OK. First things first. Do physical and mental disabilities deserve special consideration? Yes. As a kid (heartless) I made and laughed at jokes about "cripples." Stupid, but I was a kid. (is that redundant?) I am old enough to pre-date "barrier-free" construction. When I first began teaching in the mid-seventies, wheelchair-ridden students could not TAKE many courses because they could not negotiate the steps. That was horrible, and that problem was fixed. It wasn't complicated. But how far will we take this?
Back in the sixties, I had a college English professor (PhD.) who had been blind from birth. I KNOW what the handicapped (challenged?) are capable of. I do not sell them short. Every semester I get several "special needs" students. The disabilities vary, but the requests for considerations don't. Unlimited time on tests, to be taken at the students convenience. (granted) Endless one-on-one meetings with these students to review their notes. (granted) Requests to actually go through the ENTIRE TEXT and underline the important points. (denied) Requests for copies of my notes.(denied; I don't USE notes, and if I did, I would not share them).
I wonder how long it will be before I am required to have Braille versions of all handouts for the visually impaired, or required to learn sign language for the hearing-impaired. Don't laugh. I laughed about email classes once. I wonder just how these students will fare in the "real world" if and when they graduate. I wish them well. I really do. But I wonder. They will not ALL be "Steven Hawkings." Might we actually be doing these students a disservice? What do you think?
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