Virgie,
Can you give an example? I want to make sure you are thinking this through logically, and not basing your comment on stereotypes.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Terry,
On the day that the ADA was signed, President Bush was quoted as saying, "Together we must remove the physical barriers we have created, and the attitudinal barriers we have allowed." GRIN
Dr. Jane Jarrow
YES, There are certin fields that if you have functional limitations a person may not can do it at all or it may put other people in danger or at risk.
Everyone has their own faults, defects and shortcomings. We are just human being. And as such, we are able to raise to the occasion and become something more than even what we think we can be. So disabilities can be overcome. It's the other people who have to accept us as we are.
Bonnie,
This is an absolutely wonderful suggestion -- that someone who is blind and cannot perform the procedure may still find a niche in patient education. That's the kind of "outside the box" thinking that opens doors for students who are limited in one area but have lots to offer. I once saw a student with a sign on the back of her wheelchair that read, "I may not be perfect, but parts of me are terrific!"
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Norman,
Sounds like the student has worked very hard to focus her energies and continue her educational career. It is nice that she has found a champion in you.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Unfortunately yes, I work in medical assisting for example and if you were blind you would be definitly unable to do some of the medical procedures required, however a blind student that was truley interested in that field could do many other things along the same lines such as patient teaching (especially to those who have disabilities themselves). This would be true of many types of disabilities however in most of them if the student is truely interested in this field accomadations can be made or they can be encouraged to do something slightly different in the same field.
Dr. Farrow, I guess in trying to be brief, I understated the situation. This student in an ultra-non-traditional college student. They had attended the school before the accident and had done very well, especially in Math. On first glance, not having to access to much of their elementary, middle, and high school must have been a terrible shock. I am impressed that despite the odds being against her, she has continued her college education where she had left off with great difficulty and very shaky self confidence, but she is doing it. She may no longer be an A student, but she will graduate and is now a B student in my class.
I am very impressed.
Kerry,
Ouch. Your first example is great. I would agree that a blind person simply doesn't have the necessary ability to fly. But saying that someone with ADHD shouldn't be an attorney is based on stereotypes of what it means to have ADHD, not on some innate handicap that directly, and irrevocably, impacts on basic skills.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Yes. Certainly. A blind person cannot study to be an airline pilot. I'm not sure I would want someone with ADHD as my attorney. They, of course, have the right to study to be an attorney however. But in reality many people, possible clients, would consider that person to be "unqualified".
Theresa,
That sounds like a fair assessment. You have identified a specific activity that is critical to the job that is simply not available for the student.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Norman,
It is always great to hear stories about a student who is able to manage their symptomology and succeed. But I am not sure you spoke to the question that was asked. Is the student who is a wheelchair user able to fulfill the role of college quarterback? Is the student who is deaf inherently unqualified to be a sound engineer? The question was whether there were ever times when a student's functional limitations simply make it illogical to assume they can manage in a specific field.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Yes, I do. Such as the example that I used in Module 1. The medical student, who had cerbral palsy and was visually impaired. Although he did well in his classes, he could not perform venipuncture. With his visual limitations, he would not be a good candidate for the medical assisting field. He could work in other medical ares, though.
Dr. Jarrow, in some ways this is a loaded, but fair question. Equal access does not imply equal opportunity for success. But is that not true of all education. Not everyone does everything well.
I would turn this question around and ask whether the functional limitations disrupted the lack of success in an endeavor or whether the student would not have succeeded anyway for other reasons.
I teach various math and economics courses and just had an encounter with a student who was in a car wreck in 2011 which rendered her limited access to learning she had had before the accident. I have found that this has hindered this student, but she manages to overcome the difficulty. She seems to have excellent "native intelligence", and, once she understands she is not alone in having difficulty in nailing some of the concepts on first reading, she admits that the material is not quite so opaque as she first thought.
My expectation is she will succeed in finishing the course with an A or a B (we are half way through now). Interestingly, I did not learn about this particular disability with this student until today!!!!!!
Cynthia,
It sounds as though you are talking about technical standards, when you talk about "physical and mental requirements". It's important to be sure that whatever is being stated -- and thus passed along to the student -- is legitimately drawn, and not just a matter of tradition. Otherwise, students may be discouraged from pursuing a field that might well be a good fit for them.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Although I have a personal opinion, it is irrelevant in this arena. Making the student aware of the physical and mental requirement to be successful in the area of study they choose to pursue is my responsibility. The students responsibility is to decide if they can or will be able to overcome any barriers to achieve success.
Vada,
I certainly can't argue with that!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
You know, as much as it is in our nature to want to protect others from harm or ridicule, it is imperative to allow a person to try.
I am a Mom and there is nothing that I would rather do than protect my son from things I know will hurt him. Our knowledge is educate after the trial.
Education is key for growth, disability or not.
George ,
I can't disagree. So long as the focus is on skills, and not disability, the same standards can and should be of central focus.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Yes I do, functional limitations to become a fireman or EMT make some students unqualified to do the required skills.
