Comments on PeerCentered: An Accessible Writing Center

Elizabeth--I'm sure you didn't come across as craz...

2008-04-08T06:07:00.000-06:00

Elizabeth--I'm sure you didn't come across as crazy...and, if you did, it was probably in a good way! It sounds like you handled the situation well, and better than I would've.

I haven't been in a session yet where a physical barrier was difficult to overcome. I've had two different students with tramatic brain injuries. Those sessions both went pretty well, but there wasn't the physical barrier...I am really unsure of how I would handle a situation like Zach's or Elizabeth's--or if I'd even handle it well, at all.

I liked what Zach said, too: "On the other hand, if we focus on each person and let them bring in the writing, we will help many people, more papers, and fail rarely."

zachery - I'll second what Alisha said. Sounds li...

2008-04-07T15:25:00.000-06:00

zachery - I'll second what Alisha said. Sounds like the start of a new WC manifesto.

Elizabeth - Thanks for the solidarity. ;) It's definitely hard, but worth it when it works for the student. Thanks for sharing your experience!

I worked with a deaf student without an interprete...

2008-04-06T17:41:00.000-06:00

I worked with a deaf student without an interpreter, and it was extremely hard. We both wrote out everything that we needed to say, and I feared that my writing would come across as terse, since I couldn't use my goofy vocal inflections. So I drew a lot of smileys, but I think that may have just made me come across as crazy.

Writing a conversation is also time consuming, and I stayed long after our 60 minute session was up and I was supposed to have left. I felt like I had to--I felt like we weren't getting much accomplished because I didn't have the right tools to figure out how to make our session productive.

So, Andrew, I just have to say I'm with you man. It's a struggle I'm aware of, but don't know how to take action to help.

Nicely put, Zach!

2008-04-05T19:30:00.000-06:00

Nicely put, Zach!

Andrew,I have worked with two deaf students. One c...

2008-04-04T18:23:00.000-06:00

Andrew,

I have worked with two deaf students. One could hear a little and read lips, the other was totally deaf. I worked with both of them multiple times. I even worked with the completely deaf student without the aid of an interpreter. I also have work extensively with a blind graduate student, a woman who is partially paralyzed due to head injury, a woman with cerebral palsy, and clients in wheelchairs.

Again,I found my training prepared me for the non-typical sessions because my training focused on working with people, not with writing. When I came into my first session and when I went into my last session today, I focused on the person sitting next to me. The writing was the reason they showed up, but the writing is second to the person for the very worries you brought up.

If we look simply at the writing and them try to fit the person in around the verbs and commas, we will help some writers, help a number of papers, and fail very often. The people will see and understand that the writing center is for writing not people.

On the other hand, if we focus on each person and let them bring in the writing, we will help many people, more papers, and fail rarely.

I think it is all a matter of focus.

zwk