Accomodations for a Master's Degree
Should universities be required to offer accomodations for persons with learning disablities who want to continue their education by entering graduate school? This question has been on my mind since I entered a graduate program the week after Thanksgiving. The degree I am seeking is a subject that I am very interested in. The classification will be "A masters degree in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in instructional technology". I am very interested in computers, the internet - and all that goes with that. I am a special education teacher, and I think that this kind of technology can help kids do better in school. I want to be part of that pioneering movement in education. A lot of my work is done online. I am very interested, but I see trouble looming down the road. I want to do well, but I am already seeing my limitations. I get through them, but sometimes it takes extra time or extra help.
As for the basic qestion, should they 'have to', I can see both sides. On one hand, there is a certain amount of academic expectation when one applies for graduate school. A masters degree says that this person has done more study and has more expertise than one who has not. If a learning disabled person wants to pursue a graduate degree, they should do all the work everyone else does, in the same amount of time. You signed up for this program, and you knew you were learning disabled at the time. Rearrange your life and live with it.
On the other hand, if I did not have these disablities I would have no trouble getting through school. I've elaborated on my disablities in previous articles, so I'll keep it short here. If I was not dyslexic, the words would not jump around on the page and reading would not be the chore it is. If I didn't have the processing problems, and whatever other learning disabilites I have I would be able to understand the lecture format and be a good student. If I was not ADHD, I would be able to sit still and pay attention long enough get most the material in class. New material is very hard. When my meds bring me to some simbalance of normality, my brain sometimes gets stuck on the the wrong meanings. It makes life very interesting. Meds are taken in the morning, and by the time I get to class they are gone. If I took a booster, I do not think I would be able to sleep. That would make work the next day kind of difficult. I don't need special ed. students running all over me or
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