Considering Disabilities: Knowing your readers

CONSIDERING DISABILITIES: KNOWING YOUR READERS

The American Council on Education reports that nearly 10 percent of all first-year college students—some 155,000—identify themselves as having one or more disabilities. As this figure suggests, living with a disability is more the norm than many previously thought. And the actual figure may well be higher, since many students with disabilities do not identify themselves as disabled. Effective writers learn as much as possible about their readers so that they can find ways to build common ground.