Jane Jarrow

Neal, I am glad you were able to help this student succeed. Dedicated teachers are always appreciated. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Timothy, The college and the instructor are expected to make reasonable accommodations. You are not expected to be mind readers. If the students don't come forward, you cannot help them. There may be things that can be done to encourage self-identification, but in the end, the responsibility is theirs. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Neal, I am not sure what you are saying here. Are you suggesting that all students can use extra time but only students with disabilities should have it? That's not a real healthy approach. It suggests that the extra time is somehow a "perk" given to the student with a disability because we feel sorry for him/her. ;-( Dr. Jane Jarrow

Neal, I wish that were true. There are a lot of students with disabilities (coming straight from high school), who believe in their own potential but are unsure of their abilities because they have been "supported" almost too much through high school. It takes a firm hand, and a lot of faith, to help such students take charge of their own destny. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Jonathan, You are correct -- and that is exactly why we provide extended time for students with disabilities when the impact of their disability impacts on either processing speed or speed of response. It isn't that we are providing more time to work on the questions -- we are providing an equivalent amount of time to that given to all the other students. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Jonathan, Best of luck in being proactive regarding a review of technical standards. It is a huge job, but a necessary and important one. If you can use some tips, let me know Dr. Jane Jarrow

Jonathan, I think the larger question is often "logical possibilities in whose experience?" Too often in the past, people with disabilities have been excluded from opportunities because someone else cannot imagine how they could be successful, rather than allowing the individual to judge that independently. Dr. Jane Jarrow

Jonathan, I would add one more piece. The statutes do not place upper limits on what can be done, they expect that all people with disabilities (regardless of type or severity of disability) will receive the equal access, AND that there are some things that ARE required (that's "the floor"). The laws say, you may not do less than this" but they don't say, "you may not do more than this." Dr. Jane Jarrow

Jonathan, I agree, Jonathon... but I am not sure how this fits in to the discussion. If what you are saying is that students with disabilities should be given the same information about options for employment -- nothing more and nothing less -- than I'm with you all the way! Dr. Jane Jarrow

Mckinley, You are right -- we cannot and should not be in the business of diagnosing disability. We are in a position to notice (and respond appropriately) to the behavior of the student in the classroom. But that should be based on our observations, not our assumptions. Dr. Jane Jarrow