“Now for my Final Takeaway, my final takeaway is we’re coming somewhat far in the
disability toy diversity situation…We have so much further to go, we have so much
more to do. And I really hope that by the time I have children hypothetically, if that’s a
thing I’m going to do, that whether that kid has a Disability or not, I can hand them a
doll who has a Disability, or has a disability backstory or I can get them a LEGO set
from the shelf of Target that I didn’t have to special order. Because I know that LEGO
has a little wheelchair and I feel like they have a little Accessible bus, but I think you
have to special order this stuff. I just don’t want it to be special!
(“Representation and Toys”).
The Assignment
Inquiry, the process of asking questions, involves reading as well as writing, as writing
(“Representation and Toys”).
The Assignment
Inquiry, the process of asking questions, involves reading as well as writing, as writing
andreading are interconnected and interrelated processes. The reading you are
assigned to do in this course includes both texts about writing as well as texts about
our course theme of disability. Reading responses are meant to help you make sense of the readings you have completed and think more broadly about the issues, topics, ‘and questions the readings discuss. The reading responses should respond fully,
carefully, and thoughtfully to the prompt below; they are not meant to summarize the
reading and should include specific references to the essay in the form of quotes, paraphrases, or summaries.
The podcast episode “Representation and Toys” by The Accessible Stall with Kyle and
Emily focuses on representation of disability in children’s toys. In this episode, the hosts discuss different toys and games, such as American Girl dolls, Hot Wheels cars, Barbie, and more.Their informal conversation centers on both the positives and the negatives in how these different toys represent disability and what that means for both disabled and able-bodied children alike.
For this reading response, you should focus on how this episode
(https://www.theaccessiblestall.com/episode-81-representation-and-dolls/)
demonstrates one of the most important conventions of a podcast: a conversational and informal style. Cite examples from the episode as evidence (you do not need a works cited page; just the title of the episode as in my example above is fine). Below, you will find some questions to think about as you write. You’re not expected to answer all of these questions; they are here to help inspire you as you thinkn about our assigned reading:
● Analyze the sentence structure throughout the episode. Are the sentences long,
short, ora mix? Do they mostly use simple and compound sentences, or complex and
compound-complex sentences? Do they speak in complete sentences or use
compound-complex sentences? Do they speak in complete sentences or use
sentence fragments or run-on sentences? What effects do these authorial choices
have on you as a listener?
● Analyze the word choice in the episode. Do they use complex vocabulary and big
words, or do they speak in plain language and a simple vocabulary? Are sentences
very wordy with lots of detail, or do they mostly get right to the point with little
embellishment? Do they use slang? What impact does their word choice have on the
listener?
● Based on the topics discussed, background information and context given, and use of sentence structure and word choice, who do you think their target audience is, and why?
Requirements
Reading Response #1 should meet the following basic requirements:
● About 500 words in length (approximately 2 double-spaced pages).
● Double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins on all sides.
● Contains a header, page numbers, and a title according to MLA format
● Submitted as a Microsoft Word file (file extension .doc or .docx)
● Thoroughly and thoughtfully responds to the essay, focusing on the course concepts of disability and positionality.
● Contains cited quotes, paraphrases, or summaries from the article to serve as evidence.
● Avoids summarizing the essay.
● Revised and edited with attention to organization and clarity.