Consulting

I think our field grows stronger the more we collaborate with one another and reach across institutional (and disciplinary) divides. Part of that process means giving from our own gifts, and serving as resources to one another.

How Does Consulting Work?

Everyone’s different, and there are no set rules. I’m happy to come to you, or to do a Skype/video session, or to work with you one-on-one to develop the plans or materials you’ll need to support your students or your writing center/learning center. My rates are incredibly flexible — in fact, they start at “free.” Talk to me about where you’re at and what you need, and we’ll see what we can do. Shoot me an email to get started!

What Can Karen Do?

My most popular requests in recent times have been related to training writing center administrators and writing center consultants on improving accessibility / centering disability justice in their work. This type of workshop includes resources on how to write a public-facing accessibility statement, how to audit your own center’s practices, how to take actionable, immediate steps toward fostering access (meaning, by the time we’re done, you’ll have some things you can start doing right away, for free, with the resources, space, and staff you already have!), and how to form partnerships on and beyond your campus to better serve disabled writers.

Not interested in that? Wondering what else I have to offer?

Well: plenty of things! Need to create a vision statement for your center? I can help. Need to train your tutors in cultural competency issues? I’ve got you. Need someone to talk through how you’re organizing your hiring and payroll structures? Say no more! Need to talk to someone about how to break into publishing in rhet/comp, or how you might curate a presentation proposal for a major conference? I’m your girl. There are so many ways we can support one another’s growth as professionals in the field; let’s work together to make sure we can all succeed. I’m happy to share what I know.

Sample Topics

  • Accessibility & Writing Instruction
    • accessibile syllabi
    • accessible course construction
    • accessible assessment
    • accessible assignment design
    • writing an accessibility statement
  • Accessibility & Writing Centers
    • accessible composing and featuring access in daily consultations
    • accessible intake forms and session structures
    • auditing your center’s hiring / recruiting practices for disability justice opportunities
    • auditing your center’s workflow practices for disability justice opportunities
    • auditing your center’s training processes for disability justice opportunities
    • developing partnerships on and beyond campus to center disabled writers
    • accommodating disabled writers in your center
    • accommodating disabled consultants, staff members, and administrators
    • challenging ideas and biases surrounding disability justice and access work
    • writing an accessibility statement for your center
  • Writing Center administration
    • training, hiring, payroll, structure, budgeting
    • marketing, advertisement
    • recruitment, assessment
    • training course development
    • workshop development
  • Learning Center pedagogies
    • metacognition, collaborative learning, rhetorical listening, etc.
  • LGBTQ+ trainings
    • for staff, for students, for faculty (I spent years doing this work in upstate NY! Check out my CV for info on the years I spent in the nonprofit sector)

For more information on my background in any of these topics, head on over to my CV page.