The Human Factor
Often, folks have stories to tell about the one student with a disability whom they never thought would make it who did, in fact, achieve their goals. Would you care to share your "success" story to help dispel some of the stereotypes we all carry?
What a great outcome. This person should be very proud of his accomplishments. He will be great in his future endeavors.
I had a student enroll with a severely disabled hand. There was a lot of push back about her likelihood for employment and pressure to council her out of the program. I educated her about the course, set up time for her to meet with the program supervisor, and spent a lot of time trying to give her as much support as possible while ensuring that she was able to make a decision that she was comfortable with. She enrolled in the program, graduated, and is now a medical assistant at one of our hospitals in town. Her story inspires me to not stereotype and educate people who are making generalized determinations about what an ethical enrollment process looks like for a disabled student. Ultimately, we impact so many lives it is vital that we remain student focused and compliant to ensure that our students receive a consistent enrollment process.
There was one young lady last year that did not disclose her disabilities and need for accomodations until after the school year started. We were able to accomodate and while there were some concerns that her disabilities would probably hinder her being able to find (and keep) a job in her chosen career path, she was counseled about other areas in the field where she may be more successful. She persevered, graduated, was chosen by her fellow students to speak on their behalf at the graduation and now holds a position in the field.
There are several students that have had learning disabilities that have come through my classroom. I do my very best to make all accommodations needed for a successful college experience. I do not have just one success story to share but just lessons I have taken from each scenario.
Each student has a right to get to learn the materials provided. Spending extra time is an option that I provide any student that isn't passing exams and such. I spend time providing notes for the classes as well as going over the notes and having review time for each section of notes.
Providing extra testing time has proven to work for some but not for all. I make sure that the notes have been reviewed and the student understands the questions being asked. This way the extra time can be used wisely.
Yes. We had a student in our massage program who was blind. The student after being helped a few times could navigate through the college pretty much on his own. If it was not somewhere he was familiar with, other students or staff would help him. This student had a great sense of humor. I would see him coming down the hall and call him by name and ask him why he was in my way and he would laugh. That particular student graduated and it was my honor to walk him across the stage to receive his diploma at the commencement exercise. He received a standing ovation, and when I told him that, he said I see. The student also was hired at a massage salon.
I had a student who had a learning disability and had a hard time finding success within his studies. He had withdrawn from previous schools because he would get so frustrated. All I did was listen and allowed him to talk. After a long conversation, he mentioned to me, that I probably wouldn't want to waste my time enrolling him. But I did and he went on to be very successful in his studies. Sometimes a student just wants to be heard, not judged. Guide them but allow them to find their way to success.
Acutally, I prefer not to sterotype or place people in special categories due to a specific disability. People with disabilities want to be treated and viewed the same as everyone else and most of the time do not like to singled out for success or failure due to their disability.
I myself being a Director of Admissions have had experience in enrolling a handful of students with disabilities. Surprisingly just about every student did not request any special accommodations. Every one of these students has successfully graduated.
The one student that stands out the most is a student that has a spinal condition that limited his ability to walk and required him to go through dialysis twice a week. He used a wheel chair the first 5 months in school. As he attended school you could see his self confidence increase and his attitude start to brighten up. He became our student council president and our valedictorian at his graduation. Currently he is successfully working in the field he studied for.
Stereotypes are detrimental to every student who is different from his or her classmates. Instructors must be objective and treat all students equally and provide help, guidance and accommodations when needed.
Years ago I had a student who was deaf who wanted to be a motorcycle technician. Many people were skeptical that we could place him in the industry even if he were able to complete the training. Not only did he complete, he excelled. In Noise Diagnostics, he used touch/feeling to diagnose possible engine problems. The placement office was able to secure an interview for him in a dealership that catered to individuals with hearing disabilities. He was able to live his dream.
Duane,
Thanks for sharing your personal experiences. I'm glad that this class has been beneficial to you!
Sarah Smoger
Anna,
I agree! This has been my experience as well.
Sarah Smoger
A friend of mine had dyslexia and had a hard time writing papers the first couple of years of high school. I have known this person since elementary school and I could remember him always needing extra attention from the teacher in order to understand the material. I also wrote a couple of papers for him our first 2 years of high school all due to the fact that I knew that it was very hard for him to sometimes catch the concept of what the paper was about. Our senior paper was a whole different story because I could not help him with that because I was too busy doing my own but I do remember him taking the time to understand every section piece by piece in order to understand the concept and be successful at writing this paper. I believe if any person with a disability want it bad enough they can achieve anything that want to do.
There is one particular student that comes to mind. There were a few instructors that were concerned about his ability to succeed in our program as well as find employment in his chosen career field based on his disability. We offered him support and reminded instructors that he had the same opportunity as other students. He graduated from his program and is working in the industry! We are all so proud! Now, when someone expresses a concern about a student's ability to succeed we refer to this student.
I had a female student who was almost totally deaf but read lips very well. I was told by other people she would never make it clinical. However, she proved everyone wrong. For her disability she was awarded an amplified stethescope to hear lung, heart, and abd sounds. She went through nursing clinical with flying colors and succeeded in landing a great nursing job.
I do not have a student story yet since I am fairly new at being a CDL instructor however I myself suffer from dyslexia, ADHD, and am bipolar. I have struggled my entire life and was not diagnosed with all of this until a few years ago. I have been a victim of discrimination by the education system (even though these laws were in effect when I was a child.)I was sent home half a day because I became too hyper for my teachers. I have really learned a lot from this module and hope to be able to help all of my students in access to my classes and their better futures.
I had students with epilepsy, vision impaired, and with LD. Many of them did better than "healthy" students. Most of the time they are very ambitious and hard-working.
What one student with disability can do, other with the same disability is not able to do.
Every person is different, regardless if they have disability or not.
Boni,
What a great story. Thanks for sharing.
Sarah Smoger
I know a person who entered the massage therapy program at the age of 74. He graduated at the top of the class and passed the State Board on the first attempt. He found a spa job where he saw up to 40 clients per week for the next 4 years, total over 4000 hours. He also taught massage therapy in a career college for two years. Although age doesn't necessarily imply disability, very few people at this age are accepted into so strenuous a program, or employed so successfully.
