About a year ago I had a student in my class who was deaf (he did have an interpreter). He was enrolled in the audio production program. This program is for those students who want to record/produce music. Hearing is an integral part of this career field. While I do agree that students should be given the opportunity to try a program, I think it is wrong not to inform the student of the obstacles up front. This student did not complete the program.
While I don't disagree with the suggestion that students should be made aware of technical requirements up front (so they can self-select as appropriate), I am not sure I can agree with the idea that "we are setting the student up for failure." Why are we setting up a student with a physical disability for failure any more than any other student who comes to the table without a realistic expectation of how their skills match with our requirements? ALL students should have a clear idea of what will be expected of them, and ALL students should have an opportunity to try if they want to. One of the barriers that students with disabilities sometimes face comes from folks who have only their best interests at heart and who want to protect them from the consequences of what they believe is a bad decision. But students with disabilities get "protected" in ways that other students don't, and sometimes they get "protected" right out of an opportunity!
