This has been an interesting discussion so far.  However, I may have a slightly different point of view.  As an educator who works with ABE, GED, and college students, I encounter an interesting array of students each and every semester.  After reading some of the postings, and reflecting on some of the workshops and conferences I have attended, it is often implied, if not explicitly stated, that college professors are either insensitive, or altogether ignorant, to the challenges faced by LD students.  Unfortunately, there is a large contingent of students, both with and without LD, who exhibit poor work habits and erratic attendance patterns.  While I am sensitive to the needs of my students, especially those identified as LD, learners cannot be absolved from their responsibilities as students.  Please do not misconstrue my statements as any sort of aspersion against students with LD.  I am simply making the contention that LD students, and college students as a whole, can be lazy, and sometimes lack the dedication and work ethic requisite for postsecondary success.  Not all college professors are eletist, and I personally know many who do understand the needs of students with diagnosed and undiagnosed learning disabilities.  However, there are no accomodations for missing classes and failing to turn in assignments...  the studets bear responsibility in their education as well.

Lance Baxter
Assistant Professor
Daytona Beach Community College
(386) 246-4825



>>> "KC Andrew" <kandrew at sbctc.edu> 11/09/07 5:33 PM >>>

Arlyn wrote:  Particularly if a person with LD has good social skills and otherwise seems competent, professors,
employers and others too often think he or she is "faking" the problem ("Aw, come on... YOU have an LD? But you're so smart!") and looking for special treatment. 
 
Or is lazy, unmotivated, not serious about education, not trying, not living up to potential, not goal-oriented - all ways of saying to a student "you're wasting my time" or "it's your own fault."  I find Mel Levine's views on learning particularly helpful when I encounter those notions - 
 
-kc
 
KC Andrew
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
Adult Basic Education - Professional Development Services
360/485-2338
kandrew at sbctc.edu <mailto:kandrew at sbctc.edu> 
 

________________________________

From: learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Arlyn Roffman
Sent: Fri 11/9/2007 1:23 PM
To: The Learning Disabilities Discussion List
Subject: [LearningDisabilities 1523] Transition



KC wrote... A lot of colleges/professors still have a fairly elitist view of
higher education and feel that if a student requires or requests
accommodations, he or she probably shouldn't be there - the person just
isn't "college material." 

I agree, KC. I think this is a real problem in society in general- people
just don't understand this invisible disability! Particularly if a person
with LD has good social skills and otherwise seems competent, professors,
employers and others too often think he or she is "faking" the problem ("Aw,
come on... YOU have an LD? But you're so smart!") and looking for special
treatment. For those of us who have been working to raise awareness since
the 1960s, this is enormously frustrating, not to mention discouraging. But
we have to keep chipping away at the problem and helping others understand
that a person can be VERY competent in many ways yet still need
accommodations in order to succeed in others.
Arlyn

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