Interrogating Normalizing Pedagogies, Policies, and Practices in Professional Writing Through Disability Studies

Abstract

Technical and professional communication (TPC) often acts as a normalizing technology in relation to disability by attempting to include those with disabilities through their assimilation into normative structures. To resist such tendencies and promote genuine inclusivity, TPC instructors should integrate disability studies (DS) into their course content and pedagogical practices. This paper offers a theoretical DS framework and insights from four student case studies from a TPC course to illustrate the way in which DS can facilitate the critical examination of normative TPC documentation practices and promote new ones that empower a wider range of bodies and minds.