Our underlying methodology in approaching this project was feminist in nature in that we had an emphasis on collaboration, service learning, and activist research, and maintained constant contact with our community partner as we sought feedback and guidance from her. We wanted to be mindful of the issues Kirsch (1999) raises about how we could best “understand and represent the experiences of others without misrepresenting, misappropriating, or distorting their realities” (ix). In the case of the victims we would be representing, this charge seemed especially relevant as they are unable to make their own voices heard.
In order to determine our methods, we first needed to take stock of our assets and deficits. For example, as outsiders coming to work on this project, we brought an objective eye, writing skills, and a layperson’s sensibilities which could serve to better highlight which information would resonate more with an audience largely outside of the Fatality Report Team. That said, we also came in with little to no knowledge about the topic, little understanding of what this particular document was intended to do or how it should look, and, at least initially, more questions than answers regarding the final product.
In an effort to reduce the bombardment of questions on Julie, we had our main contact liaison, Kyllikki, condense and communicate all questions and concerns. To supplement our meager knowledge, Julie provided us with many informative documents –including examples of FRT reports written by other counties and a very large binder of materials collected by the Wood County FRT as part of their original data collection and drafting processes that culminated in both an interim report and an early draft of the final FRT report. An important initial step was to scan and distribute a large quantity of this data so that we could all work with it independently. Using the Lucas County FRT report as a model, we conducted a genre analysis to help us become more familiar with this type of document in general and to give us a better sense of what form our finished product might take. We also made contact with another BGSU faculty member, Jenn Stucker, who teaches graphic design for the Art Department, and enlisted her future aid on Julie’s behalf to help assemble a very polished, professional final product.
All of this work provided a context in which we felt we could begin drafting. Working collaboratively on pieces at a time, we drafted a more comprehensive introduction which included definitions of key terms, such as intimate partner violence, which may be new to the public. We also updated the findings section of the main report to reflect an additional victim not included in earlier drafts. This update entailed revising existing statistical data and locating additional information to incorporate the circumstances and details of this most recent victim and perpetrator. As we worked, we looked for patterns and other significant items that would be rhetorically powerful if pulled out or otherwise highlighted.
Our progress was not without setbacks. Indeed, at one point when we believed we had things well under control, we discovered the draft we had been working on was not the version we needed to revise. Fortunately, upon receiving this feedback from Julie, we were still able to incorporate much of what we had created into the correct version of the document and continue to move forward. The work was slow and painstaking, though, as our ignorance often proved a stumbling block. Working with the data often raised many additional questions that needed to be clarified before we could more forward yet again. We were fortunate in that Julie responded promptly to our inquiries, though even in our final-most version, we still have some gaps in our content.
After drafting, updating, and revising our content and periodically sending drafts to Julie along the way for feedback from her, we finally began some work on formatting and arranging the text, knowing that ultimately our professional volunteer could come in and make improvements as needed. This formatting included selecting and arranging artwork, highlighting the various pieces of information we had selected, and updating and creating several new graphs and charts.