Nita Rudra
Services for learning disabilities explained
It's time to dispel the myth that students who receive accomodations have it easy at USC
hat are
learning-disabled students doing in college? Non-disabled students are
often mystified by students with learning disabilities who receive special
accommodations and support through Disabilities Services and Programs. It
may seem rather unfair that certain students are granted extra time on
exams, separate test-taking facilities and other accommodations. Being
disabled appears to be a sufficient indication that such students have less
distinctive talents, motivation and social skills--not to mention
intelligence.
"I have always been
embarrassed that it took me longer to be able to perform to my abilities,"
said Melissa Fuess, an undeclared freshman. "Processing words is a slow
process for me because of my dyslexia. I wish people who don't have
learning disabilities wouldn't look at me so differently." Her comments
reveal the irony of attitudes toward the special accommodations provided to
learning disabled students.Rather than being
"privileged" in their classes, learning disabled students are at a double
disadvantage. They experience several roadblocks in addition to their
natural disability--myths of incompetence and social stigmas.One of the most devastating
barriers to student with disabilities is to overcome the attitudinal
barriers erected by other people. Often, the attitudes of those who are
uninformed about disabilities are more difficult to adjust to than the
disabilities themselves.Learning disabilities
manifest themselves in each individual in different ways. A learning
disability means that there is a discrepancy between an individual's
measured cognitive abilities and his or her academic performance. It is
indeed a challenging task for learning disabled students to believe in
their own cognitive strengths and to develop compensatory strategies
for learning deficits. Disabilities Services and Programs attempts to
facilitate these functions.DSP challenges the myth
that learning disabilities are associated with inferior intelligence. There
is in fact no connection between learning disabilities and one's level of
intelligence--take, for example, Albert Einstein, a learning-disabled
genius! For these reasons, the purpose of DSP is to provide a flexible
support system that places learning disabled students on an equal playing
field with other students--not to put them at an advantage. Learning
disabled students learn differently than the "average" person; they
do not necessarily learn less or more. Special accommodations and academic
support are provided by DSP to help these students compensate for their
learning differences.Self-esteem is a common
battle fought by all students alike. Imagine the additional challenges a
learning disabled student faces as we all work toward the same
goal--independence and achievement outside of the university. The
additional challenges facing these students, both emotional and academic,
warrant respect rather than discrimination.Nita Rudra is a graduate student in political economy and public policy and is a graduate assistant at Disabilities Services and Programs.