Degree Date
9-2022
Document Type
Dissertation - NLU Access
Degree Name
Ed.D. Doctor of Education
Academic Discipline
Disability and Equity in Education
First Advisor
Dr. Jan Valle
Second Advisor
Dr. Terry Jo Smith
Third Advisor
Dr. Dean Adams
Abstract
Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy who do not speak and use augmentative and assistive technology often experience conversations that disregard their modes of communication or exclude them. Ableism centered on communication and technology is often at the root of how these adolescents are talked about, talked over, or left out of communication. I used a post-modern and post-human qualitative research approach, plugging in theory, literature, song lyrics, and my personal experiences as an insider, as the mother of an adolescent with Cerebral Palsy who does not speak. I conducted conversations with youth collaborators and interviewed their mothers about perceptions, theirs and others, of what it means to communicate. Insights into conversations that allow us to become and be who we are, rather than identities we are assigned, focused on patience, presence, and a belief in presumptive competence.
Recommended Citation
Schwartz-Johnston, Ramona, "Becoming Through Conversation--I, You, We, Me, & Us: Conceptualizing Silence, Voice, Listening, and Love With Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy Who Do Not Speak" (2022). Dissertations. 695.
https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/695