Jane Jarrow

Cynthia, WONDERFUL examples. Thanks. The statistics show that building in accessibility adds less than 10% to the cost of most designs, while retrofitting for accessibility can cost as much as 40% of the original construction cost. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Cynthia, You are right. We provide accommodations for students with disabilities, and those same accommodations may be available to them on the job. But the coping strategies that the students learns and uses to successfully make it through school are invaluable to the student for their future endeavors. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Cynthia, That's a great observation. Very few fields provide training that can be used in one and only one way. We need to be honest with students, but we need to respect their decisions and their right to choose their own path. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Jeffrey, Allowing students to explain their work, rather than insisting on the explanation come in writing in the standard way is a great example of Universal Design in the classroom. You are providing alternatives that achieve the same end (verifying learning/competence). Good job! Dr. Jane Jarrow

Pietro, That's a great strategy for helping students -- ANY students -- to acquire important skills and information. When you relate new learning to high interest areas, you get high motivation as well. Good job. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Pietro, I think I missed something here. Are you saying that if it is a child, and the parents want them to take medication, they should? That may be true, but that wasn't the question. The question was whether it was appropriate to insist that a student at the college level be required to take medication if they want accommodations. I would be careful, too, about using negative terminology (like "mental malfunction") or trivializing the experience of disability by suggesting it is a function of bad diet. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Olin, Be honest and upfront? Absolutely. But you need to make sure that you don't let your concerns about the viability of a student's enrollment translate itself to an active suggestion that the student re-think a decision to proceed. You don't want to discourage students with disabilities, just empower them to make their own, wise decisions. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Ellis, Those are great examples. Universal Design is all about creating products and systems that are NECESSARY for people with disabilities but useful for everybody else. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Olin, I agree with your premise -- that the info should be shared only as needed and that disability is a private matter. But just for the record, the HIPAA laws (what you refer to as medical privacy) do not apply to disability-related information at the college level. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Olin, You are right. That is part of why we hope that students will have the opportunity to learn effective coping strategies while they are in school. The tricks they learn with us can serve them well later, as well. Dr. Jane Jarrow