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From: "Susan Jones" <sujones@parkland.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-LD:4473] Update on J :)
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Just 'cause I know you're curious...
My student who reads "flatly" is maintaining a solid (and
legitimate) C in Critical Reading 099 (which is the last reading course
required to be allowed to take ENG 101). This has been possible because
everyone involved has come to understand his need for accommodations as
if he were blind, despite being able to read with accuracy. (He simply
does *not* process what he reads from seeing it; however, if he hears
it, he does.) This means that when he's doing a "read and answer the
questions at the end," the questions and their short answers are also
done through TextHelp! or a reader.
He is the only regular attendee at a "study group," and the teacher
whose office is next to my domain was substitute leader there, and knew
of J's struggles with CCS 099 his first two attempts. She was made a
believer (though not reluctantly :-)) when, because he has had the
required novel on tape, he was able to intelligently discuss characters
and plot and make basic inferences.
This is major progress for J and a great confidence booster. He
has also been able to pass courses in computer skills by figuring out
the skills from the pictures & diagrams (I think); occasionally he's had
to ask for help when he simply had to rely on the text.
Now, he has *not* been receptive to practicing putting expression
into reading a sentence. He hasn't said it's a bad idea; It just hasn't
happened. I think I understand my yoga teacher's frustration when
people don't practice <sigh>.
The obvious major, major hurdle is writing. His writing (whether
by hand or typed) is basically incoherent unless he's got help. Speech
recognition would be challenging because he has slurred speech, but I'm
not sure we shouldn't give it a stab, especially if I could get another
student with CP and slighlty affected speech to join the fray, with a
finite investment from the begining ("we'll try this for 4 one-hour
sessions... if things don't look hopeful by then, we'll drop it.")
Folks on this list have really been a help. I could be much more
convincing with J and his teachers and myself with the idea that with
the right conditions, lots of learning can happen. It has been :-)
Susan Jones
Academic Development Specialist
Academic Development Center
Parkland College
Champaign, IL 61821
sujones@parkland.edu
Webmastress,
http://www.resourceroom.net
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