Set Realistic Writing Goals
The academic writing process takes time and may involve you moving forwards and backwards along the writing process as you gain a better understanding of your topic. If you are asked to prepare a paper for next month, allot some time for each writing stage until next month. That will provide you with ample time to get started, write and polish. Reflect on how long you spent working on a previous paper of similar length and use that information to help you create more realistic goals.
Writing as a Learning Process
It is normal to not know your topic well when just starting to write. Often the purpose of academic writing is for you to learn more about a topic in the course and to demonstrate this in written form. Consider your final product a reflection of your learning on the topic, rather than being perfect or error free.
Alternate Methods to Written Expression - Select Your Style
Completing written assignments doesn’t have to be limited to typing or handwriting if these methods don’t work for you, particularly if you experince disability impacts with writing such as decreased fine motor control or processing writing and listening at the same time. Below are a few methods you can use at any stage of the writing process that lessen the demand to type or handwrite your essays:
- Dictation (speech-to-text software): speaking ideas aloud while software converts this to text. This can also help you get started if writing feels overwhelming at any point.
- Word prediction software - provides a cue or prompt by predicting the word you want to type. This software can assist with reading and writing fluency.
- Visualization (mind maps): using images, graphics, or visuals to express ideas.
Some of the software above may be available as a built-in tool on the technology you currently use. For example, Apple products have a text-to-speech feature and word prediction. As well, Microsoft 365 has predictive text features.
You may also want to dictate your ideas on your phone, if you have this technology. You may find this particularly helpful if your strength is verbal communication and your disability impacts written communication.
For those with an approved accommodation to use assistive technology, if approved for the technology listed above, please follow up with the Assistive Technologist if you need a demo and training to learn the technology you have been approved for.
Do you use Kurzweil?
Kurzweil Academy: This chapter demonstrates how Kurzweil tools can help you write better papers using Kurzweil 3000.