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The JCU Writing Center exists to serve all writers in the university community. This means that we are committed to creating a space that is welcoming, inviting, and productive for everyone. Our consultants are prepared to work with writers with a wide range of abilities, experiences, and learning styles; we therefore appreciate and adapt consultations to the many ways each student learns best.

Although consultants do not receive official training in disability accommodations, they do discuss effective strategies for assisting writers with physical, developmental, and learning disabilities in a Tutoring Writing across Contexts course. The information covered within the course helps us view “accessibility” as an attitude and a process — one which extends itself to all writers in the university community.

We invite writers to share with us any information about accommodations we can make to better facilitate your learning during a consultation or improve your experience. Accommodations do not require documentation from the Student Accessibility Services Office, nor are writers required to disclose disabilities. If you choose to provide it, though, such information will be helpful for your consultant. Potential accommodations include, but are not limited to:

  • conducting your consultation in a reduced distraction environment (usually a small conference room across the atrium in the O'Malley Center)
  • welcoming service animals into the Writing Center
  • working with American Sign Language interpreters
  • using a variety of media or assistive technology to communicate with you about your writing
  • setting up a virtual consultation (see the Online Consultations page for more details)
  • requesting that the chat box is used during a synchronous Zoom session
  • asking that closed captioning is turned on during a synchronous session (for which we would use Google Meet)
  • scheduling 30- or 60-minute sessions with any consultant on the Writing Center staff

To request an appointment with the Writing Center, please complete the Appointment Request Form.

We welcome any suggestions for improving our accessibility efforts!