Deaf Writers in the University Writing Center

When I first began interning at my University Writing Center, I was impressed by the careful consideration given to student with disabilities as well as English language learners.Accommodations such as quiet rooms and extended time were paired alongside physically accessible spaces and consultants trained extensively in ESL writing pedagodgy.But as I have experienced through working with d/Deaf, blind, and DeafBlind children, no accommodation is one-sizefits-all.During the end of my time as a Writing Consultant, I began to truly understand how writing consultants were struggling to serve d/Deaf and hard of hearing students.During one of my own consultations, I was working with a woman who identified as hard of hearing.She shared that she feared the writing center would be unable to work with a student like her.She had visited the center two times before and had unsuccessful, stressful sessions; this was her last attempt at seeking writing center services.On a separate occasion, I witnessed a consultation with a Deaf student who utilized interpreting services.The student began by sharing with the consultant that English was not her first language.Unfamiliar with the unique grammar of ASL, the consultant responded, "Oh, what is?"As the consultation continued, the consultant struggled to understand the needs of the student as well as howto work with an interpreter.For every unique experience encompassed by the term "disability," there are equally as many possible accommodations.However, in the case of university writing centers, some accommodations cannot stand alone and instead must be paired with education and training.At the same time, University Writing Centers fueled by undergraduate consultants face a revolving door of knowledge and experience, making training and education a formidable task.Many strategies employed by consultants are learned through experience, but how often does this learning curve come at the cost of students with disabilities?d/Deaf Americans account for two to four of every 1,000 births in the nation (roughly 0.38%). 1 Of that .38%, a portion of deaf Americans identify as culturally Deaf.These culturally Deaf Americans have a rich history of linguistic heritage, 2 cultural development, and community building, commonly