students with disabilities
I remember when I was in school years ago. All students were treated the same, disabilities discussed here were not really recognised back then. Having the ability to receive training on this topic greatly improves the facilitators ability to recognise issues earlier on to get them assistance as soon as possible. This will give students with disabilities greater success in their training and their future imployment.
Arthur,
I am glad that you found the information from the class useful, Arthur. As you suggest, many of us went to school before a time when such students would be present, much less helped. It is nice to see them having a chance to meet their full potential.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Agreed, When I started in school there was no such thing as ADHD. I was just tagged as a "troublemaker". Now, while I did my share of starting trouble, mostly I was just bored. Later I was tagged as "Gifted LD". This, I feel, was just a way for them to change the class setting to try and get a better response from me. It had limited success. I wish they had the resources then that they have now as I feel I would have done much better in school. It's good to know that the future student body does not have to try and suffer through as I did in the past.
Chad,
Your personal experience -- and frustrations -- will certainly work in favor of the students you come in contact with who are facing those same frustrations. It is refreshing to hear someone say, "I'm going to see to it that this generation of students has it better" instead of "I did it the hard way - so can they!" (which, unfortunately, is sometimes the attitude). Your understanding will go a long way toward helping your students meet their goals.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I can relate to your topic. Back when I went to school, if you were tagged with a disability you went to special classes and were out of the general population. The school had specially trained staff to teach the material and the rest of the staff were basically in the dark. I learned a great deal working with the disabled when I taught at the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind(AIDB). We had students with virtually every type of disablility, sometimes within the same class. You basically had to teach each person the material in the way they needed to learn. Fortunately, the class sizes were very small which gave the instructor the much needed one-on-one time with each student. This allows me to recognize very quickly the students who are having difficulty in learning in my current position. Now, if they would just come up with a catagory for "poor attitude" or "just don't care", we could solve the problem with a lot of today's students.
Eric,
You have truly had a unique experience (at AIDB) that must make teaching students in the typical college classroom seen almost easy. But then, your experienced has focused you on how you might TEACH differently to different students, instead of expecting students who LEARN different to take the responsibility of finding ways to learn from a one-size-fits-all teaching style. Keep up the good work!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I found myself in the same environment. I only wish the same opportunities had been available when I was in school. It really is nice to be able to help our students receive the accomidations they need.
Michael,
I am smiling because you have just stated the opposite of conventional wisdom. Usually I hear the naysayers mumbling about how THEY had to do it the hard way, everyone else should to. "It will be character building." (GRIN) You recognize that the fact that it wasn't available for you was your loss, not their gain, and that the next generation of students will benefit mightily from the availability of such support. Go get 'em!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
