Bio
Academic Profile
Dr. Griffin Zimmerman (they/he) earned their PhD in Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English from University of Arizona. Griffin is a trans, spoonie, and neuroqueer scholar who specializes in interdisciplinary critical disability studies, specifically focusing on neurodiversity and pedagogical praxis. Their body of research and published work is diverse in focus and unified by the theme of student access; his work continually investigates the boundaries of what is normative in order to identify opportunities to increase access and inclusion for marginalized students in higher education. In their doctoral research, Griffin combines digital humanities and cultural rhetorics to trace the boundaries of disability studies as an interdisciplinary field, laying the foundation for a collaborative, digital community archive that honors the rich Black Feminist, queer, activist, artistic, and community contributions to the field.
Griffin has published in the Journal of Writing Assessment, the Journal of Mulitmodal Rhetorics, and is a contributor to an upcoming special issue on ungrading in Pedagogy with editor Dr. Ellen Carillo. They are currently working on their first monograph, a praxis-based text grounded in Black Feminism and Disability Justice that examines how unconscious assumptions about how classrooms look and function can interfere with the application of liberatory pedagogies.
Professional Profile
In addition to their work in academia, Griffin has 12 years’ experience as a technical writer and editor. Originally earning his M.A. in technical communication from Eastern Washington University in 2013, Griffin has since developed a progressively advanced skillset across a variety of diverse industries, including healthcare, governmental, small business, academic, and consulting.
Currently, Griffin specializes as an accessibility consultant. They are one of less than 250 people worldwide who holds two certifications in accessibility from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, the Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) and the Accessible Documentation Specialist (ADS).
As a consultant, Griffin assists organizations with understanding and developing paths to increase accessibility initiatives, extending beyond compliance to develop adaptive plans to empower disabled and neurodivergent inclusion. As an Subject Matter Expert in document accessibility, Griffin can provide guidance on gaining buy-in from stakeholders, understanding documentation factors that affect accessibility, incorporating accessibility into style guides, procedures, and documentation design, and selecting, navigating, and employing accessibility tools and checkers. Griffin can also support specific accessibility project questions such as specifics of WCAG/Section 504 compliance, creating accessible PDFs, remediating documentation for accessibility, and adopting or creating accessible language guidelines.
Need to Get in Touch?
I am an intermittent contributor to the following social media platforms:
LinkedIn: @DrGriffinZimmerman
You may also reach me by email.
When citing my work (past or present):
Griffin X. Zimmerman (They/He)
