Khalid has been thriving on his high school’s football team. He has struggled to keep up with math, even after being identified as a student with a learning disability in math. He got behind and has struggled to catch up. Even though he is widely seen as one of the best players in the state, his mother is concerned that his academic ability may keep him from getting a college scholarship. She wishes her husband were alive to see how good he is at this strange, American sport.
Khalid uses hearing aids while he is not on the field, and a system of non-verbal cues and some assistive technology helps him when he is on the field. After some initial hesitation, his school has come to rely on him on the field, and he anchors the team. Now that he is in his senior year, everyone expects his 6' 6" frame to lead the team to a state championship. There have already been colleges looking at Khalid, including Notre Dame, the University of Southern California and Auburn. All that is important to Khalid's mother is that wherever he goes he be able to practice his Muslim faith without difficulty or question.
Khalid is thrilled to be such an important part of the team. He hasn't let it "go to his head" and manages to keep a good sense of himself. He credits his mother's realistic attitude for that, and her constant focus on doing one's best without regard for accolades. He is well-liked in his school and is something of a local celebrity, particularly in his modesty.
Sure enough, the team was on a tear this year, beating all opponents by at least 14 points on each outing. They easily made it into the playoffs and won the state championship on a last minute drive spurred on by Khalid's interception and run back to midfield.
* Describe typical ego development for an 18 year old. How do you think Khalid's learning disability and hearing impairment might affect his sense of himself?
* What resources are available at most large universities for students with disabilities? Sample 5 different schools including the ones mentioned above. Are some better than others at working with students with disabilities? How much should this figure into a student's decision on where to attend college?
* Compare the above schools to JMU's Office of Disability Services. Do you see major differences? Similarities? Are there particular strengths of certain programs over others?
DECISION POINT:
Is Khalid accepted to a university? Which one?
* Describe typical ego development for an 18 year old. How do you think Khalid's learning disability and hearing impairment might affect his sense of himself?
ReplyDeleteSelf-esteem is how people value themselves as well as how worth while they feel. Khalid’s acceptance by his peers can be both positive as it seems to be but also could potentially be negative. Feeling of acceptance by his team and support from his peers at his school can really boosts Khalid’s self esteem initially but it also will also continue to keep him feeling more secure about himself so long as the acceptance continues. Unfortunately, in some cases this may cause some feelings of stress and pressure to perform or be a certain way. Obviously, Khalid enjoys being a football player, so being good at the game really helps him be able to enjoy himself and feel good while he is playing. But knowing that his teammates and peers were counting on him may put a lot of pressure on him to perform well. This pressure could be rewarding if Khalid performs well, but if by chance he doesn’t live up to their expectations he may feel as though he has failed, which may negatively affect his self esteem. I think that Khalid’s mother keeping him grounded is a good way to avoid falling from expectations because it seems that she has taught him that as long as he does his best, he has not failed.
Typical ego of an 18 year old male is a little boastful, in which case confidence may come off as cocky-ness instead. At this time males have gone through the majority of their puberty and are starting to look more like men than boys. This makes them feel more masculine and in Khalid’s case, being 6’6’’ his is most likely more mature-looking than even most of the boys his age. At first being more mature than most kids may have made him feel left out, but now that his level of “maturity” is the key to his football success it most likely isn’t a negative thing for Khalid’s self esteem.
Khalid’s learning disability could have a negative effect on his self esteem if he starts to feel defeated. I think that as long as he can still excel in football his self worth will continue to grow. But if he feel defeated in an academic setting and in sports and that becomes a trend in more aspects of his life it will surely start to have a negative effect.
On the other hand his hearing disability may not be as tragic after all since there are a lot of signs used in football! Players and coaches send signs and signals to each other on and off the field so that the other team can’t “hear” what they are about to do. This might actually make Khalid feel less like an outsider.
* What resources are available at most large universities for students with disabilities? Sample 5 different schools including the ones mentioned above. Are some better than others at working with students with disabilities? How much should this figure into a student's decision on where to attend college?
ReplyDeleteResources usually found at most large universities include many resources helpful for persons with physical disabilities. Other accommodations available at most large universities are for students with visibility disabilities with resources such as audio textbooks, textbooks with larger print or lectures recorded for students to use.
The five universities we researched were USC, Auburn, Notre Dame, Miami and UVA. USC is very accommodating for students with disabilities’. The accommodations are determined on a case-to-case basis. Some forms of accommodations listed were providing note-takers, sign language interpreters and real time captionisits for students with hearing impairments. Other accommodations are readers, scribes, adaptive technology as well as advocacy with faculty and support groups. USC seemed very willing to work with students who have disabilities.
The second university we researched was Auburn. They seemed helpful but more strict in whom they provided services. They require an interview with a disability specialist. Auburn also requires persons with disabilities to schedule an appointment with a disability and technology specialist after registering for classes. Most of their focus was on students with physical disabilities. But they do provide support services and extra testing time.
The third university, Notre Dame, seemed very helpful toward students with disabilities. Notre Dame requires recent documentation of the disability. Some of their accommodations include testing accommodations (50-100% extended testing time) note-takers to copy classroom notes provided to students by peers, and textbooks on CDs.
While researching we also looked into UVA’s accommodations for special disabilities. UVA provides alternate text formats for course material, peer note taking, extended time for tests, sign language interpreters and housing accommodations.
Lastly we researched Miami’s special disabilities services. Miami provides auxiliary aid; which is a close circuit fm radio to improve audibility of sound. The instructor wears a small lapel microphone and a transmitter; which sends his/her voice by closed circuit of the listener’s hearing aid. Another source helpful for those who are hearing impaired is the use of sign language interpreters. Other accommodations are extra time on exams, note takers, a scribe, a reader, tape-recorded lectures and support services.
Some universities are better at working with students than others. We found USC and Miami to be most helpful. Some of the other universities were more driven towards providing aid for physically disabled students; which is not what Khalid is looking for. One thing that was interesting is how much documentation many of the universities require for special services to be provided.
These findings should factor into a students decision on where to attend college. If the University they decide to go to does not provide accommodations specific to their disability it would affect their performance at school. If Khalid does not get assistance during lectures he could fall behind making his grades drop which could make him ineligible for football.
* Compare the above schools to JMU's Office of Disability Services. Do you see major differences? Similarities? Are there particular strengths of certain programs over others?
ReplyDeleteJames Madison University, like many other universities, includes an office concentrated in the area of disability services. These services “assist the University in creating an accessible community where students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to fully participate in their educational experience at James Madison University.” An entire webpage has been created and devoted to assisting prospective students who may seek out assistive services for their various areas of disability. There is a step by step process from in which one applies, is granted entrances, and accepts based on what options JMU has to offer. Once a student applies for services they will then meet with a JMU representative to further discuss their potential accommodations.
Included on this website is a list stating which individuals are eligible for university services. This list is not exhaustive but includes students with “mobility, orthopedic, hearing, visual, speech, and learning disabilities.” Students that wish to receive supports are to request such as early as possible in the semester. This request is followed with a meeting in which a plan is devised based on each individual class in which the student with need assistance. From there the student will have the responsibility of meeting with each professor to discuss their “Access Plan.” James Madison University has information on alternative media options, learning strategies, screening and referral, and the note taking programs they offer right on their Office of Disability Services website. Alternative Media is something a student can apply for, such as enlarged print or scanned images, the options are discussed on a case by case basis. Learning Strategies Instruction “enhances the educational outcomes of students through explicit training in various learning strategies which are based on personal strengths and weaknesses, specific course demands, and modified according to academic progress or changing needs.” These strategies include topic areas of stress, time management, and test anxiety, but are not limited to such.
JMU is willing to aide any individual that qualifies for services in any means possible. They want to better the educational process for all students that enroll in the university whether disabled or not. The office of disabilities emphasis equality and makes themselves highly available to meet if one finds they need assistance to obtain equal educational opportunities.
http://www.jmu.edu/ods/
DECISION POINT
In the spring of Khalid’s senior year of high school he nervously awaited his letters of acceptance from the school he applied to, with high hopes of being able to play football at one of them! He soon found out that he was accepted to University of Southern California! They provide the best option of services for him as well as a full scholarship to play football as long as he passed his math class!
Questions from Group 3:
ReplyDelete1.Do you think that playing football at a Division 1 school will put Khalid even more behind in his academics than he already is?
2.Do you think the players on the football team will make fun of Khalid because of his disabilities? If so, do you think this will discourage him from wanting to play football?
3.Khalid is known for his modesty and he gives credit to his mother for that. Do you think that being away from his mother and being on a team with typical 18 year old football players will change his attitude about his great athletic skills?