Blakeslee presents summer research at national conferences

Ripon College senior Grace Blakeslee recently presented findings from her Summer Opportunities for Advanced Research (SOAR) experience at three national conferences.

She presented at the Midwest Pop Culture Association (MPCA) Conference at the University of Iowa, the New Directions in Disability Studies Conference at the University of Cincinnati and for the online Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA) Conference.

“Overall, the conferences were a positive experience, and I’m glad I got to share what I learned this summer with others and get the Ripon name out there,” Blakeslee said.

Blakeslee’s research focused on how contemporary romance novels — such as those advertised on BookTok or sold in major retail chains — can challenge the stigmas associated with Type 1 diabetes.

“The romance genre is easy to diversify and make more inclusive since romance novels only have two requirements to be labelled as a ‘romance,’” Blakeslee said. “My argument is that including characters with disabilities in romance fiction helps to fight the long-held social stigma that people with disabilities are undesirable, using Type 1 diabetes as a case study. Placing characters with disabilities who have long been considered undesirable or ‘not worthy’ of being in a romantic narrative, which highlight happy endings and healthy relationships, can help readers to build empathy for those who have disabilities.”

In the spring of 2025, she knew she wanted to participate in SOAR to see if she was ready for graduate school, but she wasn’t sure where to focus her research.

“As someone who has been a Type 1 diabetic for 19 years, I think about how diabetes impacts my life a lot, but it wasn’t something I initially considered pursuing for my research,” Blakeslee said.

However, during a discussion last spring, a peer’s comment stuck with her: “People with disabilities shouldn’t make their disabilities their entire personality.”

“The comment stuck with me, and as someone who lives with a disability, I thought about all the reasons why someone has to embody their disability: they have to convince insurance or their doctor how ill they really are because their disability is invisible; their disability is rare, and therefore, underfunded; they need help finding resources and can only locate them if they truly look ‘sick,’” Blakeslee said. “The more I thought about that comment, the more upset I became, and it ultimately decided what would become the focus of my research.”

Following the advice of Professor of English Ann Pleiss Morris, her SOAR mentor, Blakeslee applied to present at these conferences.

“The department is exceedingly proud of Grace and all the hard work she has put into this project,” Pleiss Morris said. “Her acceptance into these conferences is a testament to the important work she is doing. She is drawing attention to the need for a more inclusive canon and the importance of representation of disabilities in all kinds of fiction.”

Blakeslee said she is grateful to the Ripon College Student Senate for approving discretionary funds to support her attendance at the conferences.

Pursuing a double major in English and secondary education, Blakeslee will begin student teaching in the spring to complete her secondary education major and obtain licensure to teach middle and high school English. She also plans on applying to graduate schools in English and disability studies in the Midwest to further her research.

At Ripon, she participates in several organizations, including Kappa Delta sorority and Sigma Tau Delta (English Honor Society), and she plays in jazz band. Additionally, she holds positions as the public relations officer for the Ripon College Democrats, director of scholarship for Kappa Delta, and vice president for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (VP-DEIAB) for the Ripon Panhellenic Council. On campus, she works as a writing and presentation tutor and serves as the student manager at the Heinz Franzen Learning Center.