barrons, your posts have been ridiculously ableist and just downright rude to those of us with disabilities. If you had it your way, I would sit at home in poverty and collect SS because there’s no way I could work. Or die off- maybe that’s preferable to some.
I have had depression and anxiety for most of my life. Sometimes it’s under control, sometimes it’s not. I’ve also worked since I was 14. I’ve never had a job that wouldn’t work with me on some level. I’ve somehow cobbled together enough of a life to have a family and a home by my mid-20s, even with disabilities.
I happily accommodate my students and I tell them repeatedly that there is NOTHING more important than their health and wellbeing. Why? Because there just isn’t.
I’m kind of in the middle on this one. I have a child who struggles with ADHD, anxiety, and depression…he is on a 504 and uses some accommodations. Our goal through HS is to get him set for college where he shouldn’t need the accommodations. That said, there are literally dozens of kids in his HS whose wealthy parents paid for a private neuropsych evaluation to get accommodations for their kids so they will get higher grades. The school and the parents know which doctor will give you whatever you want in the evaluation. This, in turn, makes the teachers less willing to honor the accommodations in any kid’s 504. It’s the “anything at all costs for my precious child” parents who create problems for kids with true needs.
Rich and poor both scam this system. Find a job you can handle. I lack empathy.
Never mind. Not worth it.
God forbid you ever need it from someone.
Wealthier children may get more accommodations because the testing to tease out the LD is bloody awful expensive. With three kids who have ADHD plus some other LDs our family has spent thousands just in testing and appeal campaigns, and in tutoring for standardized tests when appeals were denied. No one in my family is scamming the system and if you knew what The College Board pulls with some of the kids you’d be disgusted. As far as these kids finding work and maintaining employment, the kids know their strengths and weaknesses - and in the case of ADHD many of the kids are crazy intelligent. So no worries, the combination of years of working on their behavior, medication, intellect and the trial and error that is ADHD usually results in some awesome success. Thanks for the concern though, maybe you could steer it towards the less fortunate kids who could really benefit from early and consistent testing.
And in rereading my post above I realize I used the word “kids” about 50 times. Note to self, don’t type while angry, LOL.
To add to what @cleoforshort said:
Many ADHD kids, like my son, present themselves well and so professors who are not familiar with these disabilities may be thinking this is some “scam”. I have heard it from my colleagues several times about their students they have to accommodate. One of my colleagues thought that one of his students was “scary”. He had accommodations - I think he had high functioning autism, but this colleague had no clue about any of that. I try to explain . Unless they are faculty in the Education department or have kid(s) with disabilities, most do not understand. The WSJ article quotes a prof who is skeptical of the accommodations and the comments sections in the article had profs chiming in about “special snowflakes”.
My kid has a summer job that caters to his strengths and is managing well in college. Without accommodations, he would not be able to keep up. He will be a productive, taxpaying citizen. Would many of the people who are complaining prefer that he just not go to college and collect social security disability?
I provide my students with accommodations they ask for whether or not they have documents on file with the disability office. I was given this advice from my advisor who has done the same with her classes for more than a decade. If any students are trying to “game” the system, then whatever. Let them. Our papers and exams are not designed to be time-intensive. If you need extra time to show us what you know, fine by us.
I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend Mad at School by Margaret Price and/or Academic Ableism by Jay Dolmage if anyone wants more information about ableism in the academy. The entire system is designed for non-disabled bodyminds. I’m committed to doing whatever I have to in order to open up a space for more people.
I always remind my students that at one point, higher ed was only for wealthy white men. Change happens - and usually for the better.
@romanigypsyeyes Good for you for providing accommodations even if they do not have paperwork. I also do that if a student requests it and their first exam results were iffy, and they are showing effort. Many of these students had IEP in k12, but did not process their paperwork for college. These are usually first gen students.
So-called liberal academia has a definite lack of understanding against people with different learning styles, and an implicit prejudice against students who are first gen , nontraditional, etc. I will note that administrators tend to be more understanding than faculty.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Since the conversation has devolved into debate, which is not allowed, I am closing the thread.