Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jul 2014

Paying Attention to Accessibility When Designing Online Courses in Technical and Professional Communication

Sushil K. Oswal University of Washington Tacoma ; Lisa Meloncon

Abstract

Roughly 1 out of 10 students in our classrooms has some form of disability, and now that a growing number of technical and professional communication (TPC) courses and programs are offered online, scholars need to adequately address accessibility in online course design. Calling on the field to “pay attention” to this issue, the authors report the results of a national survey of online writing instructors and use Selfe’s landmark essay as a way to theoretically frame the results. They conclude by offering strategies for TPC instructors to design more accessible online courses.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2014-07-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651914524780
Open Access
Closed
Topics
curriculum design multimodality online writing instruction professional writing disability studies

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (12)

  1. Zhu et al. (2026)
    From Monologue to Dialogue: Communication Strategies of Chinese Museums on Weib…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Tijerina (2025)
    A Case for Open Educational Resources in Technical and Professional Communicati…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Lawson et al. (2024)
    Ecologies, bodies, and OWI teacher preparation: reflecting on a practicum for g…
    Computers and Composition
  4. Harris et al. (2022)
    What the COVID pandemic taught us about creating inclusive, anti-racist, and ac…
    Computers and Composition
  5. Walden (2022)
    Necessity is the mother of invention: Accessibility pre, inter, & post pandemic
    Computers and Composition
Show all 12 →
  1. Harris et al. (2022)
    Using Multimedia for Instructor Presence in Purposeful Pedagogy-Driven Online T…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Palmer et al. (2021)
    Reimagining Business Planning, Accessibility, and Web Design Instruction: A Sta…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Harris et al. (2021)
    Using Multimedia for Instructor Presence in Purposeful Pedagogy-Driven Online T…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Clinkenbeard (2020)
    A Posthuman Approach to Agency, Disability, and Technology in Social Interactions
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Bivens et al. (2020)
    The Activist Syllabus as Technical Communication and the Technical Communicator…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  6. Borgman et al. (2018)
    Considerations of Access and Design in the Online Writing Classroom
    Computers and Composition
  7. Jones et al. (2016)
    Disrupting the Past to Disrupt the Future: An Antenarrative of Technical Commun…
    Technical Communication Quarterly

Cites in this index (9)

  1. Youngblood (2013)
    Communicating Web Accessibility to the Novice Developer
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Brizee et al. (2012)
    Writing Centers and Students with Disabilities: The User-centered Approach, Par…
    Computers and Composition
  3. Walters (2010)
    Toward an Accessible Pedagogy: Dis/ability, Multimodality, and Universal Design…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Dragga (2010)
    Positioning Programs in Professional and Technical Communication: Guest Editor'…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Meloncon (2007)
    Exploring Electronic Landscapes: Technical Communication, Online Learning, and …
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 9 →
  1. Palmeri (2006)
    Disability Studies, Cultural Analysis, and the Critical Practice of Technical C…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Wilson (2000)
    Making disability visible: How disability studies might transform the medical a…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Gillette (1999)
    Pedagogy, architecture, and the virtual classroom
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. O'Sullivan (1999)
    Worlds within which we teach: Issues for designing World Wide Web course material
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Also cites 11 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1007/978-1-84800-050-6_7
     ↗
  2. 10.1561/1100000029
     ↗
  3. 10.2190/OE2C4
     ↗
  4. 10.2307/375964
     ↗
  5. 10.2190/RAAC7
     ↗
  6. 10.2190/RAAC6
     ↗
  7. 10.3998/mpub.1612837
     ↗
  8. 10.4324/9780203969595
     ↗
  9. 10.2307/358859
     ↗
  10. 10.2307/358761
     ↗
  11. 10.1111/j.1741-5446.2002.00479.x
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 49 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 2024
    Toward TPC-UX: UX Topics in TPC Journals 2013–2022 ↗
    Paul Thompson Hunter
    multimodality technical communication professional writing disability studies
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2024
    A Field Wide Snapshot of Student Learning Outcomes in the Technical and Professional Communication Service Course ↗
    Jessica Griffith; Tanya Zarlengo; Lisa Melonçon
    writing program administration curriculum design writing across the curriculum multimodality professional writing
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2024
    Implementing a Continuous Improvement Model for Assignment Evaluation at the Technical and Professional Communication Program Level ↗
    Michelle Sonnenberg; Carolyn Gubala; Justiss Burry; Jessica Griffith; Tanya Zarlengo; Lisa Melonçon
    writing program administration curriculum design multimodality technical communication professional writing multilingual writers
  4. Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy 2024
    Effective Video Instruction in Online Courses: Suggestions Grounded in Universal Design for Learning ↗
    multimodality online writing instruction disability studies
  5. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2022
    Using Multimedia for Instructor Presence in Purposeful Pedagogy-Driven Online Technical Writing Courses ↗
    Heidi Skurat Harris; Michael Greer
    writing pedagogy curriculum design multimodality online writing instruction technical communication