Stephen:
Interesting questions you raise! I'll try to tackle my opinion on them:
First, questions 1 & 3:
I'm no sure you can mention the condition unless the student does. Here at
VSU, our Special Services department tends to emphasize the idea that
faculty keep such accommodations reasonably confidential, and certainly the
reasons for such. That certainly can put you in a difficult position when
writing a letter, but I think that our point in question #3 is the accurate
one. In fact, the student who gets rejected from a grad school or job may
decide to sue you for disclosing such info (although, as I tell my graduate
students, anyone can more or less sue anyone else for anything at anytime,
but that doesn't mean it's justified).
I've found that often I will ask the student about the situation,
specifically, whether they believe that the condition (or whatever) will
compromise their ability to succeed at the job, grad school, etc. This
issue came up once when a student was receiving accommodations for a
learning disability in reading, but wanted to go to law school. I asked him
straight out whether law schools also offer such accommodations, and then
whether he would receive them as well when he got a job in a law office. He
seemed pretty convinced that he'd have "an assistant" do his reading and
summarizing for him. I suggested that typically, the new lawyer IS the
assistant.
Overall, I think this fits under some of the other discussions we've had
re: student recommendation letters. I think one has to speak frankly with
the student, find out what the student is willing to have revealed or not,
and then make a decision for yourself whether you're comfortable writing a
letter supporting a student under those conditions.
As for question #2, I think this is the most interesting question. There is
definitely a rationale for giving students fair warning about the issue of
labeling. On the other hand, one assumes that the student requesting
accommodations NEEDS those accommodations to succeed in the first place.
That is, if you tell the student ahead of time,"You know, by seeking these,
it may impact you negatively later," doesn't that imply that the
accommodations may not be necessary, that the student can succeed without
them? If that's so, the implications seem obvious.
Finally, to anticipate the questions of some list members (and you know who
you are), I actually believe that as much as possible, students should not
be overly burdened by time contraints on exams, and noise issues, etc. That
is, exams and assignments should be given in an atmosphere that maximizes
the students' chances of giving their optimal performance.
Ok, I've given my long-winded response for the term...
David W.
At 08:58 AM 1/11/01 -0500, Stephen Black wrote:
>Here's a question I've been pondering which is currently
>hypothetical but could easily come to pass at my institution.
>
>Suppose you have a student who does exceptionally well in your
>courses. However, this student has also been classified as a
>"special needs" student, and therefore receives special
>consideration on examinations, such as extra time and a quiet
>place to write. Presumably, the student would argue that
>these accommodations are essential to her success.
>
>Question # 1: Suppose the student asked you to write a letter of
>reference, either for an employer or for graduate school. Would
>you mention the special help received on examinations?
>
>My tentative opinion is that you would have a duty to include
>this information in the letter of reference, although you might
>warn the student beforehand that you would do this.
>
>Question # 2: Inclusion of this information in a letter to an
>employer would undoubtedly hurt the student's chances of getting
>the job. But would it also hurt her chances of getting into
>graduate school? Would a graduate school take this as an
>indicator of lesser fitness for graduate training?
>
>Question # 3: Contrary to my opinion in Question # 1, is it
>possible that it would be legally or ethically improper to
>include information about being a "special needs" student or
>receiving special accommodations in a letter of reference? Could
>it be argued that this is privileged personal information which
>has the same status as disclosures in a therapy session, and
>therefore should not be divulged in a letter of reference?
>
>If I'm right in Question # 1, one implication is that student
>counsellors should warn students seeking special status. They
>should be told that accepting special arrangements on exams
>carries the disadvantage that the information will be noted in
>letters of reference.
>
>What do people think?
>
>
>-Stephen
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
>Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
>Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Lennoxville, QC
>J1M 1Z7
>Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
> Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at:
> http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
David T. Wasieleski, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology and Counseling
Valdosta State University
229-333-5620
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dtwasieleski
"Why there is no perfect place
Yes I know that it's true
I'm just learning how to smile
That's not easy to do..."
--Everclear
"Learning How to Smile"
