For Darren DeFrain, professor of English and director of the writing program, research is all about finding the narrative.
Take, for example, graphic novels, a subject of DeFrain鈥檚 research for some ten years.
How does a professor make a medium historically exclusive to sighted people accessible for visually-impaired students? It was this very question that kickstarted the mobile app Vizling.
鈥淚 want my students to learn to interpret texts at a deeper level,鈥� DeFrain said. 鈥淚f I translate, panel by panel, everything that happens on the page, I鈥檓 doing all the interpretation for you. Vizling allows you to discover the narrative for yourself.鈥�
Darren DeFrain
Vizling鈥檚 three modes of narrative 鈥� global, grammar and free exploration 鈥� provide audible descriptions and spoken dialogue from each panel, allowing users of all visual abilities to engage with graphic novels at their comfort level.
With more than $400,000 from grant supporters, including the Sloan Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities, DeFrain, former graduate student Aaron Rodriguez and their team of interdepartmental colleagues brought Vizling to life.
鈥淣one of us knew everything,鈥� DeFrain said. 鈥淏ut that collaboration 鈥� the back-and-forth, the compromise: That鈥檚 what made the final product so innovative.鈥�
Collaboration made possible another of DeFrain鈥檚 research projects titled 鈥淣o Choice but Action.鈥�
鈥淚 was in the mail room, and I tore open some obscure punk CD I had ordered,鈥� DeFrain said. 鈥淢y department chair, Fran Connor, took one glance and instantly recognized it. We connected over that, a niche interest in punk, and we decided to explore the history of post-punk Kansas.鈥�
After nearly six years of interviews and investigation into the annals of Kansas鈥� punk scene, 鈥淣o Choice but Action鈥� is slated for release in early 2025.