Communication Design Quarterly Jan 2019

Cultivating virtuous course designers

Sherena Huntsman ; Jared S. Colton ; Christopher Phillips

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
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Topics
curriculum design multimodality disability studies

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Heilig et al. (2024)
    Augmenting for Accessible Environments: Layering Deep Mapping, Deep Accessibili…
    Communication Design Quarterly
  2. Gallagher et al. (2024)
    Accessible Sound: Aural Information Literacy for Technical Communication Design
    Communication Design 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

Cites in this index (6)

  1. Colton et al. (2018)
    A Social Justice Theory of Active Equality for Technical Communication
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Oswal et al. (2014)
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    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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    Toward an Accessible Pedagogy: Dis/ability, Multimodality, and Universal Design…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Palmeri (2006)
    Disability Studies, Cultural Analysis, and the Critical Practice of Technical C…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 6 →
  1. O'Hara (2004)
    "Curb Cuts" on the Information Highway: Older Adults and the Internet
    Technical Communication Quarterly
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CrossRef global citation count: 18 View in citation network →

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