Evelyn Harry Saru (she/her/hers)

Technical Writing Graduate Teaching Associate

University of Texas El Paso

Description of Work: 

The title of my study is Rethinking Metaphor in the Rhetoric of Alzheimer’s Disease. The purpose of my study is to examine how early onset Alzheimer authors and those who serve as caregivers to late onset Alzheimer patients use metaphors to frame and describe their experiences of living and coping with the disease. My goal in reading their narratives and tracking the metaphors choices that they use to communicate their experiences is to identify strategies that help reframe their experience in more positive light and foster their well-being and coping responses. In paying attention to the disabling metaphors in the rhetoric of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), I hope to bring to the forefront the issue of neuro-cognitive disability resulting from AD making it more visible to the public in addition to highlighting how neuro-cognitive disability is routinely understood as an ethos problem. By understanding how representation of neuro-cognitive disability is problematic, I also hope to advocate for greater awareness and more sensitive communication strategies that can reframe and change the negative narratives about AD.

Contact: eharrysaru@miners.utep.edu