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[trabb]

I appeal to the collective wisdom of the forumites for some advice.  Furthermore, I hope that while trabb and troll start with the same two letters, you'll be able to recognize this as a legitimate post:)

My question is this: how have others of you dealt with a student whom you think is using a learning disability as an excuse for poor performance in a class?  In the course that I'm teaching this summer, I have a student with some fairly severe learning disabilities that have been documented by the university's learning disabilities services office.  I am more than happy to extend extra time on timed assignments and the like, but this student insists to me that his disability will also mean that papers will be turned in late and that it prevents him from participating in the discussion forum portion of the course.  My instincts tell me that this student is trying to take advantage of what is a legitimate disability.  However, I am neither trained nor qualified to make that evaluation. 

Has anyone else had students who try to hide behind a learning disability?  If so, how have you balanced being supportive of the student and doing everything possible to help him/her succeed while not letting yourself be taken advantage of?

For what it's worth, the staff at the learning disabilities services office seems to be on vacation.  I've called to see if they can clarify what my responsibilities as an instructor are, but they have yet to return my calls.

[smart_e_pantz]

I appeal to the collective wisdom of the forumites for some advice.  Furthermore, I hope that while trabb and troll start with the same two letters, you'll be able to recognize this as a legitimate post:)

My question is this: how have others of you dealt with a student whom you think is using a learning disability as an excuse for poor performance in a class?  In the course that I'm teaching this summer, I have a student with some fairly severe learning disabilities that have been documented by the university's learning disabilities services office.  I am more than happy to extend extra time on timed assignments and the like, but this student insists to me that his disability will also mean that papers will be turned in late and that it prevents him from participating in the discussion forum portion of the course.  My instincts tell me that this student is trying to take advantage of what is a legitimate disability.  However, I am neither trained nor qualified to make that evaluation. 

Has anyone else had students who try to hide behind a learning disability?  If so, how have you balanced being supportive of the student and doing everything possible to help him/her succeed while not letting yourself be taken advantage of?

For what it's worth, the staff at the learning disabilities services office seems to be on vacation.  I've called to see if they can clarify what my responsibilities as an instructor are, but they have yet to return my calls.

Your responsibility is to give the student exactly the accomodation spelled out by the disabilities office.  If his accomodation from them does not require extra time on papers then he doesn't get extra time on papers.  To give him extra time is unfair to the other students.  Same with his refusal to participate in class... 

[larryc]

At my school we have a disabilities compliance officer (I think that is her title) who tests students who claim disabilities and then talks with the professor about what are appropriate accommodations.  We are NEVER supposed to make any allowances for student until they see the compliance officer.

This is tricky ground, since federal legislation applies.  But I think you need to ask for documentation of the disability--probably directly from your compliance officer.  And whenever a student says that they are unable to do X type of work, ask them what type of work they think would be an appropriate substitute.  Make it clear that their disability doesn't get them out of anything.

The other strategy I sometimes use with scamming students is to give them enough rope to hang themselves.  If I know perfectly well that a student is never going to finish the work to a passing level, I don't fight that hard over extending deadlines.  "Sure you can have an incomplete," I tell them, knowing that the "Inc" will become an "F" at the end of the next semester.

[spork]

Stop letting this student take advantage of you.  If the student's learning disability affects his ability to produce a paper, he can go to the university's disability services office (or whatever it's called at your institution) for appropriate technological remedies.  It's not your job to do anything beyond university-documented required accommodations.

[fiona]

I'm troubled by the OP's attitude, and those of the other posters. You're all assuming that the student is scamming, and the OP has got his fists up, not wanting to be taken advantage of.

Why not adopt a more generous vision? If the student has disabilities, go ahead and accommodate them. What's it to you? Why be so hostile and Scrooge-like instead of charitable?

If you accommodate this student, it won't hurt you. If you don't, it might well hurt him. I know what I'd choose.

[case_insensitive]

My question is this: how have others of you dealt with a student whom you think is using a learning disability as an excuse for poor performance in a class? 

Just do whatever the "office of disability services" or whatever it is called at your school tells you to do.  To the letter.  You are not qualified (neither am i) to evaluate learning disabilities, and therefore, you needn't attempt to do so.  If the student doesn't like their approved accomodations from ODS or wants more, then tell them to go back to ODS.  Your only responsibility is to do what ODS says which they will give you spelled out in detail on official letterhead.  Students are not allowed to put personal requests to the professor for accommodations at my school, since few professors would even know where to start to evaluate any learning disabilities.

You may have some leeway in that you can refuse an accommodation that will keep the student from learning something important in your class... but you'll have to check with your school's ODS about that specifically.

I have, on rare occasion, refused an accommodation that I felt would keep the student from ever learning what he/she needed to in my class. I do it in advance (when i get the note from ODS at the beginning of the term).  However, I only teach upper-level majors, so it's pretty clear what they have to learn to do in my courses. If i taught intro, i would probably never even think of refusing an accommodation.

[trabb]

You're all assuming that the student is scamming, and the OP has got his fists up, not wanting to be taken advantage of.

I acknowledged as much in my post:

My instincts tell me that this student is trying to take advantage of what is a legitimate disability.  However, I am neither trained nor qualified to make that evaluation. 

Normally I would assume that I'm being scammed.  In this case, I simply don't know, which is why I asked here in the first place.  Sorry if I'm being defensive, but it bothers me to post a legitimate question in which I'm seeking the best interests of my students and then be told that I have an attitude problem.

I may not have been entirely clear about how exactly I don't want to be taken advantage of.  Normally, I would err on the side of the student's needs and accept late work without much of a fuss.  In this case, the student is actually claiming that a learning disability prevents him from completing some of the required work for the course.  This isn't something I've encountered before, and the disabilities compliance officer(s) are being quite unresponsive to my efforts to figure out what my responsibilities are. 

Thanks to those who've offered advice.

[smart_e_pantz]

I'm troubled by the OP's attitude, and those of the other posters. You're all assuming that the student is scamming, and the OP has got his fists up, not wanting to be taken advantage of.

Why not adopt a more generous vision? If the student has disabilities, go ahead and accommodate them. What's it to you? Why be so hostile and Scrooge-like instead of charitable?

If you accommodate this student, it won't hurt you. If you don't, it might well hurt him. I know what I'd choose.

It's called maintaining educational quality.  At some point, if a student with disabilities can't meet the requirements of their courses they need to rethink their ability to manage college.  Not meeting requirements in lower level courses will harm this student more when they attempt to move up the educational chain.

Everyone is clear that we should accommodate the student according to the guidelines set by the people qualified to set them.    However, to go past that is unfair to the other students.

There is a professor at my college who gives the entire class extended time on exams if any student gets a disability accommodation.  Why?  Because it cost at least $1000 to get all of the tests required to determine if a student has a learning disability.  He thinks the process is biased in favor of those who have money.  He does not want to favor those with money, or worse, those who have the wherewithall to just suck it up and do the work; so, everyone gets the same accommodation.

[spork]

If the student claims that a disability prevents him/her from completing required work for the class, then the student doesn't belong in the class.  "Accommodations" are not "substitutions" -- they are just different ways of meeting the requirements.  Allowing one student to skip required assignments means you're teaching that student a different class.

I have an axe to grind on this subject because I have been (respectfully) hauled before administrators when students -- some with documented disabilities and others with the disability-du-jour --have claimed that I treated them unfairly.  I followed the university's policies strictly (no accommodations for disabilities that aren't university documented, only authorized accommodations for those who are) in all cases, yet had to explain why the students' academic failures were their responsibility, not mine.

[case_insensitive]

I hear you, spork. 

I teach classes for upper level students in their major...!

I have been asked, on occasion, to give such accomodations as sharing all of my teaching notes with a student, or providing personal tutoring or changing the type of glasses i wear in class (i am not making this up)...

More time on tests doesn't REALLY bother me, though how future professional accountants are going to work under pressure in real life when they need double the test time... is a bit scary.  When ODS says give them a quiet place to take the exam, i always do.  But, what will they do in the real world?

[smart_e_pantz]

I have been asked, on occasion, to give such accommodations as sharing all of my teaching notes with a student, or providing personal tutoring or changing the type of glasses i wear in class (i am not making this up)...

If the disabilities office asked for any of this, they are incompetent and need to be replaced!

[case_insensitive]

no kidding! :o)  that's why i refused.

[madchen]

The issue of student privacy comes into play in this situation as well.  At my SLAC, our wonderful disabilities and accommodations coordinator meets with students to discuss disability issues and to suggest appropriate accommodations.  I always yield to his expertise when it comes to accommodations and direct those students whose ADA forms I've already signed to return to the coordinator to discuss further accommodations if they so desire.  I try not to be too much of a jerk, but am honest about my lack of knowledge with regards to learning/physical/mental disabilities and what would constitute appropriate accommodations.  I usually say something like this:  "I'm sorry, [student's name], I really don't know enough about this issue to be able to help and, because I respect your privacy and the expertise of our ADA coordinator, I suggest you make an appointment with him to discuss further accommodations.  Once you both have agreed on the appropriate measures, we can discuss how this will affect your assignment schedule."

One difficulty I've encountered related to student disabilities is the tendency for some students not to fully disclose multiple disabilities.  In a discussion with my ADA officer about one student's accommodations, we discovered that the student had (voluntarily) explained one condition to me while seeking accommodations for a completely different condition.  The ADA officer rightfully didn't disclose the nature of the condition he and the student had discussed and planned accommodations for, but both of us walked away from our meeting with the odd feeling that the student was playing both of us against the middle.

We do have to recognize the social stigma still attached to learning disabilities (particularly with regards to mental health disabilities) and understand that students might justifiably feel uncomfortable seeking help for these problems.  I just try to be as sympathetic as possible while suggested that the student with difficulties consult with someone with more expertise who can offer considered advice.

[betty_p]

CI, I have to know about the glasses. What was the issue? Were you wearing heavily perfumed glasses? Glasses so big that they blocked wheelchair access? Glasses with flashing lights that triggered seizures? Do tell!

[nerdasaurus]

Dear Trabb,
Legally speaking, you are not required to eliminate aspects of the course that are required for the student's program of study. So, for instance, a student with a math disability majoring in psychology CAN be required to take a statistics class, whereas a student with a math disability majoring in theater would be able to have statistics waived. I don't know what your field is but this might clarify.
I too would ask for documentation from both the student and the services office. At this stage in the student's education, it is his responsibility to provide you with the necessary proof of diagnosis and accommodations requested by the student and the disability services office. This is a way for students to practice self-advocacy because as they move into adulthood, they are going to have to take the initiative to inform others about their needs.
With regard to the paper issues, it is true that many students with certain LDs have trouble completing papers on time. However, research shows that students need deadlines and actully benefit from having those deadlines enforced. I have a strict deadline policy but also see drafts and allow revision for every paper, so that even if students are not finished with a paper on the due date, they can turn in what they have, receive some credit (still an F, but not a zero) and then revise. My experience says that having firm deadlines is still the best route in fairness to all, and as case insensitive says, students need to learn that seemingly arbitrary deadlines exist in the world outside college as well. As far as the discussion goes, I would remind the student (if this is the case) that participation is a required and essential component of a college class and that even if it is a troublesome area, the best thing to do is to practice speaking up--you don't get better at something by not doing it at all. I'd suggest some coaching strategies for participation: setting a goal of 2-3 comments per period, preparing the comments or questions the night before, and having them written down to avoid having to think off the cuff. I think you can work with this situation. Keep trying to get your disability contact on the phone, too. Good luck.