Jon’s wide range of primary concerns related to his disability

Jon’s wide range of primary concerns related to his disability

Question One

I believe Jon has a wide range of primary concerns related to his disability. In a physical sense, Jon has “chronic migraines, which are debilitating to the point of him not being able to go to class, look at computer screens for [a long] time, or concentrate on his work for [a long] time… Jon also has a visual impairment, which makes it …impossible … to see the power points… or the words on the computer.” Due to his physical concerns, Jon is worried about doing poorly in his classes due to the effects of his disability, like missing class and not completing homework on time.

While the issues related to his disability already make completing schoolwork difficult, Jon is also frustrated because of a lack of social acceptance. When Jon went to his professors for help, he felt that “they think he is faking his illness.” In fact, Jon even has proof of this from an email he received from a professor: “[Jon is] just lazy because he is not attending class and doing the work.” The primary concern for Jon here is receiving more social acceptance and understanding.[GC1] He wants to increase the knowledge known about disabilities for his professors and college staff. If they know more about the nuances of disability, Jon wouldn’t have to fight so hard for help.

Question Two

This case study was tricky in deciding on whether anyone in the college had broken any laws. It is clear in the article that Jon received discrimination from his professor when he called him “lazy” in an email, and refused to give him accommodations. Furthermore, it is clear that the Dean was also acting illegally when he told Jon “his disability was not substantially limiting and can be fixed by simply wearing his glasses and taking Advil.” Just because a disability can be aided through objects does not mean a disability is not present. [GC2] The ADA states, “the determination of whether an impairment substantially limits a major life activity shall be made without regard to the ameliorating effects of mitigating measures, such as medication or hearing aids” (Vance et al., 2014, p. 7). Thus, just because glasses and Advil would help Jon with his problems, he should still be evaluated on his disability aside from those measures. Also, the audience has no clue on whether those measures can actually help Jon.

With that being said, I actually don’t think that these people were acting illegally. Since the case study did not state that Jon has documentation on his disability, he may not be considered “disabled” in the eyes of the law and the university. I believe these people would only be acting illegally if Jon has documentation in the college saying he has a [GC3] disability. So, I think the only things they are guilty of are feeding misinformation to Jon and acting inappropriately.

Since there are no laws being broken, I would not necessarily have to explain them to the Dean, the professor, and Jon. However, as an individual, I think it is important that I explain the laws anyways. The laws should be explained to Jon so that he is better educated, allowing him to stand up for himself productively. I also would want to explain the laws to the Dean and the professor. The Dean needs to know the laws so he won’t feed bad information to the student body again. The professor needs to know as well so he can make efforts to stop discriminating students based on their disability. I would explain these laws to all parties by meeting with them separately and going over the ADA Section 504. I would go over the laws with each individually separately so that they can feel free to ask any questions they need to, without pressure. Furthermore, I would not want Jon to hear the professor or Dean say anything that may be damaging to his self-confidence, which is greatly needed in order to increase his self-advocacy skills[GC4] .

Question Three

Jon qualifies for a disability because his chronic migraines and visual impairment “substantially limits one or more major life activities” (Vance et al., 2014, p. 6). As stated in question one, Jon’s migraines cause him to miss class and complete homework at a slower pace. Simple life activities like attending class, and reading notes on a computer, are limited due to his migraines and visual impairment. So, these limitations associated with his migraines would qualify him for a disability. Additionally, the actions that Jon has trouble completing are specifically outlined in the ADA for disability qualification: “The list of examples of major life activities was greatly expanded to include reading, writing, concentrating, and thinking” (Vance et al., 2014, p. 8). Furthermore, “an impairment that is episodic or in remission is a disability if it would substantially limit a major life activity when active” (Vance et al., 2014, p. 8). So, even though Jon’s chronic migraines are not constantly happening, he would still qualify for a disability because when they do occur, they limit him from being the best student he has the potential to be.

Question Four

There are many resources on campus that Jon could use to help him succeed at the university that will take his disability into account. The Center for Academic Success can help Jon with his disability. They are the spot on campus that helps with disability documentation and skill learning. If Jon went to this office, he could get help receiving documentation for his disability, learn how to self-advocate, and learn from helpful study skills. Additionally, the Center for Academic Success could help Jon make a learning plan to share with his professors. This plan will be geared towards his specific learning needs, and help him succeed in the best, and most fair, way possible. The plan should be fair to both the student and professor.

The Wellness Center can also help Jon with his disability. Jon has been experiencing a lot of discrimination associated with his disability, which has been causing him to have a poor emotional state. If Jon attended counseling, the counselors can help him work through any emotional issues he may have. They also may be able to help him achieve more confidence, which will aid him during self-advocacy[GC5] .

Question Five

There is a lot of technology that Jon can use to help him succeed in his classes at the university. In Question 1, I mentioned that Jon has trouble looking at computer screens for a long period of time. So, Jon should take advantage of recording lectures during class in case he has to look away from his computer while he is taking notes. The recorder will pick up anything that Jon misses while he takes a break from staring at his computer. Jon should also ask for an increase of funds on his printing balance[GC6] ; since Jon has trouble looking at computer screens for a long time, he may be better suited to complete his readings if he prints off notes and articles. This will help him stay on track while actively avoiding a higher chance of getting migraines. While the printer balance won’t help him in his issue for having to concentrate for long periods of time, it can be a small step towards helping him succeed.

Jon also has a visual impairment that makes it difficult for him to see power points or words on the computer. Jon should look online, or ask for advice from an eye specialist, to see if there are any special glasses he can wear to help with this problem. Although the Dean mentioned glasses for help, the typical glasses the Dean is insinuating won’t help Jon; he needs something more specialized. There may be glasses Jon can find where he can decrease the harsh effects of technology on his eyes that trigger migraines. There also may be a special computer screen that can help him.

Question 6

My primary concern regarding Jon’s situation is managing his current emotional state and bettering his advocacy skills. If these issues are addressed, CAS will have a better chance of retaining Jon at the University.

Due to being treated poorly, Jon is at risk of dropping out of school. CAS, along with other departments, should help retain Jon at the university. This is the main primary concern; logistically, helping Jon stay in school will help the college with retention rates. However, more importantly, Jon shouldn’t feel like he can’t succeed just because of his disability: this risks his future. The more we can educate staff and faculty on how to “meet students where they’re at,” the more likely graduation rates will increase and drop out rates will decrease.

Jon is at risk of dropping out because his current emotional state is not ideal. At the very beginning of the case study, Jon is described as “looking physically agitated, frustrated, and drained.” Back in Question 1, I mentioned the discriminating email sent to Jon by one of his professors. Discrimination was further displayed by the Dean of his college, when the Dean stated that Jon’s disability “is not substantially limiting and can be fixed simply by wearing his glasses and taking Advil; therefore he cannot get services from the disability office.” Due to the discrimination Jon has faced, he is “frustrated, angry, sad, and almost given up on himself and his ability to succeed in school.” Once Jon’s emotional state is changed towards something more positive and confident, he may feel that he has a better chance of succeeding.

One way to help Jon succeed is to educate his professors and his Dean on the rules associated with his disability. If they understand that they have to accommodate Jon, he will do better in his classes. So, CAS’ primary concern is to teach Jon self-advocacy skills and be there as a support system. Jon states he has already begun the process of self-advocacy by trying to stay after class to talk to professors, but he ends up failing because he is too “nervous” to actually talk about it. CAS should show Jon how to self-advocate so he gets accommodations. He will then feel confident in his ability to learn, allowing him to succeed.

[GC1]Well phrased! Nice job of identifying Jon’s immediate and overarching concerns.

[GC2]Precisely

[GC3]Correct again. This was a tricky one to make a determination on.

[GC4]Well-reasoned and thought out!

[GC5]Great referrals!

1. [GC6]Very ingenious, I never thought about this!Some of the laws that are being broken are the ADA, and Section 508. The ADA is being broken because the definition of this law is “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; a record or history of such an impairment; or being regarding as having a disability.” (Vance, Lipsitz, & Parks, 2014). Which Jon does meet these criteria since his migraines are a mental impairment and his visual does not allow him to be able to see normally. The school is also breaking section 504 because Jon is not getting equal access and therefore is not getting equal services. There are also no reasonable accommodations or modifications that his professors are allowing him to have when Jon tried to set up things on his own. Now Disability Services needs to step in to get him those. How I would explain this to his professors is that if Jon does not get equal treatment and there are other students who have faced the same treatment, the school could lose their federal aid and that can affect their programs that they teach in. Another way I would explain the process of getting accommodations through disability services and that if disability services deems that Jon should have these accommodations then they should be helping Jon work with these accommodations in their classes.
2. The resources that I would direct Jon to work be first, Disability Services. He has not gone there in fear that he would be rejected for his accommodations, which he could collaborate with them to see what would work the best for him. Another place that I would direct him to is Health and Wellness. This is because he was very frustrated with his professors and he might need a safer space to express how he feels. This is also so that he can get help with finding ways to help with his migraines.
3. The technology that I would suggest Jon use is speech to text for when he has to do essays for his classes, this could help with him looking at the computer screen less until he has to edit his paper. Another resource I suggest is audio books, the reason for these is so that since he has trouble seeing these might help him learn better or if he knows braille, to get his textbooks translated into braille. Then this will also help with the migraines since he would have to have it on print. One thing for his computer I suggest is to get a program that will increase the font or color of the pages for his computer. This could help him see better, especially if he follows along with the professor in the slides on the computer or he has them printed out already. For classes he could use the smart pen to go back and listen to the lecture. Since he does have a tough time following along sometimes.
4. My primary concerns regarding Jon’s situation is that emotionally he feels rejected by his professors and the assistant dean, that is why I suggested that he go to Health and Wellness for them to help him sort through those emotions in a healthy way. The other primary concern is that if there is not an intervention to get him accommodations for his classes, Jon is going to fail out because what he is doing by himself is not working and needs the professional staff of the Disabilities Services to be another person to advocate for Jon to his professors.