The Writing Institute is committed to supporting writers with disabilities and to building a culture of access across the University. The pages collected here offer resources for teachers, students, and researchers, including strategies for inclusive course design, academic scholarship on writing and disability, and information about the Writing Institute's own programming and collections.
Links:
- Teachers can browse information, strategies, and practices designed to support writers with disabilities at every stage of the writing and revising process.
- Explore an annotated bibliography of academic research on writing and disability.
- Syllabus statements are an opportunity to signal your commitment to access and inclusion from the start. Browse a collection of examples for your own courses.
- Find links to campus and community resources.
- Each year, the Creating a Culture of Access speaker series brings together leading scholars, teachers, and practitioners working at the intersection of disability and writing. Sessions are held via Zoom and open to the Pitt community and beyond.
- The Writing Institute maintains a curated Disability Studies library for use by the Pitt community. Browse the collection and learn how to access it.
- Looking for support around accessibility and disability studies? Learn about the consultations, workshops, and programming available through the Writing Institute's Accessibility and Disability Studies Consultant, Dr. Jessie Male.
This work has been made possible by the generosity of the Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust, which funded a multi-year grant supporting postdoctoral associates dedicated to disability studies and accessible pedagogy. That investment established the Creating a Culture of Access speaker series, which has brought together more than 200 scholars, teachers, and practitioners from across the country and around the world; built out a curated Disability Studies library for the Pitt community; developed resources for inclusive course design now used by teachers across the university; and created ongoing consulting support for faculty and graduate students through the Accessibility and Disability Studies Consultant role. The Trust's support was also instrumental in developing and growing the Disability Studies Certificate, an interdisciplinary undergraduate program that now serves over 130 students across the University. We are grateful for the Trust's vision and for what their investment has made possible here at the University of Pittsburgh.