After the Classroom
This student may have a hard time focusing in a fast-paced and highly distracting environment. In the case of UTI students, they will need to stay focused as they diagnose problems with vehicles while also trying to maintain high levels of professionalism and safety standards.
The functional limitations created by disability do not stop being a problem when the student leaves the classroom. They are a constant for the student, and impact on all activities. For instance, how do you suppose the functional limitations created by significant problems with ADHD might impact on a student's employment experience?
Sabahudin,
That's the key -- that the student learn coping strategies so that when they become an employee they know what support to ask for and what they can do themselves to make things work.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Hello,
Although the problems created by the disability continue after academic career, I believe that the schooling the student gets enables the student to learn how to deal with the disability. For example, and ADHD student would probably learn that it is important to take medication and take care of oneself in order to function well. Also, a student might learn how to adjust to the environment to reach his/her full potential and actually fit well at the workplace.
Nicholas,
The tricky part here is whether and when to disclose to an employer. It CAN be done -- in fact, I agree with you that it SHOULD be done -- but people with disabilities often hesitate to reveal what they perceive to be "weaknesses" to someone who has just hired them on. The answer is to present the disability in a positive light. Not "I am going to need something extra because..." but "You hired me to do a job, and I intend to do it! I have ADHD, and that means to do a job we are both satisfied with, I need... But given that, hang on to your hat!" GRIN
Dr. Jane Jarrow
The functional limitations created by ADHD are going to follow the student into the work world. I believe that if the student understands his/her limitations, the employer understands the limitations, and the student is casted in a role which he/she is able to be successful, the employment experience can be great.
I think it may be a struggle to find this perfect scenario in the work world but, once it happens, with the right employers and open communication, they should be able to make it work.
William,
The generally experience of folks in the field is that the "wounded warriors" are among the most motivated of students, because they want so much to get back to pre-injury status, but also can face the most significant challenges because they are not fully adjusted to their new reality. Patience is always a virtue, but especially when dealing with this population. They often need TIME, rather than help.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I am lone of those vets with a disability and I hate to be told I can't do something.I have friends who are disabled and they feel the same. You hit the nail right on the head.
William,
The problem for many vets is that they don't consider themselves to BE disabled. When their limitations are newly acquired (as opposed to having grown up with the disability), there is a much longer adjustment period.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
You are correct. The same behaviors and problems the student had in school do carry over to the work place. It is the students job to ask for a reasonable accommodation.One group the veterans probably will not ask for help. They are a proud and don't see their disability as getting in the way.
Shelly,
Maybe. Maybe not. Whether or not the individual needs accommodations on the job will depend on (1) how well they have learned to manage their own symptomology, and (2) whether their job setting plays into their strengths or their weaknesses.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
It will play on the experience a lot they will still have the disability. So the employer will need to know so accommodations can be made.
ELIZABETH,
The question is, how do you know they are not "well-suited" for something? If you are assuming that this is the case because you believe the disability will interfere, then the possibility still exists that you are counseling students with disabilities toward more restrictive career options, and that is expressly forbidden under the law.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Well i certainly was not implying that it would be stupid for a person with ADHD to pursue ANY career and i know that ALLOWeD was not ever mentioned. my point is that i would prefer for someone to point me in a different direction as opposed to encouraging me to do something that i may not be well-suited for..... even students without disabliltes need help in this area. Sit down with the student and go over their strengths and weakness and find fields that match their strengths.
ELIZABETH,
"It would not be fair to that student"??? I am not sure exactly what you mean by that, but it sounds as though you are suggesting that the student not be ALLOWED to do something stupid like going into the field of their choosing. I would be very careful here...
Dr. Jane Jarrow
if a student has difficulty with school and goes into a career to which their adhd would pose a problem it would not be fair to that student. it would most likely give that student a poor work history if they arent able to keep a job.
william,
That's always the key... find a situation that plays off your strengths rather than trying to force your way through the weaknesses.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
great question, this would still be an issues for students to manage. stay on task, counting money, stay focused.. and work in same spot for long hours would be very tough for students ... i would just hope students would try to find work that best suits them.. and there disabilities..
Nathaniel,
I think having and using referral sources is a great service. But I would be careful about "seeing disability" everywhere you look. It is not uncommon for instructors to assume that if a student is having difficulty in class, it is likely due to an undiagnosed disability. What does that say about students with disabilities, in general, other than the "assumption" that they will perform poorly.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
This can become very discouraging for the student and the employer. It's a very important call for teachers when you recognize that a student could have ADHD and has never been diagnosed by a physician.
