Jane Jarrow

And you were absolutely right to stick to your guns on that one, Nicholas. It is not unusual for students with disabilities who come straight from the K-12 system to believe that rules don't apply to them -- all too often, that has been their experience in their school career. It takes some adjusting to! Dr. Jane Jarrow

Heather, That's always a great strategy, Heather... to let students know and understand what to expect, and then to let them make their own decisions about their appropriateness of the choice. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Tia, You are right, of course. The idea of the prompt was to make people think through the ramifications of suggesting that someone with a disability must "do their part" -- ESPECIALLY when that involves taking medication -- in order to "earn the right" to have equal access. As you note, not only is it inappropriate to require such invasive actions/procedures, but it flies in the face of civil rights law to suggest that one must do something to QUALIFY for protection. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Ashley , Hey... that is the right attitude to have. I am pleased that you are looking forward to the experience of working with students with disabilities, and the challenge of thinking-outside-the-box to determine how best to assist. I am sure the students you work with will benefit from your attitude, as well as your teaching. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Ashley , You are right -- that IS a good example of a universally designed technology... but for a lot more reasons than just its multiple functions. Smart phones use standard icons (everyone uses the same thing to mean "mail", for example), and there are some standard functions that are set up in a like manner on pretty much every smart phone (like clocks, alarms, etc.). Those common features are part of what suggests Universal Design. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Michael, I agree. Meds are not the answer for everyone for a variety of reasons. Besides, it isn't up to us to determine how someone will best cope with and manage their disability. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Ann Marie , You are absolutely right. The law promises equal opportunity to ALL people with disabilities. That isn't equal to each other, it is equal to the nondisabled world. If you need more, you get more. But if you need less, you still get what you need! Dr. Jane Jarrow

Ann Marie , Exactly! For us, the idea of trying to manage an old task in a new or different way (because of disability) seems overwhelming and, potentially, unlikely. But for students with disabilities, working around their disability is a way of life. That's where they get to teach US a thing or two. GRIN Dr. Jane Jarrow

Ann Marie , Having trouble concentrating and not being able to concentrate because of disability are two different things. You have probably seen students without disabilities struggle with reading words on tests, but you wouldn't equate their difficulty with that of a blind student who cannot SEE the words on the tests, right? That's the situation here. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Ann Marie , I'll bet you have seen students without disabilities go into challenging fields and fail as well, right? The issue is that we should not be "protecting" students with disabilities any more or less than we do any other student! Dr. Jane Jarrow