Excellent point! While Mr. Schalappi may never be a pro football quarterback, the kid with a significant learning disability may find himself in the same position if he can't read the "play book". The functional limitations of disability manifest in different ways and have impact on life, not just academics. A good reminder to us all.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I guess it depends on what you think is "severe". One of the best things I learned from Mike Schalappi a very inspiring man who was shot as a boy and ended up in a wheelchair, is that you cant discredit someone else's bad day. You may think that being is a wheelchair is the worst thing, but someone with a learning disability may have the same severity of frustration and challenges on a daily basis.
Well said, Andrea. It is much harder for institutions of higher education to ignore the needs of a student who is blind or in a wheelchair than the student who has a learning disability or ADHD. Yet the impact of these latter conditions can be devastating to a student's academic career without appropriate support. That is why it is so important for the college to have a process in place, and an identified "disability services" officer who can collect the vital information, determine appropriate accommodations, and advocate for a student with a disability who might otherwise get overlooked.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Regardless of the disability, the impact that it has on the individual's access and opportunity is what is important. While one might feel that someone who has a visible disability, like a spinal cord injury, has a more severe disability, that disability may not be impacting the individual's access or opportunities to the same degree that someone's non-visible disability may be impacting them. Often times, institutions are more in tune with access for individuals with visible disabilities and have already taken measures to ensure access and to create equal opportunities for them. On the other hand, institutions may be less likely to have even considered the needs for students with non-visible disabilities. In addition, these students may face additional challenges simply because the look like other students and there is less understanding of their needs. If there were greater protection for individuals with varying types of disabilities, the individual's with non-visible disabilities might be the one's who would need it. However, we all know that a disability is a disability and we need to consider the impact of the disability on a case-by-case basis.
Jason,
Your understanding is correct, Jason... EXCEPT in the suggestion that learning disabilities are not (cannot be) severe disabilities. Someone who is severely learning disabled may have more functional limitations than someone who is in a wheelchair! Certainly, they will be DIFFERENT limitations, but severity isn't a function of the type of disability.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
As I understand it, Section 504 and the ADA ensure that people with disabilities, be it learning or a more severe disability are given equal access. The whole idea is to level the playing field rather than increase advantage through "more support and protection."
You have hit on a key element, Amy -- something disability service professionals have known for years. The same changes that need to be made to provide full access for students with disabilities often are elements of "good teaching" that help to make the classroom more usable for ALL students!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
So true - the "invisible" disabilities are the most difficult to communciate an understanding of the need for accommodation and hence students with ADHD and the like are considered disruptive and overall poor students. Whereas making an attempt to accomodate to assist the student to be on a "level playing field" with everyone else in the classroom can only be beneficial to the learning experience for all involved. As an HR professional it is not difficult for me to understand the reasoning but operators with limited knowledge of ADA clearly see it as doing something extra for one student over another.
Nicole,
You're right. It is a hard concept for some people to grasp. Students with "invisible" disabilities like LD or ADHD often have difficulty getting the consideration and accommodations they need because they LOOK just like every other student, so people can't understand why they shouldn't be expected to *perform* just like every other student. Ironically, these are the students whose disability may impact them MOST in the classroom. For students who are blind, deaf, or in a wheelchair, access to the *classroom* probably requires someone looking after the logistics (like providing materials in Braille or having an interpreter present), but for the kids with LD/ADHD, the need is for finding a way to give access to the *curriculum!*
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Agreed, and again, the law covers people with disabilities - from the most minor to the most severe. As long as we are giving reasonable accomodations to a person who is blind or has a spinal cord injury, that person will have full access. What each person is given in terms of accomodations is moot because not every person needs the same things ... only those things that are tailored to their unique needs.
I agree, wholeheartedly, Nicole. And so does the federal government. The issue is what support should be provided to assure that the student has full access. THIS student, not some other! ;-)
