English, Rhetoric and Writing

In combination with disability studies practices and philosophies, I draw from glitch theory, deconstructionism, and new technological capabilities to argue that we, as new media writers and writers with disabilities, never simply compose and consume in the universal manner tradition leads us to believe. I argue not only for a model of creating and consuming media (textual or otherwise) that resists normalizing conceptions of revision, polished (finished) writing, coherence, and linearity, but also one that embraces irregularities and glitches as essential, inherent features. Finally, I provide examples of how to perform these models and practices, which I call glitch writing and hyperactive teaching.

Because many faculty and graduate students pursue disability studies projects in an institutional vacuum (often being the only disability studies person in a department or institution), it's exciting when faculty and graduate students come together to work on disability studies projects. Such has been the experience of the two authors of this piece: a graduate student who recently completed her Master's thesis on hyperactive/ADHD rhetorics (Griffin) and her thesis advisor, whose research area is disability studies, rhetoric, and writing (Amy). As we've worked together, we've excitedly shared research that enriches both our writing projects, and we've exchanged teaching ideas to make our classrooms more inclusive. We've had the chance to work interdependently, including on this piece, where one of us got the project going and the other supplied the creative spontaneity we needed to finish it. Further, in our case, we've had the chance to openly identify as disabled and use crip humor to navigate our work together. Alongside these benefits, there are what we sincerely and euphemistically call generative tensions, which occur when access needs and desires conflict, when power dynamics re-assert themselves, and when attempts at change and adaptation fail.

This study investigated the needs and perceptions of LGBTQ women, including caregivers, ages 35 to 91 regarding affiliation with, support, and comfort from spiritual/religious organizations, communities, or fellows. Surveys were completed by intergenerational LGBTQ women (n = 76), and follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 respondents.

Choosing a nursing home (NH) has become increasingly important to consumers who will be living in the NH and family members of future residents. Family satisfaction scores (FSS) are often used by consumers to identify potential facilities, and different factors (5-star ratings, complaints, facility size, programs) may impact FSS which, in turn, may affect consumer choice. State and federal departments also utilize family satisfaction information to address NH improvement needs in programs, performance, and consumer expectations. Therefore, the relationship between various institutional variables and family satisfaction is important to consider to understand which factors may ultimately inform consumers' choices. This study explores relationships between these factors and how they predict FSS, using data from the 2015 Family Satisfaction Survey; the 2016 Biennial Survey of Ohio Long-Term Care Facilities; 2016 Ombudsman Verified Complaints; 2016 Nursing Home Compare data; and 2016 5-star quality ratings. Binary logistic regression was used to examine facility predictors for each FSS outcome (N = 50,533 family members and friends; 965 facilities). Findings suggest that staff quality, size, ownership, and number of complaints did impact how participants rated the facility. Type of facility was significantly associated with family satisfaction. Involvement in the PELI program and higher staffing ratings were positively associated. However, increased size of facility was negatively associated. Most findings were significant at p <.001 level. These results suggest that families do provide a necessary element to NH quality assessment which may help consumers make better informed choices in the future. Abstract Background and Data

Needs during and following end-of-life (EOL) experiences are distinctive for sexual and gender minority (SGM) people and, in particular, older lesbian, gay, and bisexual women (LGB) women; however, access to supportive services is limited. This poster presents findings from a qualitative study of older (60+) LGB women who have lost a spouse or partner. This work draws on queer gerontological theory, addressing issues of individual agency, systemic silence, and marginalization by invisibility of older SGM women in order to illuminate specific areas in which policy may be changed and improved. The study analyzed participants’ (n = 16) reflections on their experiences of losing a loved one, including how they sought out and received essential grief support and the type of support they would have preferred and from whom, particularly immediately following their spouse or partner’s death. Thematic analysis revealed three main findings: 1) having a women-identifying support presence at th...