The literacy landscapes of literate males with severe speech disabilities

In this study notions of literacy are examined in relation to adults living with severe speech disabilities pursuing goals spanning personal, educational, occupational and civic arenas. A sociocultural approach to mediated action (Werstch, 1985) is employed to investigate how literacy can be a particularly enabling or disabling dimension of social practices. Case study data from an ethnographic investigation of the everyday literacy practices of four literate males with severe speech disabilities are used to illustrate the theoretical and practical implications of the sociocultural approach to literacy. In the present study of literate people with severe speech disabilities, two interrelated forms of mediated action, one perceived to be intact and the other perceived as a disability were brought into focus and fore-grounded together. The more general findings that emerged from the data analyses were: (a) the interactions between activities, disability and literacy, (b) literacy landscapes: accessibility and participation, and (c) communication patterns and preferences. The affordances and constraints surrounding the use of spoken language in specific circumstances provided crucial insights into understanding the reasons for and the ways in which the participants employed skills and knowledge of written language when they did. These analyses include observations of digital literacy-related activities that make problematic an understanding of literacy as solely written language (Kress, 2003). Sociocultural notions of mediated action, or literate action, are elaborated upon in relation to "typically" unmediated actions and prevailing social norms. This discussion acknowledges the disabling reality persons with disabilities encounter when attempting to participate in social practices that involve a mixture of differently abled persons. The contributions of rapidly evolving digital media and dissemination technologies towards enabling persons with disabilities to act in an unprecedented variety of literate ways are presented. The emergence of distinct forms of reading and interacting around digital, screen-based texts is also highlighted (Kress, 2003; Kress & van Leeuwen, 1996). The importance of being able to engage in various literacy-related activities directed towards individually valued pursuits is reviewed and tied to issues of social justice and the notions of opportunity that are often associated with literacy.