College
College of Arts and Sciences
Major
Communication and Media
Faculty Mentor
Julie Homchick Crowe, PhD
Faculty Editor
Christopher A. Paul, PhD
Student Editor
Elena Selthun
Abstract
This project explores the language of disability services syllabi statements. Using Van Dijk’s concept of Critical Discourse Analysis, I analyze the semiotic choices made within the statements of west coast public universities and Jesuit universities. I ask: How do disability services syllabi statements represent the people they are meant to serve? Through a critical discourse analysis of the use of language and semiotic choices, I argue that disability services syllabi statements can function to suppress the power of disabled students, minimizing their agency while promoting ableist ideologies.
Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, semiotic choices, disability services syllabi statements
Recommended Citation
Spencer, Tracy
(2020)
"Diversity and Disability: Why Disability Services Syllabi Statements Hurt Inclusivity.,"
SUURJ: Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 4, Article 17.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/suurj/vol4/iss1/17