You could rattle the stars. You could do anything, if only you dared.
— Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass
Disability and Alternative Assessment Practices in Composition Classrooms
Research and writing by Grace Walraven
To launch Chronically Academic, I am beginning with a three-part series about how disability affects those in academia—with a focus on student experiences—and how alternative assessment practices in composition classrooms can be implemented not just to accommodate disability, but to put it at the forefront of writing assessment.
Foundation → Methods → Practice
Move from foundational discussions of disability studies to alternative assessment methods and classroom practice.
An Introduction to Disability and Alternative Assessment Practices in Composition Classrooms
This article provides a broad overview of dis/ability, disability studies, the current disabled academic landscape, and disability in the composition classroom. It lays the foundation for the later articles in this series.
Alternative Assessment Ecologies
In this article, I discuss ungrading, labor-based contract grading, and engagement-based contract grading. Cripistemologies, crip time, and radical flexibility are also given space for discussion and general definition.
Implementing Alternative Assessment Practices
This article covers the practicalities of implementing alternative assessment practices in a composition classroom, along with examples of activities and assignments.
Postsecondary Education
These articles discuss disability, academia, and assessment practices at the postsecondary level. That does not prohibit the discussion from extending to primary and secondary education; those levels are simply outside the parameters of this series.
Research, Writing, and Visual Presentation
Research and writing by Grace Walraven
Choose Your Reading Path
Read Grace’s scholarship through the visual article series, complete long-form articles, and the sources cited throughout the project.
Explore the Three-Part Series
Read Grace’s Complete Articles
About This Project
Find information about the project, its authorship, how the articles are presented, and where to locate citations.
Grace Walraven
Each article can be read independently, but the series is organized to move from Foundation to Methods to Practice. Readers new to the subject may wish to begin with Article 1.
The visual articles organize Grace’s scholarship into quotations, comparisons, activity guides, and other scannable formats. The full-text pages preserve each complete long-form article and its Works Cited.
MLA parenthetical citations appear throughout the articles. Complete publication information is available in each article’s Works Cited section and on the project’s main Works Cited page.
The site is being designed with readable typography, strong contrast, responsive layouts, keyboard-friendly navigation, visible focus states, and reduced-motion preferences in mind. Accessibility remains an ongoing process of design and testing.
Begin Your Reading Journey
Start with the foundation article or browse the complete three-part series.