Two questions often asked about LD & ADD students
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- Two questions often asked about LD & ADD students
Won't extra time on exams give these students an unfair advantage?
No, because LD and ADD students are starting at a disadvantage in taking exams. Though they are as academically-qualified as their peers here, they often have difficulty interpreting written test questions, expressing their answers in writing, or focusing. The extra time gives them a more level playing field with other students by allowing them to read questions several times for better understanding, and to go over their written responses to look for commonly-made errors.
A study on learning disabilities at UC Berkeley showed that when "normal" students were given extra time on exams, they did not show significant improvement on test scores. LD students did, however, and this has been observed for most LD students on our campus as well. In other words, LD students often perform better with extra time, but it is not at the expense of other students. The extra time allows them to better demonstrate what they know.
What will happen when these students get out in the "real world" after college? How can they expect this kind of understanding from employers?
The work environment is slowly changing to recognize that qualified, capable graduates with disabilities can be valuable employees, even if they may need some additional level of assistance. It should really be noted, though, that the great majority of Rensselaer graduates with learning disabilities do not tell their employers about their LD or ADD simply because it isn't significant to their work performance. They meet deadlines and complete their work like other employees, and if they need extra time, they do what a lot of their co-workers do- they put in extra hours.
For the small number of Rensselaer students who have more significant problems, they can use a variety of options, depending on their work environment, such as secretarial assistance, software solutions for spelling and grammar checking, telecommunications-based services for proofreading, and scanning technology with voice synthesizers for reading assistance. The evidence shows that nearly all Rensselaer graduates with LD or ADD find their way to success through their own initiative.
Questions and comments regarding services for students with disabilities are welcomed and encouraged. For more information, please contact Debra Hamilton, Disability Services for Students, Dean of Students Office, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180-3590, or send email to dss@rpi.edu or call (518) 276-2746.