Communication Design Quarterly Jan 2019 Open Access

Cultivating virtuous course designers: using technical communication to reimagine accessibility in higher education

Sherena Huntsman Utah State University ; Jared S. Colton ; Christopher Phillips Utah State University

Abstract

Technical communicators are often charged with creating access to meaning through technology. However, these practices can have marginalizing effects. This article argues for reimagining accessibility through virtue ethics. Rather than identifying accessibility as an addition to document design or a set of guidelines, virtue ethics situates accessibility as a habitual practice, part of one's character. This article describes the application of virtue ethics in a university partnership, which sought to create a culture of accessibility through three goals: to consider accessibility as an on-going process, to consider accessibility as a "vital" part of all document design, and to recognize accessibility as a shared responsibility among stakeholders. Focusing on the virtues of courage and justice, we interpret data from a survey of instructors and then provide suggestions on how others can join the accessibility conversation.

Journal
Communication Design Quarterly
Published
2019-01-22
DOI
10.1145/3309589.3309591
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
OA PDF Gold
Topics
curriculum design technical communication
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (11)

  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. Butler (2026)
    Top Stories and Deaf News: Accessible Information and Communication in The Daily Moth
    Technical 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. Heilig et al. (2024)
    Augmenting for Accessible Environments: Layering Deep Mapping, Deep Accessibili…
    Communication Design Quarterly
Show all 11 →
  1. Gallagher et al. (2024)
    Accessible Sound: Aural Information Literacy for Technical Communication Design
    Communication Design Quarterly
  2. Willers (2024)
    Bridging the Accessibility Divide: Testing the Efficacy of an Accessible User E…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Bennett et al. (2022)
    Transforming the Rights-Based Encounter: Disability Rights, Disability Justice,…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Phelps (2021)
    Opening the Conversation: The Development of a Faculty-Facing Module on Teachin…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  5. Huntsman (2021)
    Addressing Workplace Accessibility Practices Through Technical Communication Re…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  6. Sonka et al. (2021)
    Finding a Teaching A11y: Designing an Accessibility-Centered Pedagogy
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

References (35) · 7 in this index

  1. Aristotle. (1984). The complete works of Aristotle: Revised Oxford translation. J. Barnes (Ed.). Princeton NJ…
  2. Charlton J. (1998). Nothing about us without us. Berkeley CA: University of California Press. Charlton J. (1…
     ↗
  3. Colton et al. (2018)
    A Social Justice Theory of Active Equality for Technical Communication
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Colton J. (2015)
    Disability as insight into social justice pedagogy in technical communication
    Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, 8.
  5. Confucius. (2001). The analects (2nd ed.). (A. Waley Trans.). New York: Everyman's Library. Confucius. (2001…
Show all 35 →
  1. Conners R. J. (2004). The rise of technical communication instruction. In J. M. Dubensky (Ed.) Teaching techn…
  2. Dolmage J. T. (2017). Academic ableism. Ann Arbor MI: University of Michigan. Dolmage J. T. (2017). Academic…
     ↗
  3. Davis L. J. (2010). Constructing normality. In L. J. Davis (Ed.). The disability studies reader (3rd ed. pp. …
  4. Duffy J. (2014). Ethical dispositions: A discourse for rhetoric and composition. JAC: A Journal of Rhetoric C…
  5. Elmore K. (2013)
    Meloncon, L. (Ed). Rhetorical accessibility: at the intersection of technical communicati…
  6. Jarrett C. (2013)
    Meloncon, L. (Ed). Rhetorical accessibility: at the intersection of technical communicati…
  7. 10.1016/j.ijhcs.2007.10.006
     ↗
  8. Lippincott (2004)
    Gray Matters: Where Are the Technical Communicators in Research and Design for …
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  9. Linton S. (1998). Claiming disability: Knowledge and identity. New York NY: New York University Press. Linto…
  10. Meloncon L. (2013)
    Meloncon, L. (Ed). Rhetorical accessibility: at the intersection of technical communicati…
  11. Meloncon L. (2013)
    Meloncon, L. (Ed). Rhetorical accessibility: at the intersection of technical communicati…
  12. Merriam G. (2010)
    Rehabilitating Aristotle: A virtue ethics approach to disability and human flourishing
    Philosophy and Medicine
  13. Miles M. Huberman A. M. & Saldana J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. Thousand Oak CA…
  14. Nussbaum M. (2016). Anger and forgiveness. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nussbaum M. (2016). Anger and fo…
  15. O'Hara (2004)
    "Curb Cuts" on the Information Highway: Older Adults and the Internet
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  16. Oswal S. (2013)
    Meloncon, L. (Ed). Rhetorical accessibility: at the intersection of technical communicati…
  17. Oswal et al. (2014)
    Paying Attention to Accessibility When Designing Online Courses in Technical an…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  18. Oswal S. (2017)
    Saying no to the checklist: shifting from an ideology of normalcy to an ideology of inclu…
    Writing Program Administration
  19. Palmeri (2006)
    Disability Studies, Cultural Analysis, and the Critical Practice of Technical C…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  20. Pass K. (2013)
    Meloncon, L. (Ed). Rhetorical accessibility: at the intersection of technical communicati…
  21. Rawls J. (1971). A theory of justice. Cambridge MA: Belknap of Harvard UP. Rawls J. (1971). A theory of just…
     ↗
  22. Rice J. (2012). Distant publics: Development rhetoric and the subject of crisis. Pittsburgh PA: University of…
     ↗
  23. Robert L. (2006)
    Using an access-centered design to improve accessibility
    Technical Communication
  24. Siebers T. (2008). Disability theory. Ann Arbor MI: The University of Michigan. Siebers T. (2008). Disabilit…
  25. Theofanos M. F. (2005)
    Helping low-vision and other users with web sites that meet their needs: Is one site for …
    Technical Communication
  26. Vallor S. (2016). Technology and the virtues: A philosophical guide to a future worth wanting. Oxford UK: Oxf…
     ↗
  27. Walters (2010)
    Toward an Accessible Pedagogy: Dis/ability, Multimodality, and Universal Design…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  28. Youngblood (2013)
    Communicating Web Accessibility to the Novice Developer: From User Experience t…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  29. Zdenek S. (2015). Reading sounds: Closed-caption media and popular culture. Chicago IL: University of Chicago…
     ↗
  30. Zdenek S. (2014). Personal correspondence. Zdenek S. (2014). Personal correspondence.
CrossRef global citation count: 18 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Sep 2024
    Integrating Technical Communication Into China's Translation and Interpreting Curriculum: Course Design, Practice, and Evaluation of Two Graduate Classes ↗
    Lin Dong; Shuangyan Li
    writing pedagogy curriculum design teacher development collaborative writing assessment technical communication
  2. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Dec 2023
    Fostering Advocacy, Developing Empathetic UX Bricoleurs: Ongoing Programmatic Assessment and Responsive Curriculum Design ↗
    Scott J. Kowalewski; Bill Williamson
    writing pedagogy curriculum design service learning teacher development assessment technical communication professional writing empirical research qualitative research
  3. Communication Design Quarterly Sep 2023
    Review of "User Experience as Innovative Academic Practice by Kate Crane and Kelli Cargile Cook," Crane, K., & Cargile Cook, K. (Eds.). (2022). User Experience as Innovative Academic Practice. The WAC Clearinghouse; University Press of Colorado. https://doi.org/10.37514/TPC-B.2022.1367 ↗
    Meghalee Das
    writing pedagogy curriculum design writing across the curriculum technical communication professional writing book reviews
  4. Pedagogy Apr 2023
    The Twain Shall Meet ↗
    Timothy Ponce
    writing pedagogy curriculum design teacher development collaborative writing technical communication qualitative research
  5. Writing and Pedagogy Feb 2023
    Examining industry expectations and classroom standards ↗
    Ann Marie Francis
    writing pedagogy curriculum design assessment technical communication