Rhetorical Accessability: At the Intersection of Technical Communication and Disability Studies

249 Pages·2013·7.594 MB·English

by  Lisa Meloncon (ed.)

RHETORICAL ACCESSABILITY
At the Intersection of Technical
Communication and Disability Studies
Edited by
Lisa Meloncon
University of Cincinnati
Baywood’s Technical Communications Series
Series Editor: Charles H. Sides
Baywood Publishing Company, Inc.
AMITYVILLE, NEW YORK
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LibraryofCongressCatalogNumber: 2012022189
ISBN:978-0-89503-788-6(cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN:978-0-89503-789-3(paper)
ISBN:978-0-89503-790-9(epub)
ISBN:978-0-89503-791-6(epdf)
http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/RAA
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Rhetoricalaccessability:attheintersectionoftechnicalcommunicationanddisability
studies/editedbyLisaMeloncon.
p.;cm.--(Baywood’stechnicalcommunicationsseries)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-89503-788-6(cloth:alk.paper)--ISBN978-0-89503-789-3(pbk.:alk.
paper)--ISBN978-0-89503-790-9(epub)--ISBN978-0-89503-791-6(epdf)
I.Meloncon,LisaK.II.Series:Baywood’stechnicalcommunicationsseries(Unnumbered)
[DNLM:1.BiomedicalEnhancement.2.BiomedicalTechnology--instrumentation.3.
Communication.4.DisabledPersons.5.Internet--standards.6.Self-HelpDevices–
standards. W82]
610.28’4--dc23
2012022189
Dedication
To Mark, Melissa, Coby, Jacob, and Daniel

Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
LisaMeloncon
CHAPTER1. EmbracingInterdependence: TechnologyDevelopers,
AutisticUsers,andTechnicalCommunicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
KimberlyElmore
CHAPTER2. DesigningforPeopleWhoDoNotReadEasily . . . . . . 39
CarolineJarrett,Janice(Ginny)Redish,andKathrynSummers
CHAPTER3. TowardaTheoryofTechnologicalEmbodiment . . . . . 67
LisaMeloncon
CHAPTER4. SupercripsDon’tFly: TechnicalCommunicationto
SupportOrdinaryLivesofPeopleWithDisabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . 83
MargaretGutsellandKathleenHulgin
CHAPTER5. TheCareandFeedingoftheD-Beast: Metaphorsof
theLivedExperienceofDiabetes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
LoraArduser
CHAPTER6. AccessibilityandtheWebDesignStudent. . . . . . . . . 115
ElizabethPass
CHAPTER7. AccessibilityChallengesforVisuallyImpaired
StudentsandTheirOnlineWritingInstructors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
SushilK.OswalandBethL.Hewett
CHAPTER8. Disability,WebStandards,andtheMajorityWorld . . . 157
SarahLewthwaiteandHennySwan

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vi / RHETORICALACCESSABILITY
CHAPTER9. WebAccessibilityStatements: Connecting
ProfessionalWriting,CorporateSocialResponsibility,and
BurkeanRhetoric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
AntoinetteLarkin
CHAPTER10. AccessibilityasContext: TheLegal,Fiscal,and
SocialImperativetoDeliverInclusivee-Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
LisaPappas
CHAPTER11. Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
AllisonMaloney
Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Acknowledgments
This volume would not have been possible without the support and guidance
of Sean Zdenek, the belief of Charles Sides, and the friendship and keen eyeof
Heather Hall. To each of them, I am thankful and grateful. I also owe a special
and huge thank you to the contributors for their great ideas, multiple edits, and
good humor. A final thank you goes out to my Professional Writing colleagues
at the University of Cincinnati and the students in the capstone course that
inspired this project, Lisa G., Megan V., Megan C., Rebecca, Lauren, Kristina,
LisaM.,andBrittany.Finally,thisbookisdedicatedtomysister,brother-in-law,
andthreeofmybeautifulnephewsfortheirpatience,strength,andgrace.
Introduction
Lisa Meloncon
I’d like to start with a short story, one that provides the background to how
this volume was conceived, because the story makes an important point. Like
many universities that offer a Master’s degree in Technical and Professional
Communication (TPC), the University of Cincinnati requires a capstone course
asthestudents’cumulativeexperienceintheprogram.Inthecapstone,students
typically work with a community partner to help them solve various communi-
cationproblemswithintheirorganization.
As anyone who has done service-learning coursework knows, finding a
community partner is no easy task since the project or projects must result in
deliverables directly tied to course and program outcomes while also providing
adequatechallengesforthestudents.Inpreparationforthespring2009capstone
course, I had narrowed the list of potential community partners down to three
and then discussed the list with my colleagues. While all the potential partners
wouldhaveofferedthestudentsarichcapstoneexperience,theprimaryrationale
for choosing the Inclusion Network1 was that it would require students to be
exposedtoissuesofdisabilitystudiesandaccessibility,which,atthetime,were
anunderdevelopedareawithinthecurriculum.
While I was excited about the possibilities the overall project posed, I was
also a bit panicked because I knew little about disability studies and had little
understanding of how to weave in accessibility issues into an already jammed
1ThemissionoftheInclusionNetworkwastoeducate,assist,andsupportorganizationsin
their efforts to include people with disabilities by creating welcoming environments. The
economicdownturn forcedtheInclusion Networktoceaseoperations inJune2009. Oneof
theauthorsofchapter4,MargaretGutsell,helpeddirectthatorganization.

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10-weekterm.Since“narrativeiscomplexperspectiveaffectingthewayresearch
and pedagogical issues in professional communication are viewed” (Perkins
& Blyler, 1999, p. xiv), readers should know that this story has affected the
shapeofthisproject.AsIfoundout,TPCpractitionersandacademicshavefew
resources to understand issues related to disability studies and accessibility,
andmanydisabilityscholarshavelittletonounderstandingaboutTPCandhow
it can be beneficial to the work they do. We—the authors and I—wanted to
addressthissituation.Wewantedtoproduceavolumethatcouldbeusedinboth
TPC and disability studies classrooms. We wanted a volume that introduced a
breadthofissuesvaluabletobothTPCanddisabilitystudies.Wewantedtostart
ascholarlyconversation.
Worldwide, the United Nations (UN) estimates there are at least 650 million
people with disabilities (2006). Presently, 41.3 million people in the United
States, or about 15% of the population, have “some level of disability” (U.S.
Census, 2008). Eurostat (2009), the clearinghouse of data and statistics for the
European Union, estimatesthat in the 25 European Union nations 16.2% of the
working age population (those aged 16 to 64) has either a long-standing health
problemoradisability.Otherworldwidestatisticsincludethefollowing:
•India:approximately20millionpeoplearedisabled(Qureshi,2010)
•Russia:10millionaredisabledpeople,andapproximately700,000ofthose
arechildrenandyoungadultsuptotheageof18(Roza,2005)
•China:83millionpeoplearedisabled(People’sDailyOnline,2006)
•Canada:4.4millionpeople,or14.3%ofthepopulation,aredisabled(Human
Resources,2006)
•Australia: 1 in 5 people report a disability (Physical Disability Australia,
2003)
If these statistics are not enough, consider alongside them an aging popu-
lation.Today,1ofevery10personsis60yearsoldorover,totaling629million
people worldwide. The United Nations projects that by 2050 one of every
five persons will be 60 or older and that by 2150 this ratio will be one of
everythreepersons(UNInformationService,2002).Additionally,21.4%ofthe
U.S. population is over the age of 55, with that percentage expected to rise to
31.1 by 2050 (Trace Research, n.d.), and these older Americans face increased
burdensofdisabilities(Seeman,Merkin,Crimmins,&Karlamanga,2010).
However, people with disabilities and an aging population hold enormous
power and influence. With $220 billion in discretionary income, people with
disabilitieswieldsignificantconsumerpower(Cheng,2002).IntheUnitedStates,
people over 50 account for half of the country’s discretionary spending (Dee,

2002), and the senior market(55 to 65+) accounts for $7 billion of online sales
annually (Suddenly Senior, 2002). It becomes a moot point whether or not