Vada,
That's a good way to look at things -- that the student will share when and if it is necessary. But I think it is important to recognize that NOT sharing is not a sign that the student doesn't trust you or respect your relationship. Disability is a very private issue for lots of folks.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
As far as knowledge of the full extent of a persons' disability goes, I think the accomodation letter is sufficient.
If you have the relationship with the student that you should have, they will let you know if they have any other needs.
If the student wants to share, by all means we should be there listen.
George ,
Agreed. Students are not required to provide such in-depth information about their disability, but if they are comfortable in doing so, the faculty member may be better able to help determine alternate strategies.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Officially that is fine and appropriate for the record. Faculty and staff do not need to know any private information about the student. Should the student desire to inform faculty and staff more about their accommodations on their own it is off the record and completely between the individuals on a personal level.
Angelia,
I couldn't agree more.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
In my opinion, all an instructor needs to know is what accommodations are required for the student. If an instructor feels the need to know more he or she can contact the the disability service office and request a meeting with them AND the student.
It is in our nature to want to "help", and if the instructor has more information than needed for that particular class, he or she may feel the urge to "help" more than actually needed, and therefore may end up "hurting" the student.
Angela,
Perhaps it is more an issue of WHAT information is shared than IF. I think faculty should always be given as much information as is necessary to be able to effectively provide access. That means they may need to understand, from the beginning, what the impact of the disability is on the student's learning. That is very different than needing to know the reason for that impact.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I do not think more information should be shared unless for some reason the accomodations are not being carried out successfully. If staff and faculty need more information to accomodate then it should be shared. Otherwise, to respect the privacy of the student, minimal information should be given.
Batu,
The fact that information in the Letter of Accommodation is minimal does not limit you, as an instructor, from seeking out more information from the student, so long as it is done in the right way and with the right intention -- which it sounds like you have. I wouldn't hesitate to approach a student privately and say, "I have the accommodation letter here, and I understand that you are going to need x, y, and z. If you are comfortable sharing some more information about your disability, there may be other ways I can help as well."
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Generally speaking, knowing more or less about any disability would be helpful. It depends on type of disability and should be empirically decided on case to case basis. In most cases, the information provided on letter of accommodation should be enough. This also assures the protection of privacy and availability of the required accommodation at the same time. In some instances, however, knowing the further details of disability would be helpful in trailer making some unique and helpful accommodations to guarantee the equal access to the program.
Stephanie,
I think SOMEONE at the institution should know the detail of the student's disability. The real question is whether EVERYONE has to know. What really makes the difference for the classroom teacher -- knowing the label or knowing the impact of the disability? There are degrees of "knowing" that should be respected.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I think that this is hard discussion to have, as it cuts both ways. On the one hand, the nature of the information is typically of a very personal nature, and as a result, most people would not want to share it, or have it be made available broadly and generally. On the other hand, once out in the workplace, some of the same information may have to be shared more broadly with various managers and team leads, in order for the student to be able to be productive and do their job effectively.
Questions of personal privacy, and more specifically, information of this type, are hard to address with a general broad stroke of the brush, as there are many variables and unknowns. I do think that when addressed as a case by case approach, working to try and find a comfortable place where both parties feel as if they are able to interact with enough information and respect for boundaries that they can work together, that good outcomes are more likely.
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
I think with learning disabilities it is considered to be more of a challenge to think accommodations . I know at the college site that I teach at we do express to students that have
difficulties with test taking that the student should inform us and we will consider other options if needed.Some students who may need these accommodations do not speak to us about their difficulties.
Kevin,
Keep in mind that not all accommodations are delivered by someone else (the provider). Sometimes the accommodation is delivered by the classroom instructor with direction from the provider. We don't want to isolate the students or suggest that their access is the responsibility of only one person at the institution.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I believe that once the accomodations have been made for a student by the provider that should be all that needs to be done. Otherwise it would be giving that student a "leg-up" on everyone else in the class. As long as the playing field is equal that is all that should be done.
Darin,
I suppose that depends on what "more" you are looking for. Having the NAME of the disability (the label) doesn't tell you anything about how better to assist the student. That is why this information is often NOT included in the notification you receive. But I agree that having information about the impact of the student's functional limitations on their academic work WOULD be useful.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
More information would provide the educator with insight on how to better assist the student
Stephen,
There are many situations in which faculty can be informed of accommodation needs without knowing much about the disability. And there are some situations in which the less faculty know of the disability itself, the better. Otherwise, stereotypes and unintended bias can creep in.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I feel that the faculty and staff should have basic information about a students disability.
There should be a discussion that informs the faculty and staff on the accommodations for the student or students. This would be to ensure that the proper accommodations are being made and to answer questions that may come up.
