A

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/98170

Description

Title
Navigating ‘normal’: the writing lives of students on the spectrum
Author(s)
Saunders, Pamela A
Issue Date
2017-06-16
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Prendergast, Catherine
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Prendergast, Catherine
Committee Member(s)
  • Finnegan, Cara
  • Russell, Lindsay
  • Yergeau, Melanie
Department of Study
English
Discipline
English
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Disability
  • Autism
  • Neurodiversity
  • Composition
  • Accessibility
  • Accommodations
  • Writing
  • Qualitative
Abstract
“Navigating ‘Normal’” is a qualitative study of five autistic writers in higher education. Focusing on disability disclosure, classroom accommodations, and learning and writing processes, this project examines classroom inclusivity from the perspectives of neurodiverse students. I argue that my five participants demonstrate kairotic skill regarding appropriate times and places to disclose their autism diagnosis, and sophisticated rhetorical techniques for managing stigma and meeting their needs as learners in classrooms devoid of helpful accommodations. In pursuit of inclusivity, I call for writing classroom practices that decenter normalcy as the goal of pedagogical intervention, instead foregrounding student self-advocacy.
Graduation Semester
2017-08
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/98170
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2017 Pamela A. Saunders

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Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois