Excellence in English: Student Profile of Karla Kmetz
When Karla Kmetz signed up for a Disability Studies course, English 579C, with Professor Brenda Brueggemann in the winter of 2006, she didn't know it would change her academic direction. A Psychology major at the time, the class helped her focus her interests. And when Professor Brueggemann asked for volunteers for a summer research project, Kmetz was the first to respond.
"I fell into English because of my interest in Disability Studies," said Kmetz, a native of Fairfax, Virginia. "When I started this project, I was a Psychology major, but my interest in Disability Studies was from a humanities perspective. Brenda helped me discover this."
Brueggemann and Kmetz applied for a grant from Technology Enhanced Learning and Research (TELR) through their program, "Research on Research." The grant allowed Kmetz to devote the Summer of 2006 to the project. The resulting web site, "A Multimedia History of Disability and Disability Studies at Ohio State University," can be used by other universities interested in starting a similar program, or by anyone interested in the history of disability studies at Ohio State.
The knowledge Kmetz gained from her work with Brueggemann enabled her to get into her first-choice graduate school, George Mason University, where she will be studying assistive technologies. Kmetz graduates in spring 2008.
"I went into this project never having done exhaustive research. I knew a lot about computers, but had never done a website. I'd never used a Mac before, and now I can't leave my Mac alone. I learned computer skills, research skills, an understanding of how universities work. It helped me focus on how I was going to spend the rest of my time here at Ohio State, and how I was going to spend my time after I left here."
To view the site Kmetz and Brueggemann built, visit this link.
