Educating People with Disabilities

Abstract

Accommodating individuals with disabilities in the workplace is a rapidly growing concern. Furthermore, those who are functionally impaired are in a dire need of assistance. In a classroom, the main function of a student is to learn. Learning is facilitated by an instructor's lectures, writings on the board, use of audiovisuals, etc. Generally, it is presumed that students do not have any common functional impairments (visual, auditory, etc.) and, therefore, no special effort is made to accommodate those who may have such impairments. Obviously, the learning of a legally-blind student or one who has impaired hearing, for example, will be compromised if no assistance is provided. Then there are issues such as providing reading materials for the blind (college catalogues, lecture notes, etc., in braille?). What should be done?

The purpose of this panel discussion is to, in general, address and discuss the issues involved in educating people with disabilities, particularly those that are not very obvious or visible (ex., wheelchair confinement). How should university campuses resolve this problem in this age of dwindling resources? Sensitive issues, such as “Needs of the many versus the needs of the few?” and “What responsibility do we have to the few that really need such assistance?”, also need to be resolved.