Ashley
First student I met with was Ashley. Ashley made an appointment with me because she was struggling in her government classes and she was hoping that she could drop one of the classes. Unfortunately, due to her financial aid and the requirements it had, she was unable to to drop the classes. Ashley had been in prior to talk with another advisor about the situation who just dismissed her and told her to drop the classes (which she later found out she couldn't which was why she was back in to see me). With her, I discuss the options she had. One recommendation I gave her was to go to the study skills center where should could get a tutor who could help her with study skills and may be able to get her connected with a peer mentor (who received an A in the class and was a great resource). As I continued to talk with her, I asked her what kind of issues she was having in the class to try to gain more insight on what I could do, or who I could refer her to to help her further. Finally she mentioned she had a learning disability.
I was amazing by how long it took for her to explain that she had a learning disability, and I was even more surprised when she didn't know that we had a disability services office. Usually advising appointments are 30 minutes. Because I am still new in advising, I am given an hour time slot for appointments. It took more than 30 minutes for me to finally know that Ashley had a learning disability, and she wasn't shy about it. Ashley had been on IEP (individualized Eduation Plan) in high school and had been formally diagnosed with a learning disability (had all the paper work done) but no one had told her about disability services and what she needed to do to get the services she needed. As much as I understanding that students must develop competence (Chickering and Reisser), students still need to be guideded. In high school students were given the resources they needed and now students must seek it out (it may not have been apparent that things had changed so drastically from high school). After our appointment, I walked her to Disabiltiy Services,
I believe that discussion the physical environment and the human aggregate of the office is extremely important in this instance. When Ashley and I walked into Disability Services there was a front desk area. We weren't greeted and I had to grab the attention of the secretary working before we were acknowledge. Ashley explained her situation and the secretary was able to bring out one of the advocates for Ashley to talk to and make an appointment with. As Ashley and the representative were talking, I grabbed a "request for accommodations form" from the front desk area so I could have more information how Owens' Disability Services. As I started to walk out the secretary said "Excuse me, can I ask why you took that"... shocked by her tone of voice I stumbled over my words and explained that I was doing a project on Disability Services for the CSP program at Bowling Green. The secretary said "oh" and the disability representative spoke up and said that he went to BGSU and gave me his card so I could contact him with any questions I had.
There are three things that upset me about that situation:
1. How unfriendly and unwelcoming the secretary was. Sometimes students with disabilities are shy about their disabilities and it takes a lot for them to walk in there and ask for him. When they are greeted (or not greeted) in such a way, it can really make them feel unwelcome. I personally felt awkward, I can only imagine how someone who wanted help would have felt.
2. When she asked me why I took that paper, I could have been a student that was too scared to ask for help and wanted to see what services they had before committing. I understand that she may have been trying to spark up that conversation had I been one of those students, but it was aggressive and uncomfortable.
3. When the secretary called me out and I explained I was doing a project on students with disabilities (in front of Ashley), I worried whether Ashley thought I only had a vested interest in her because I was doing a project. Now that Ashley knew, I wondered if she felt uncomfortable around me.
Because Ashley knew I was doing a project on students with disabilities now, I kept in contact with her to see how she was doing with the services and if there was anything else I could do for her. When we emailed back and forth, she said that her classes were doing better and she was almost done with the process of getting signed up for disability services (she said they were very helpful).
Later, she met with me again, and she had gained the services she needed from disability services and she felt she was doing much better. Ashley was much more outgoing the second time we met and showed much more confidence than before. She had nothing to hide anymore and she was happy to receive the services that she did, when she did (this is her first semester). She says that if it weren't for me, she would never have gone to receive the help she needed. This goes to show how important it is for the human aggregate to be open to students and to help them receive the services they need
A. Smith (personal communication, October 10, 2011)
To get in contact with the next two students with disabilities, I got in contact with students via email. I had posted a status on my Facebook to have students with disabilities contact me so I could ask them questions for a project. From there I explained the projected and asked them questions about what it was like to be on a college campus with a learning disability. I explained that this would be anonymous and they didn't need to answer my questions if they didn't want to.
Eric
1. Have you used any services provided by BGSU for help with your learning disability? If so, were they helpful/ easy to obtain etc.?
"I have gone thought student disabilities. Hmm I not really use extra time but I wished they could have given me extra time on papers (where I struggle). I don’t like going to the writing center or the “special” writing center. They make me feel stupid because grammar and spelling is hard for me as well, as saying worlds I’ve never seen before. And on their websites it says don’t come if you want your papers edited. That’s where I need my help, because coming up with topics and support is not hard for me. My other adviser for my disability is really stupid when it comes to what I need and done need. I got wrong info so now I have to stay another semester, and that really upset me."
2. If applicable, are your teachers willing to work with you if you run into problems with classwork because of your learning disability?
I don’t tell them anymore but I’m in there office hours talking about “stupid” questions a lot. Freshman year I told a few and felt like they looked down on me.
3. What would you feel others don't understand about having a learning disability and what would you like them to know?
I don’t tell anyone because in HS and younger I got made fun of a lot, even though I can do the work. When I told professors they treated me different, like less of a student. Idk my disability doesn’t keep more from not doing work or not being able to do it. It just takes me a lot longer than the avg student so it’s not too apparent and I feel a lot of my upper level professors would never guess I have one. I would like people to know, I’m not stupid.4. OVERALL, to you think that BGSU is accepting and accomodating of students with learning disabilities? If so, HOW? If not, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"I don’t know there isn’t something BG can do different but I feel like its socialite problems, in that people that are different reserve different treatment. Sometimes I wish I could tell people and get the extra help that sometimes I need but too afraid to tell. I just don’t want to be treated differently."E. Smith (email communication, October 19, 2011)
Lindsey
1. Have you used answer services provided by Lourdes for help with your learning disability? If so, were they helpful/ easy to obtain etc.?
"Lourdes does really well in helping me with my issues. They helped me picked classes that the teachers are more willing to work with me and they helped me do part time classes so I wasnt so overwhelmed"2. If applicable, are your teachers willing to work with you if you run into problems with classwork because of your learning disability?
"I go to disability for help and I also have a tutor that helps me for all my classes"3.Are your teachers willing to work with you if you need things explained?
"All of my teachers so far are really helpful, my sociology teacher even lets me take my test orally if I need it or will read the questions to me and help me with them"4. What would you feel others don't understand about having a learning disability and what would you like them to know?
"I feel like with my learning disability people think I am stupid and I cant read and I wont succeed in school, I want them to know that I am doing really good and I am not stupid it just takes me longer to understand some things"5. OVERALL, to you think that Lourdes is accepting of students with learning disabilities? If so, HOW? If now, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
" Lourdes is really accepting of students with disabilities they make sure everything is right at our fingertips with help and programs and just really good people with care"L. Smith (email communication, October 19, 2011)
These two students have had two very different experiences. Both to do with how inclusive and accepting the human aggregate is. It seems as thought the services offered are not as important as how the people within the institution treat those with learning disabilities. I think it's important to note that it may also have do to with the stigma they have placed upon themselves. Eric for example talks about how he FELT. Though it may be true that the human aggregate was not accepting, some of these stimgmas appear to the his own. The societal views and behaviors make or break if a student feel accepted.
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