Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jul 2022

Transforming the Rights-Based Encounter: Disability Rights, Disability Justice, and the Ethics of Access

Kristin C. Bennett Arizona State University ; Mark A. Hannah Arizona State University

Abstract

Technical and professional communication (TPC) has recently turned to social justice to interrogate seemingly neutral documents’ impacts on marginalized populations, including disabled individuals. In workplace contexts, such efforts are often impeded by rights-based discourse that maintains ableist institutional spaces and impedes efforts toward broader institutional change. Recognizing that TPC practitioners likely will encounter rights-based discourse, this article offers an ethical decision-making framework that couples the field's previous disability studies work with disability justice. We offer guidelines and a critical vocabulary for bridging legal rights and social justice concerns to inspire ethical articulations of disability access needed for transformative change.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2022-07-01
DOI
10.1177/10506519221087960
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
discourse analysis professional writing race and writing disability studies
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (14)

  1. Seawright et al. (2026)
    “Is This Ethical?” New Data on the Ethical Principles and Practices of Document…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Bennett (2026)
    Expanding the Inclusive Potential of Federal Plain Language Guidelines Through …
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Gray (2026)
    The Utility of Inclusivity: How Emoji Proposal Writers Navigate Oppositional In…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Butler (2026)
    Top Stories and Deaf News: Accessible Information and Communication in The Daily Moth
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Schreiber (2025)
    Inclusive and Accessible Technical Editing in the Classroom and Workplace
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Show all 14 →
  1. Bennett (2025)
    Ableist Archives: Challenging Technoableism in Workplace Mental Health Applicat…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Butler (2024)
    A Profession of Accessible Conversations: Convo Communications
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  3. Heilig et al. (2024)
    Augmenting for Accessible Environments: Layering Deep Mapping, Deep Accessibili…
    Communication Design Quarterly
  4. Gallagher et al. (2024)
    Accessible Sound: Aural Information Literacy for Technical Communication Design
    Communication Design Quarterly
  5. Bennett (2024)
    (Dis)ability Deconditioning: Challenging Ableist Articulations of Professionali…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  6. Heilig et al. (2024)
    Augmenting for Accessible Environments: Layering Deep Mapping, Deep Accessibili…
    Communication Design Quarterly
  7. Gallagher et al. (2024)
    Accessible Sound: Aural Information Literacy for Technical Communication Design
    Communication Design Quarterly
  8. Willers (2024)
    Bridging the Accessibility Divide: Testing the Efficacy of an Accessible User E…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  9. Bennett (2022)
    Prioritizing Access as a Social Justice Concern: Advocating for Ableism Studies…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

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CrossRef global citation count: 25 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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