by Corinne Segal
Deaf Poets Society, a new digital literary magazine, has a message for writers with disabilities: We see you. We want you to be here. And this is your space.
Writer Sarah Katz, the magazine’s founder, grew up in North Potomac, Maryland, and attended a school with a program for students who were deaf or hard of hearing. “I had grown up around other deaf and hard of hearing people and took for granted that I had easy access to other people like me,” she said.
That wasn’t the case at the University of Maryland, College Park, where Katz said she was the “only deaf student I knew.” As a young writer, she began seeking out the disability community and went on to earn an MFA in poetry from American University.
Katz said members of the disability community have struggled to find its place in the literary world, with many writers asking who is afforded space to write in a world that often renders disabled people invisible.
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Question
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which detail from the passage supports the same idea expressed in the statement “And this is your space”?
(1 point)
Responses
“There’s been a lot of controversy about how people with disabilities are represented in the literary community, and . . . the diversity of disability literature.”
“There’s been a lot of controversy about how people with disabilities are represented in the literary community, and . . . the diversity of disability literature.”
“Most pieces are presented in both text and audio, and pictures are accompanied by descriptions for people who cannot see the images.”
“Most pieces are presented in both text and audio, and pictures are accompanied by descriptions for people who cannot see the images.”
“Many writers [are] asking who is afforded space to write in a world that often renders disabled people invisible.”
“Many writers [are] asking who is afforded space to write in a world that often renders disabled people invisible.”
“A lot of literary events are not accessible. . . [they] don’t think ahead of time about, ‘Oh, there might be people with disabilities who want to attend.’”
“A lot of literary events are not accessible. . . [they] don’t think ahead of time about, ‘Oh, there might be people with disabilities who want to attend.’”
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1 answer
The detail that best supports the idea expressed in the statement “And this is your space” is:
“Most pieces are presented in both text and audio, and pictures are accompanied by descriptions for people who cannot see the images.”
This detail indicates an intentional effort to create an inclusive environment for writers and readers with disabilities, reinforcing the idea that Deaf Poets Society is a welcoming space for them.
