Enrollment
For example, you have a student who has ADHD, should you still enroll student if he/she is interested in program, and you as a admission representative has a gut feeling that this is not a good fit for student?
Good Point Monica. There are many different experienced individuals in the work force that can assist you, if you have questions.
I think having common sense and giving a person a chance to speak, and not speaking for them, or assume you know what they are going to say next is key. Active listening is so important.
I have also enlisted the help and knowledge of the instructors when I have met a student with a particular disability. As a medical massage school, it is very important to utilize those not only teaching the techniques but practicing them in the real world.
Thank you Kimberly.
In most cases, if you just ask the student what "reasonable accomomdations" that they need, the student, in many cases, is used to advocating for themselves. If they are not as versed in this, a family member can assist. Providing reasonable accommodations is the law, as long as it does not provide an undue financial hardship. Many things are common sense. Doing a little research in advance will help you to feel more comfortable in many different types of situations. Another disability tip for the day. People who are in wheelchairs are considered wheelchair users, not wheelchair bound, as they are not bound to the chair. Consider the chair as an extension of the persons personal space. Do not lean on the persons chair. If possible, pull up a chair so that you can be face to face in conversation.
Giselle ,
You have provided some great suggestions.
Kimberly Stein
Most "reasonable accommodations" are very simple. Some examples: a student with a visual impairment that is not total blindness, might be offered printed materials in larger print, or be allowed to sit in the front row so that he can see the chalkboard better. Students with vision loss, might ask that each classroom student state their name first when answering a question, so that the student can follow the class discussion more clearly. The original question referenced ADHD which is a disability related to a short attention span. I worked with two students this past summer with ADHD. I found that frequent movement, mixing up of activities, and maintained their engagement in the process made a huge difference in helping them to stay focused.
You might also notice from my earlier reply, that the correct way to refer to a person with a disability is as a person first, and their disability second. Instead of saying, a blind person, one would say, a person who is blind. Handicap is also an antiquated term. There are handicapped parking places still. Handy Cap refers to a beggar putting out his hat for a handout. The Americans with Disabilities Act from 1973, is a great reference for any questions regarding the rights of a person with disabilities. If your school is small and does not have an Access office, or Office of Accessibility, then the Director is usually the person to refer these prospective students.
Definitely refer the student to the Disability Coordinator at your school regarding this student. I worked in Disability Services for several years. A favorite saying is, "Focus on the Ability in Dis-Ability." Many students with disabilities have great ability, and according to the law, just need "reasonable accommodations" in order to be successful. For example: A student with no vision, might be using screen reading software called JAWS which stands for Job Access with Speech. The student has a headset and works on the computer and the software reads it to him. We had a meeting at our office, and a meeting participant has no hearing. During the meeting, numerous participants started talking at once, making it difficult, if not impossible for the person without hearing to read lips and follow the dialogue flow. A rule was established that when a meeting participant was speaking, they would be holding an object. Another participant would raise their hand to say something and the object would be passed. In this way, a visual cue was created for the person who is hearing impaired to follow the meeting, and a bonus is that one person was speaking at a time, allowing all participants to focus on that individual.
I was wondering the same thing. there ares o many different disabilities out there that I think it would take an expert to make that call
Marilyn,
If you have a concern about a specific disability issue I would refer it to your school's director of admissions or another school administrator. Generally, if a student has a verifiable learning and/or other physical disability your school should have a process in place to identify whether the student will need some type of accommodation in order to successfully complete their training and whether your school has the ability to provide the accommodation.
John Ware
