<p>Bigtrees & Benny, you might as well say that reading shouldn’t be waived for blind students if it is deemed that proper reading skills are essential to the program, and most college students are expected to read by the time they graduate. That’s just great – but what have you accomplished? There is a substantial distinction, at least in my mind, between accommodations that give a student an unfair advantage (you don’t have to answer essay questions on exams that everyone else has to answer) and those that help students compete on a more level playing field - everyone has to write a term paper, but students who have visual impairments can dictate their answers, and students with physical handwriting handicaps can dictate or use a computer with spell check to write their answers. This type of accommodation isn’t giving an unfair advantage to blind students or to students with handwriting disabilities, it is allowing them to participate in the important aspects of demonstrating understanding of the material being taught, unless the class itself is a class on handwriting or calligraphy. </p>
<p>College is not subject to the same special education laws that apply in K-12 public education, where the substantive requirements must be changed to accommodate the child’s specific needs. But there are still requirements to accommodate disabilities, even those that are not “visible” like a white cane. </p>
<p>There were those who said blind students could not go to medical school, because they couldn’t see to perform the dissections for gross anatomy or to perform surgery. Blind students graduate from med schools every year, and go out and become highly successful doctors in many specialties. Would you stand up and deny them that right because in your model of the universe, if someone can’t see, they don’t deserve to be a doctor?</p>
<p>Much of what you’ve said in this thread has a lot of bitterness, as if you’d like to see “those” kids get what (you think) they deserve, which is not much. Maybe you should take the advice and start a thread where you can whine with others about all THOSE laws that let the undeserving participate where you think they shouldn’t. </p>
<p>And I feel very sorry for either of you if you end up with a grandchild that has Asperger’s or some other disabling condition. I feel even more sorry for the grandchild.</p>
<p>I’m sorry if this seems a little harsh, but I’ve spent my morning at a Title IX program, and it is discouraging how many people still don’t buy into equal access, and how they directly and indirectly subvert the intent and plain language of the law because it doesn’t conform to their belief in how things should work. I’m sure they would have been the same people arguing against a lot of other civil rights laws in decades past.</p>