Get Your Students Hired
Vickey,
I think you are on the right track here. The idea is that ALL students may or may not be successful in their pursuits, and what the laws demand is that students with disabilities have the same right to TRY. It is not appropriate for others to decide that the student with a disability shouldn't make this decision or that one. It MAY be appropropriate for others to say, "let's talk about the ramifications of this decision for YOU" (just as you would any other student you were advising). In the end, though, the choice should be theirs.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
It is a good thing there is a law that requires equal access for qualified students since your first question asks if the functional limitations of a student's disability make it logically impossible to purse certain fields. Logic is like art, it is in the eye of the beholder and open for various interpretations. As you can see from reading through the postings, most of us struggle with applying this new found legal knowledge. To answer the questions, students have the right to equal access and if they would not have that without accommodation, it is the school's responsibiity to provide it. Through access the student might determine their functional limitations leave them "unqualified".
Gary,
I can't argue with that. Neither would Michaelangelo (who, I understand, had an army of people working under this direction)... or Walt Disney, whose creative genius changed our world (but who didn't do it all himself!). By the way -- did you know that Walt Disney had a learning disability? His creativity and outside-the-box thinking was one of the ways that he focused on his strengths, rather than his weaknesses!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Another example might be an individual that is a paraplegic with desire to be a sculptor, but is unable to physical carry out the work. In this situation it might be easy to say it can’t be done, but yes it can with modification. With today’s technology the creative genius of the individual can be carried out with the help of this technology. The design and dimensions of the art work can be given over to someone to do the physical work. Some of our greatest works were not built by the people who designed them. We should never assume that it can’t be done!
Cambria,
Just so long as you recognize that the possibility of pursuing such a field is the decision of the student, I have no qualms about a realistic evaluation of the difficulties that might be faced for those who do. We want to make sure that our input to the student provides choices, not limitations. That being said -- the student gets to decide from there!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I agree that a student should pursue whatever course of study they desire. A love for learning should never limit what a person can do and what direction that takes. However, if a student with a disability is seeking training for a career, it is likely that the student will self-limit based on what will bring them the level of success they desire. For example, I work in a career college environment and we have trades programs. It would be highly unusual for a student with a physical disability that places them in a wheel chair to seek work as a welder. Could it be done? Yes! Has it been done? Yes! Should it be done more often? Yes! Realistically, we don't get many physically disabled students seeking a career in some of the more physically demanding trades programs.
James,
Ouch! It isn't your sentiment I disagree with, but your language. Unless somebody is TIED to the wheelchair, the term "wheelchair bound" is inappropriate. Try "in a wheelchair" or "a wheelchair user" instead.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Only in a few cases can a student's functional limitations leave them unqualified. A perfect example was mentioned in this training program for a wheelbound person to be a fireman.
Lizzie ,
I certainly can't argue that a blind pilot is a logical impossibility. But you may find it useful to read the exchange (just below your post to this forum) between Nick Matt and I. It may be more useful to you, in the long run, to focus on functional limitations instead of on categories of disability. When you are talking about things like being a pilot and being blind, there is such an obvious connection between the need to see and not being able to see that the distinction (functional limitations versus categorical exclusion) seems unimportant. And you are right -- there is no reasonable accommodation in such a case. But what about the "obvious" tie between (for example) reading music and being a music major? Blind people cannot read music because they can't see, right? But we know that blind people CAN be successful in careers in music, both performing and teaching. The difference? The functional limitation so clearly at issue is something that CAN be accommodated this time. Focusing on the limitation, instead of the category, allows you to consider that possibility.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
There is defiantly a time when the functional limitations of a student's disability make it logically impossible to pursue certain fields. Such as a blind student wanting to be a pilot, how do you make that happen? This would be nearly impossible due to not seeing the controls on the dash of the plane. The student wouldn't be able to see the landing strip or anything such. They could always have a Co-Pilot but then again, how much would they be achieving on their own that way. Therefore a student's functional limitations can most defiantly leave them "unqualified"for certain positions.
Kenneth,
I couldn't agree with you more. How ANY student chooses to use what he/she learns is a personal decision. And having the freedom to make those personal decisions is what "equal access" is all about.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I think a student can pursue whatever they like. I have students all the time that refuse placement services because they took the course for personal enrichment. I do not think they would be "unqualified" for the pursuit of knowledge. I do believe in some situations they would definately be "unqualified" for the practical application of that knowledge. That would be the decision of the potential employer.
This is a tough one, Beth. I recently had a significant discussion with folks from a Pharmacy program about the necessity of being able to read -- not just the computer, but physician's handwriting, etc. I thought the gentleman I was speaking with made a pretty solid case. The question is complicated by the fact that, for career schools, your overall success is dependent (in part) on the hiring record of your students (something the traditional institutions don't have to deal with). I think my best suggestion would be that you sit down with the student and ask him/her how they plan to USE the degree that they might get from your program. I can think of two possibilities -- one is that the student has a goal in mind that you hadn't thought of that would require the KNOWLEDGE of the field without the practical aspect. The other is that the student does not have a full understanding of the role of a pharmacy tech and is assuming that because he/she is computer literate, all will be well. Sounds like it is time to have an open discussion about where the student wants to go!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
This is one (of the many) topics that I am grappling with in my new position at our career healthcare school with open enrollment. A blind student is entering the Pharmacy Tech program, and the program chair feels that he should not do so, as he will be unable to read the computer, standard print and poor (physician) handwriting. We can provide all textbooks in a format that can be read by his computer, but cannot provide accommodations for access to handwritten information. An essential requirements document does not exist currently for our programs. If reading IS an essential function of the job for Pharm Tech, and a blind individual has that functional limitation but they want to enter the program, is he not an "otherwise qualified" person with a disability?
As pharm tech is not my expertise, it appears that I will be educating myself quickly.
Stacie,
This is one of those difficult areas where the traditional role of the career school seems to be at odds with the broader aims of higher education. If your program is specifically focused on a limited set of jobs in the field, with all students being given training for a specific niche -- a niche that would certainly seem unlikely to be possible for someone who is blind -- then I think it would be appropriate to have a heart-to-heart with the student and ask if they have considered how they will USE the training they would get from your school. If they don't have an adequate answer, then maybe your question will give THEM the answer (that this isn't a good fit!). But if the student suggests that they have a goal in mind that is nontraditional but functional (for them), then they should have the chance to move on. What if the individual is hoping to become a beauty writer/editor on issues of skin care, styles, etc. I am sure there are other examples. So long as we are willing to explore options with the student, I am confident that they will make "logical" informed decisions. ;-)
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I think the key word is "logically". By who's definition? While I agree it is up to the person with the disability to determine if they are up to the challenges certain fields hold, I would be concerned with a cosmetologist who was blind. We have a "one size fits all" policy at our school and I encourage anyone to peruse their passion, but would we really be setting them up for success in this industry?
Joseph,
I agree with you in principal, Joseph. Avoiding assumptions, case-by-case consideration, and individualized assessment of how functional limitations impact on truly NECESSARY job-related tasks are the basis for equal opportunity when it comes to persons with disabilities. But I think when we hesitate to acknowledge that disability DOES sometimes bring limitations, it may leave others with the feeling that we are being too unrealistic in our view of people with disabilities. It is OK to acknowledge that there are limits. The important thing is to remember that people with disabilities have more ABILITIES than DISabilities!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
That is a very interesting question. I suppose in the extreme there might be circumstances where a student might disqualify themselves from a certain field or position, but with improving technology and more open-minded thinking, it seems that there are fewer and fewer limitations and/or disqualifiers. Each person and their respective disability or limitation must be evaluated on their own to determine what accommodations can be made to allow the person to be qualified.
Agreed Dr. Jarrow. Anything is possible and I understand it's not our job to discourage someone but give them every opportunity within the law to live to thier full potential.
Helmi,
I'd be very careful, Helm, about assuming that because of disability, someone cannot do something. It isn't that you have to ignore the obvious (such as "a student in a wheelchair cannot run up stairs and that is something a paramedic must be able to do), but don't assume that the typical way things are done are the only way things are done. That same student in a wheelchair who cannot function as a paramedic may be able to function very effectively as a physician -- because not all physicians are involved in life-or-death actions. We all have a bad habit of "what if" appraisals (that is, thinking about the problems that MIGHT ensue, instead of focusing on the opportunities that might be possible).
Dr. Jane Jarrow