Jane Jarrow

Tracy, That's a GREAT way to provide all the information necessary for students (any students -- disabled or not) to make their own, informed decisions. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Tracy, There was a time when we saw a lot of disability awareness training around the idea of "disABILITY." The thought was that people with disabilities were (are!) more like everyone else than they are different, and recognizing that was a huge step forward in assuring equal access to opportunity. Looks like you have learned that lesson on your own! Dr. Jane Jarrow

Tracy, That's the key... you tell the same information to all students and give ALL students the courtesy of making their own decisions. Nothing wrong with that! GRIN Dr. Jane Jarrow

Verdell, You are right. It can be as easy as an updated computer system (with accessible features) that allows someone with a disability full access to the SAME virtual world that others can now reach. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Verdell, I don't think that unions would have any problem with the INTENT of the ADA... just (sometimes) how the implementation of the conditions of the ADA interfere with their general practice. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Verdell, I think you just said, "everyone deserves an opportunity to show what they can do." If that was the gist of it -- I agree! GRIN Dr. Jane Jarrow

gail, I certainly can't argue with that philosophy! GRIN Dr. Jane Jarrow

Gail, I would encourage you to think of the difficulties these students had as failure to meet the technical and performance standards, rather than a failure "because they have a disability." There might be other students who fail in the same ways without disabilities, and other students on the spectrum who are able to manage. You are right -- no student should be passed along unless they are performing appropriately. But try focusing on the performance, rather than the disability. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Larry, Clearly, it wasn't that the baking and pastry job required more mobility -- it was the pieces that surrounded the baking and pastry job. You don't teach students how to lift a heavy sack of flour. In fact, I'll be that isn't even in the curriculum! How the student uses the skills he has learned with you is up to him (as it is with all other students). Your lawyers were right -- he did have a right to be there and the school had an obligation to accommodate. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Crystal, Being prepared to read as needed, and watching for issues of architectural access are a great start. There are other simple things that you can do as an instructor that are helpful, too, like being careful about describing things fully ("The equation 2x4" instead of "the equation here", for example), which helps students with visual impairments, and being careful not to turn your back to the class (to write on the board or ???) when you are giving important procedural information that might be lost for someone who is lipreading. Dr. Jane Jarrow