I had a wonderful learning experience the other day at work wit Dan... which is perfect timing seeing as I had just written about him in the prior entry. Good timing right?
Dan let me know that he had a student that he had been working with on and off for the last year or so. This student was deaf. Dan thought it would be a great opportunity if I sat in on the appointment ... and I gladly took the opportunity.
His name was Rob (name changed) and he was a non-traditional student who was wanting to go back to school after losing his job. (and no, he didn't lost his job because of his disability like many people would think... it's the economy.). Rob wanted to take classes that would help further his career and make him more hireable.
Dan had explained to me that Rob started out very quiet when he first met with Dan. Rob had a translator with him and used sign language to speak... at first he never directly looked at Dan during the appointments. But, as Dan gained Robs trust they would joke with one another. Dan believe that Rob gained some of his trust because he himself was hearing impair. To work with with students with disability it's not about sympathy it's about understanding the individual through their disability. So many times people are treated differently because their disability. They want to be accommodated with equal access... from there they are no different.
In this appointment I was able to speak with Rob and get his perspective on what it's like to be a student with a disability. Rob felt individual at times... may people spoke to the interpreter instead of looking at him. I myself found it hard to look at Rob when I was speaking... because it was the interpreter that spoke back to me. I found that I had to make a true effort to look at Rob when I spoke to him. An effort he appreciated.
He also liked to joke about his disability. I also agree that humor is a way to deal with things they aren't easy. Rob has known nothing different and doesn't view his disability as an issue, just a different way of dealing with things. Dan was looking for an elective that Rob could take... they both joked that a "Music Appreciation" class would be perfect... Rob laughed. Something Dan had never seen Rob do. Dan and Rob exchanged witty banter, and it was obvious the Rob trusted Dan.
D. Smith (personal communication, September 20, 2011;
R. Smith (personal communication, September 20, 2011, 2011)
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Dan
I sat in on an appointment today with another advisor.
This advisor has acted a mentor to me in my time at Owens thus far and he has been able to offer me guidance and push me out of my comfort zone. This advisor is partially deaf.
I will be referring to this advisor as "Dan". When I was first introduced to Dan, I found that I had a hard time understanding him, in most part due to his deafness and how he's speaks as a cause of that. When I first started to sit in on appointments with Dan I was intimidated and worried that I wouldn't be able to understand him. From this first impression, I thought about how students perceive Dan and how they are able to communicate with him. It was obvious that Dan was hearing impaired because he wore hearing aids and his speech (which some may see as a sign of having a hearing problem). From my first impression, I was extremely curious to see how appoints would go.
Would he be an advisor that would listen (literally and figuratively) to the student and really show that he cared?
Would he make appointments short and sweet as to not do a lot of talking?
Would he be a good advisor?
I learned quickly how my worry was silly. Dan is one of the most amazing advisors I have ever say in with. Not only does Dan listen to the student, he worked to make sure that *I* was receiving the experiences I needed to experience for a true advising experience from the advisors perspective. I learned more than I could have imagined
I felt silly to have worried about how Dan's hearing would affect the appointment, and overlooked all the amazing attributes of this advisor. Besides that, who's to say that his hearing is a NEGATIVE attribute. I'm sure that the amazing skills he's obtained, and trials he has faced because of his hearing have only made him into a better person/advisor.
Regardless of MY thoughts, which have changed and I have learned from. Where do students fit in? When they realize that they are meeting with an advisor that is hard of hearing and may be difficult to understand at first... how does that make them feel? Maybe students don't realize how great of an advisor Dan is at first. Maybe the feel they are being let down or neglected. Maybe they will change advisors before realizing that Dan will do anything to help a student. Maybe the student won't listen to Dan or meet with any advisor again.
These things may APPEAR to be the non-verbal messages that Owens is sending to students that meet with him. This is obviously wrong and there needs to be a way to communicate that to these students before they don't give Dan a chance.
Dan is the most compassionate advisors and he will go out of his way to help students in the best way he can. I rarely see other advisors go out of their way like Dan does.
There are a lot if misconceptions about people with disabilities. And when these people with disabilities are part of the professional human aggregate at an institution, newcomers may view a postive experience like a negative one.
food for thought.
D. Smith (email communication, September, 2011)R. Smith (email communication, September, 2011)
This advisor has acted a mentor to me in my time at Owens thus far and he has been able to offer me guidance and push me out of my comfort zone. This advisor is partially deaf.
I will be referring to this advisor as "Dan". When I was first introduced to Dan, I found that I had a hard time understanding him, in most part due to his deafness and how he's speaks as a cause of that. When I first started to sit in on appointments with Dan I was intimidated and worried that I wouldn't be able to understand him. From this first impression, I thought about how students perceive Dan and how they are able to communicate with him. It was obvious that Dan was hearing impaired because he wore hearing aids and his speech (which some may see as a sign of having a hearing problem). From my first impression, I was extremely curious to see how appoints would go.
Would he be an advisor that would listen (literally and figuratively) to the student and really show that he cared?
Would he make appointments short and sweet as to not do a lot of talking?
Would he be a good advisor?
I learned quickly how my worry was silly. Dan is one of the most amazing advisors I have ever say in with. Not only does Dan listen to the student, he worked to make sure that *I* was receiving the experiences I needed to experience for a true advising experience from the advisors perspective. I learned more than I could have imagined
I felt silly to have worried about how Dan's hearing would affect the appointment, and overlooked all the amazing attributes of this advisor. Besides that, who's to say that his hearing is a NEGATIVE attribute. I'm sure that the amazing skills he's obtained, and trials he has faced because of his hearing have only made him into a better person/advisor.
Regardless of MY thoughts, which have changed and I have learned from. Where do students fit in? When they realize that they are meeting with an advisor that is hard of hearing and may be difficult to understand at first... how does that make them feel? Maybe students don't realize how great of an advisor Dan is at first. Maybe the feel they are being let down or neglected. Maybe they will change advisors before realizing that Dan will do anything to help a student. Maybe the student won't listen to Dan or meet with any advisor again.
These things may APPEAR to be the non-verbal messages that Owens is sending to students that meet with him. This is obviously wrong and there needs to be a way to communicate that to these students before they don't give Dan a chance.
Dan is the most compassionate advisors and he will go out of his way to help students in the best way he can. I rarely see other advisors go out of their way like Dan does.
There are a lot if misconceptions about people with disabilities. And when these people with disabilities are part of the professional human aggregate at an institution, newcomers may view a postive experience like a negative one.
food for thought.
D. Smith (email communication, September, 2011)R. Smith (email communication, September, 2011)
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Show Support: Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp3QPma3dCE
Unfortunately youtube isn't allowing me to "embed" this video so you can view it on my blog. However, I think it's a great video.
The description of the video is as follows:
It features real students and helps students with the process of applying for support services. I think every school should have something like this.
The it gives the nonverbal message that the UCAS really cares about their students with disabilities. Even just taking the time to create a high quality video for students with disabilities is enough... on top of that... it's extremely helpful.
I just wanted to post this as a great example of what schools should be doing for their students.
Other schools offer much of the same guidance.
Unfortunately youtube isn't allowing me to "embed" this video so you can view it on my blog. However, I think it's a great video.
The description of the video is as follows:
This UCAS guide is to help disabled students learn how to apply for support while at university and how the universities can help students with disabilities
It features real students and helps students with the process of applying for support services. I think every school should have something like this.
The it gives the nonverbal message that the UCAS really cares about their students with disabilities. Even just taking the time to create a high quality video for students with disabilities is enough... on top of that... it's extremely helpful.
I just wanted to post this as a great example of what schools should be doing for their students.
Other schools offer much of the same guidance.
Welcome to the Centre for Students with Disabilities. CSD staff work as a collaborative team to ensure students with disabilities have equal opportunities for academic success. We strive to include the student, their faculty and staff on campus in the accommodation process.
The CSD operates under the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Services are provided for students with documented disabilities. Accommodation supports include but are not limited to:
- Testing support- Transition support for incoming students- Disability advocacy- Learning skills support- Adaptive technology training- Alternate format course material
Students are encouraged to contact us as soon as they are accepted to schedule an intake appointment. By scheduling your appointment well in advance of the start of your first term, we can determine and implement your accommodations in a timely manner.
High School student parody spin-off on the classic game show: Family Feud. Students are teamed up against one another in this three question show-down to prove which team has more knowledge about the expectations of college life and what rights you have as a student with a disability attending college, tech school, or community college.
The project, Innovative Partnerships for Advancing Youth Employment, was the concept of PACER. All of the teens involved in the internship project have disabilities, and they learned new job skills while creating several videos to teach others how to navigate their own transition into adulthood after high school. This innovative PACER project was funded by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services.(I love this. how creative!)
The project, which provided a paid internship opportunity for students with disabilities, was a creative collaboration of postsecondary programs, workforce development, PACER Center staff, and students from two high school
Friday, September 16, 2011
General Information
http://www.ada.gov/pubs/ada.htm Americans with Disabilities Act
http://www.help4adhd.org/en/education/rights/idea Disabilities Education Act
Legislation that started it all....
General
Approximately 6 percent of all undergraduates reported having a disability.(according to 1995-96 information National Postsecondary Student Aid Study)
Broken down:
29% learning disability
23% orthopedic impairment
16% hearing impairment
16% vision impairment/
3% speech impairment
among these... 21% reported having another health-related disability or limitation
Average Age:
30 (as opposed to 26 without)
Institution:
-More likely to attend a 2-year college that public 4 year. but equally as likely to attend private 4 year
-72% of all institutions accept students with disabilities (98% public, 68% private)
Support Services:
-98% that enrolled students with disabilities provided at least one support service or accommodation
-88% provided alternate exam formats or additional time
-77% provided tutors to assist with on going coursework
-69% had classroom note takers or scribes provided
-62% had registration assistance or priority class registration
-55% had textbooks on tape
-58% adaptive equipment and technology
-45% had sign language interpreters
-42% course sub waivers
-public institutions were more likely to provide services than private institutions
-larger institutions are more likely to provide services
Longitudinal Data
Beginning Post-secondary Students Longitudinal Student 1990-1994
-students with disabilities were less likely than those without to have attained a bachelors or associates by 1994. This was not statistically significant.
-Persistence rates were similar 53% with disabilities graduated or are still enrolled vs 64% without. A difference but not huge.
(Hurst & Smerdon, 2000)
When I found this article I was disappoint that mental illness was not included. I wonder if the "other health related disability was including mental illness. Even so, this data only shows students that have another disability along with a health illness (not including those without a learning/physical disability that may also have mental illness). In my search I came across an article:
Mental Illness
In The American College Health Association (2000) in a survey of 16000 students,
-64% reported feeling emotionally exhausted
-38% were so depressed it was difficult to function
-10% had been diagnosed (which is consistent with what I stated in an earlier entry... there may be a rise in students with disability... because more are being reported)
From 1990-2001 at St. Louis Community College, documented psychiatric disabilities rose from 27%-37%.
(Eudaly, 2002)
Eudaly (2002) explains that there is often a misconception by the campus about the role of disability services (not to assess or treat... they are to provide services for those who are already diagnosed).
From this data... it is evident that students with disabilities/mental illness is on a rise... and it is important for institutions to incorporate aiding these students into their mission.
Eudaly, J. (2002). A rising tide: Students with psychiatric disabilities seek services in record numbers. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://www.heath.gwu.edu/files/active/0/psychiatric_disabilities.pdf
Hurst, D., & Smerdon, B. (2000). Postsecondary students with disabilities: Enrollment, services, and persistence. Educational Statistics Quarterly, 2(3), 55-58.
Sharp, M. N., Bruininks, B. D., Blacklock, B, Benson, B., & Johnson, D. M. (2004). The emergence of psychiatric disabilities in postsecondary education. Examining Current Challenges in Secondary Education and Transition, 3(1), 1-6.
http://www.help4adhd.org/en/education/rights/idea Disabilities Education Act
Legislation that started it all....
General
Approximately 6 percent of all undergraduates reported having a disability.(according to 1995-96 information National Postsecondary Student Aid Study)
Broken down:
29% learning disability
23% orthopedic impairment
16% hearing impairment
16% vision impairment/
3% speech impairment
among these... 21% reported having another health-related disability or limitation
Average Age:
30 (as opposed to 26 without)
Institution:
-More likely to attend a 2-year college that public 4 year. but equally as likely to attend private 4 year
-72% of all institutions accept students with disabilities (98% public, 68% private)
Support Services:
-98% that enrolled students with disabilities provided at least one support service or accommodation
-88% provided alternate exam formats or additional time
-77% provided tutors to assist with on going coursework
-69% had classroom note takers or scribes provided
-62% had registration assistance or priority class registration
-55% had textbooks on tape
-58% adaptive equipment and technology
-45% had sign language interpreters
-42% course sub waivers
-public institutions were more likely to provide services than private institutions
-larger institutions are more likely to provide services
Longitudinal Data
Beginning Post-secondary Students Longitudinal Student 1990-1994
-students with disabilities were less likely than those without to have attained a bachelors or associates by 1994. This was not statistically significant.
-Persistence rates were similar 53% with disabilities graduated or are still enrolled vs 64% without. A difference but not huge.
(Hurst & Smerdon, 2000)
When I found this article I was disappoint that mental illness was not included. I wonder if the "other health related disability was including mental illness. Even so, this data only shows students that have another disability along with a health illness (not including those without a learning/physical disability that may also have mental illness). In my search I came across an article:
"A significant development in the field of postsecondary disability supports in the last decade has been the proliferation of individuals with psychiatric disabilities. This phenomenon has emerged at a pace that one observer characterized as a “rising tide” (Eudaly, 2002). Measel (1998) found that within one year, five institutions in the Big Ten Conference encountered an increase from 30% to 100% in the number of students served with psychiatric disabilities. At one institution, the University of Minnesota, the number of students reporting a psychiatric disability as their primary disability (285) was more than the combination of students reporting learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders (269). Although there is little systematically collected data to provide a reliable estimate of the emergence of psychiatric disabilities in postsecondary education, information from current sources provides evidence that this issue is likely to come into sharper focus as data from more studies become available." (Sharp, Bruinininks, Blacklock, Benson & Johnson, 2004)According to Eudaly (2002) higher education institutions are seeing a rise in the number of students with disabilities Eudaly (2002) explains that there is a lack of data, but plenty of anecdotal evidence. This lack of hard evidence is something I'm seeing quite consistently when it comes to students with disabilities... as I explore this topic further I wonder what I will find.
Mental Illness
In The American College Health Association (2000) in a survey of 16000 students,
-64% reported feeling emotionally exhausted
-38% were so depressed it was difficult to function
-10% had been diagnosed (which is consistent with what I stated in an earlier entry... there may be a rise in students with disability... because more are being reported)
From 1990-2001 at St. Louis Community College, documented psychiatric disabilities rose from 27%-37%.
(Eudaly, 2002)
Eudaly (2002) explains that there is often a misconception by the campus about the role of disability services (not to assess or treat... they are to provide services for those who are already diagnosed).
From this data... it is evident that students with disabilities/mental illness is on a rise... and it is important for institutions to incorporate aiding these students into their mission.
Eudaly, J. (2002). A rising tide: Students with psychiatric disabilities seek services in record numbers. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://www.heath.gwu.edu/files/active/0/psychiatric_disabilities.pdf
Hurst, D., & Smerdon, B. (2000). Postsecondary students with disabilities: Enrollment, services, and persistence. Educational Statistics Quarterly, 2(3), 55-58.
Sharp, M. N., Bruininks, B. D., Blacklock, B, Benson, B., & Johnson, D. M. (2004). The emergence of psychiatric disabilities in postsecondary education. Examining Current Challenges in Secondary Education and Transition, 3(1), 1-6.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Assumptions and Beliefs
In my first entry I touched on some of the reasons why I choose Students with Disabilities for my Immersion Project and some of the ways I have seen the environment interacted with.
But, before I continue to delve into the research applying it to what I will be learning about students with disabilities, I want to shared some of my initial assumptions, preconceptions, and beliefs about the culture, values, and experiences of students with disabilities.
I'm not proud of the biases I have but I know it's better to know and admit that I have them, rather than stereotype and take my beliefs as face value and true.
Learning
Learning disabilities are on the rise. From 1.8% (in the 70s) to 5% (199) (http://nces.ed.gov). Although this isn't a HUGE percentage of students the amount of students enrolled in school in general is going up... so in reality, it is still a big jump. Now, before I go on and state my opinions, I want to say that I believe that learning disabilities exist. I believe there are students that truly benefit from receiving IEP's and the help of disabilities services. However, I believe there is a line, and it has bee crossed. When I was in elementary school, there was one person on my class that was on an IEP and left class to take tests. Now, my boyfriend, who is a teach at a local high school, has 1/4-1/3 of his class on an IEP that needs special attention. I'd be foolish to say that some of these students truly need the help... but sometimes I wonder if we've gone too far.
It's interesting because I have the exactly SAME argument about mental illnesses, but I tend to side with those with mental illness (touch on later). Are there really more people with learning disabilities or are we just diagnosing people more often? I think more is expected of the schools and more blame on failure is placed on outside factors rather than the work ethic of the student. It's not the students' fault... it's the schools fault for not providing services to those that "need" it.
At what point at students utilizing services they don't need? At what point are we catering to students rather than helping them? As tuition rises students are no longer viewed as an individual that needs to grow; they are a consumer : they get what they want.
At what point are students getting what they WANT rather than what they NEED?
BUT, on the same note as that. Where does this leave students that really have learning disabilities? Do they feel undervalued? Do others view them this way? "oh they're just lazy?". The boy-who-called-wolf syndrome. They are thrown into the "OHH they have a LEARNING DISABILITY *rolls eyes*" pile... when they shouldn't be.
Thankfully, I know that these students still receive the help they need... I just don't think it's fair for them to be in a climate that may view them this way... I need to work on it.
Mental
As a Psychology major, I have my own views and idea of how people that have a mental illness are viewed. Like students with a learning disability, there has been a rise in students that have been diagnosed with a mental illness. However, I think there are many students that still go un-diagnosed and the number is much higher. I don't think the number is going UP, it's that there are more people that are seeking help.
Mental illness has such a stigma. When I was a resident advisor, whenever I would mention the Counseling Center people were always very defensive and would say "I'm not crazy". It's interesting that mental illness automatically have this label. I'm noticing more and more that it is becoming acceptable to seek him... but it's still has a negative stigma placed upon it.
I think that students with mental illness are afraid to come forth and are much less likely to go to disability services for help. People don't think of mental illness as a disability... and more-so place it into a different category. I also find that people BLAME the person with the disability (blame the victim) rather than realize that many mental illness are caused by something physical. Just like we wouldn't blame someone with cancer for having cancer (unless it's lung...) we shouldn't blame people with mental illness for their problems.
"Just be happy" doesn't cut it.
Physical
When people think "students with disabilities" this is usually where their mind goes. Handicap parking spaces, ramps, accessibility, wheelchairs, etc. I wouldn't say that these students are any more understood, but they certainly are the most accepted. People with physical disabilities often have something to SHOW for it; you know what is "wrong" with them or what their handicap is.
I don't think students with physical disabilities have it any easier but I definitely thing that they are the group within "Student with Disability" that are overlooked the least and rarely BLAMED for their problems. In this case, people for "sorry" for them... not sure this is any better...
I'm interested to see how my ideas will change throughout the semester...
http://nces.ed.gov
.
But, before I continue to delve into the research applying it to what I will be learning about students with disabilities, I want to shared some of my initial assumptions, preconceptions, and beliefs about the culture, values, and experiences of students with disabilities.
I'm not proud of the biases I have but I know it's better to know and admit that I have them, rather than stereotype and take my beliefs as face value and true.
Learning
Learning disabilities are on the rise. From 1.8% (in the 70s) to 5% (199) (http://nces.ed.gov). Although this isn't a HUGE percentage of students the amount of students enrolled in school in general is going up... so in reality, it is still a big jump. Now, before I go on and state my opinions, I want to say that I believe that learning disabilities exist. I believe there are students that truly benefit from receiving IEP's and the help of disabilities services. However, I believe there is a line, and it has bee crossed. When I was in elementary school, there was one person on my class that was on an IEP and left class to take tests. Now, my boyfriend, who is a teach at a local high school, has 1/4-1/3 of his class on an IEP that needs special attention. I'd be foolish to say that some of these students truly need the help... but sometimes I wonder if we've gone too far.
It's interesting because I have the exactly SAME argument about mental illnesses, but I tend to side with those with mental illness (touch on later). Are there really more people with learning disabilities or are we just diagnosing people more often? I think more is expected of the schools and more blame on failure is placed on outside factors rather than the work ethic of the student. It's not the students' fault... it's the schools fault for not providing services to those that "need" it.
At what point at students utilizing services they don't need? At what point are we catering to students rather than helping them? As tuition rises students are no longer viewed as an individual that needs to grow; they are a consumer : they get what they want.
At what point are students getting what they WANT rather than what they NEED?
BUT, on the same note as that. Where does this leave students that really have learning disabilities? Do they feel undervalued? Do others view them this way? "oh they're just lazy?". The boy-who-called-wolf syndrome. They are thrown into the "OHH they have a LEARNING DISABILITY *rolls eyes*" pile... when they shouldn't be.
Thankfully, I know that these students still receive the help they need... I just don't think it's fair for them to be in a climate that may view them this way... I need to work on it.
Mental
As a Psychology major, I have my own views and idea of how people that have a mental illness are viewed. Like students with a learning disability, there has been a rise in students that have been diagnosed with a mental illness. However, I think there are many students that still go un-diagnosed and the number is much higher. I don't think the number is going UP, it's that there are more people that are seeking help.
Mental illness has such a stigma. When I was a resident advisor, whenever I would mention the Counseling Center people were always very defensive and would say "I'm not crazy". It's interesting that mental illness automatically have this label. I'm noticing more and more that it is becoming acceptable to seek him... but it's still has a negative stigma placed upon it.
I think that students with mental illness are afraid to come forth and are much less likely to go to disability services for help. People don't think of mental illness as a disability... and more-so place it into a different category. I also find that people BLAME the person with the disability (blame the victim) rather than realize that many mental illness are caused by something physical. Just like we wouldn't blame someone with cancer for having cancer (unless it's lung...) we shouldn't blame people with mental illness for their problems.
"Just be happy" doesn't cut it.
Physical
When people think "students with disabilities" this is usually where their mind goes. Handicap parking spaces, ramps, accessibility, wheelchairs, etc. I wouldn't say that these students are any more understood, but they certainly are the most accepted. People with physical disabilities often have something to SHOW for it; you know what is "wrong" with them or what their handicap is.
I don't think students with physical disabilities have it any easier but I definitely thing that they are the group within "Student with Disability" that are overlooked the least and rarely BLAMED for their problems. In this case, people for "sorry" for them... not sure this is any better...
I'm interested to see how my ideas will change throughout the semester...
http://nces.ed.gov
.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
In the beginning...
Yesterday we were assigned out targeted group for our Immersion Project. With this project we are to work to understand how our targeted population experiences the campus climate.
The group that I will be exploring is students with disabilities.
The reason I was interested in exploring this population further was because my mother suffered from incredible joint pain in which she is unable to walk far distances and my father suffered from Multiple Sclerosis for many yesterday which left him immobile and in a wheelchair. Although neither of my parents are students at this time, my mother works on a college campus and is affected by her campus environment.
As I start to think further about how the campus climate/environment affects ME through the lens of students with disabilities (although I do not have a disability), I find that the BGSU's campus environment has affected my mother and grandparents with their lack of mobility... thus influencing the way I interact with the environment and must find different means of allowing my family to visit me on campus. I was a part of the BGSU Philharmonia for 4 years, and finding a means of getting my grandparents and mother into the music building was a trial in itself. Although they have handicap parking stickers, the music building has about 10 outside stairs that a person must climb before getting in. Although there is a place that people can get dropped off the avoid the stairs, when both my grandparents as well as my mother have a hard time walking, and I'm in an orchestra rehearsal where I cannot assist them... concerts were hard to attend. As my grandfather became weak from his chemotherapy, and my grandmother was recovering from a broken hip, they were unable to attend the concerts they so desperately wanted to attend.
Although I didn't "suffer" first hand because of the poor layout of the music building and it's parking spots, I watched my family suffer, and they often missed many of my concerts: something that truly upset them.
...how would that have been fixed?
As I delve into this project, I remember something from the time that I was an Orientation Leader. At BGSU, Disability Services is on the FOURTH floor, and the Study Skills Center was located on the SECOND floor of a building with no elevator: only stairs. ( I think this is changing over to the Library, which will be a nice change). I can't imagine being a student that has problems with mobility, and wanting to get these services, and then seeing how hard these services are to receive. It's like the reading with did this week about the message it sends when sidewalks are not made wheelchair accessible, when they are made accessibly, and when they are made accessible (BUT POORLY). I think in this case it's like the later. You have the service for me... but you make it hard to receive? That's unfair. Rude. Unjust. I'm not sure which... but I know it upsets me.
Don't think I'm forgetting about disabilities other than physical. As a psychology major, I am well aware of mental illness and the toll it plays on students... as well as the prevalence of students with learning disabilities.
I think that at this point, people are becoming more aware (it's by no means perfect) of students with physical disabilities like being in a wheelchair, being blind, deaf... etc etc as well as being aware of students with learning disabilities like dyslexia ADD/HD etc.. but fail to acknowledge that mental illness is a disability as well. I've hear so many people say that they just need to "get over it". Depression is more than something to get over it's a chemical imbalance, and hereditary. Anorexia isn't just the want to be skinny, it's the NEED. There is such a stigma placed on mental illness, and such a blame placed on the person (calling them WEAK... yet it's not different from a physical illness... it just can't always be seen)
It's going to be interesting to investigate my surroundings through a lens that I'm not always thinking about.
-How would a person in a wheelchair navigate?
-How would a deaf person perceive this environment differently from myself?
-How comfortable would a person suffering from a mental illness or learning disability feel in this environment?
-Most importantly, am I creating an environment that is conducive for people with disabilities at my internship?
-How can I improve it?
-How can I aid in improving it elsewhere?
The group that I will be exploring is students with disabilities.
The reason I was interested in exploring this population further was because my mother suffered from incredible joint pain in which she is unable to walk far distances and my father suffered from Multiple Sclerosis for many yesterday which left him immobile and in a wheelchair. Although neither of my parents are students at this time, my mother works on a college campus and is affected by her campus environment.
As I start to think further about how the campus climate/environment affects ME through the lens of students with disabilities (although I do not have a disability), I find that the BGSU's campus environment has affected my mother and grandparents with their lack of mobility... thus influencing the way I interact with the environment and must find different means of allowing my family to visit me on campus. I was a part of the BGSU Philharmonia for 4 years, and finding a means of getting my grandparents and mother into the music building was a trial in itself. Although they have handicap parking stickers, the music building has about 10 outside stairs that a person must climb before getting in. Although there is a place that people can get dropped off the avoid the stairs, when both my grandparents as well as my mother have a hard time walking, and I'm in an orchestra rehearsal where I cannot assist them... concerts were hard to attend. As my grandfather became weak from his chemotherapy, and my grandmother was recovering from a broken hip, they were unable to attend the concerts they so desperately wanted to attend.
Although I didn't "suffer" first hand because of the poor layout of the music building and it's parking spots, I watched my family suffer, and they often missed many of my concerts: something that truly upset them.
...how would that have been fixed?
As I delve into this project, I remember something from the time that I was an Orientation Leader. At BGSU, Disability Services is on the FOURTH floor, and the Study Skills Center was located on the SECOND floor of a building with no elevator: only stairs. ( I think this is changing over to the Library, which will be a nice change). I can't imagine being a student that has problems with mobility, and wanting to get these services, and then seeing how hard these services are to receive. It's like the reading with did this week about the message it sends when sidewalks are not made wheelchair accessible, when they are made accessibly, and when they are made accessible (BUT POORLY). I think in this case it's like the later. You have the service for me... but you make it hard to receive? That's unfair. Rude. Unjust. I'm not sure which... but I know it upsets me.
Don't think I'm forgetting about disabilities other than physical. As a psychology major, I am well aware of mental illness and the toll it plays on students... as well as the prevalence of students with learning disabilities.
I think that at this point, people are becoming more aware (it's by no means perfect) of students with physical disabilities like being in a wheelchair, being blind, deaf... etc etc as well as being aware of students with learning disabilities like dyslexia ADD/HD etc.. but fail to acknowledge that mental illness is a disability as well. I've hear so many people say that they just need to "get over it". Depression is more than something to get over it's a chemical imbalance, and hereditary. Anorexia isn't just the want to be skinny, it's the NEED. There is such a stigma placed on mental illness, and such a blame placed on the person (calling them WEAK... yet it's not different from a physical illness... it just can't always be seen)
It's going to be interesting to investigate my surroundings through a lens that I'm not always thinking about.
-How would a person in a wheelchair navigate?
-How would a deaf person perceive this environment differently from myself?
-How comfortable would a person suffering from a mental illness or learning disability feel in this environment?
-Most importantly, am I creating an environment that is conducive for people with disabilities at my internship?
-How can I improve it?
-How can I aid in improving it elsewhere?
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