March 14, 2023Ableism in Academia: The Uneven Impacts of Distraction and Procrastinationby Caroline J. KetchamRecently in one of my productive distraction moments, I came across a tweet thread from Dr. Hannah Snyder (@Hannah_R_Snyder) that spurred reflection for me in my teaching, and has led to this discussion in this platform more broadly. Two articles…
January 31, 2023Ableism in Academia: Are Your Conferences and Events Inclusive and Accessible?by Caroline J. KetchamAs we start the new year and new semester, it is the season of planning, and we are likely planning for the larger events of next year or years ahead—conferences, speakers, special promotions. Let’s talk about inclusion for these events….
October 25, 2022Ableism in Academia: Spotlighting Inclusive Opportunitiesby Caroline J. Ketcham As many of our campuses are all in the rhythm of the semester, let’s explore what is being done or could be done to support inclusive opportunities throughout the many outstanding and engaging events on campus. College campuses are ripe…
August 2, 2022A Quick but Necessary Chatby Caroline J. KetchamI have something on my mind that keeps coming up in my conversations around ableism in academia, neurodiversity in higher education, accommodations, universal design for learning (UDL), and topics in this realm. As I work to draft a couple blog…
June 1, 2022Ableism in Academia: The Interviewby Caroline J. KetchamThe interview . . . the chance for face-to-face engagement . . . to assess and share knowledge, skills, excitement, “fit.” We use it for so many reasons including acceptance into a program, a school, a job—to award a scholarship,…
May 10, 2022Ableism in Academia: Study Abroad Experiencesby Caroline J. KetchamOne of the hallmark high-impact practices is engagement in diversity (AAC&U). Many campuses equate this to their study abroad experiences, which could be short-term, semester long, or combination programs. On our campus, Elon University, we have a high level of…
March 15, 2022Ableism in Academia: Ways to Build Habits of Action in Our Classroomsby Caroline J. KetchamAs I challenge us to think about our structures and systems in academia that promote ableism (NCCJ, n.d.) often under the guise of rigor (Ketcham 2022), perhaps introducing some ways to enact change would be helpful. I do know that…
March 1, 2022I’ve got it! What if they grade each other?by David BuckIn previous posts, I’ve discussed how collaborative assignments pose a challenge for valid assessment because the resulting product typically reflects pooled ability and effort (for a good review, see Webb et al. 1998). One way instructors have attempted to overcome…
February 8, 2022Ableism in Academia: Universal Designby Caroline J. KetchamWhether you have heard about Universal Design (UD) before, or this is your introduction, I encourage you to note your first impression when looking at the unique space pictured to the left. To me, it is striking with the glass…
January 25, 2022Ableism in Academia: Is Rigor Code for Ableism?by Caroline J. KetchamI just attended the 11th IEP (individualized education plan; US Dept of Ed) meeting for my son, and it has me in the land of mixed feelings. As I sit with my experience, I think of the students in my…