Non Specific Disability

[Unregistered]

I'm teaching as an adjunct in a university flight program. I have a student that seems intelligent and engaged but has trouble making it to class and getting assignments in.

This afternoon I got an email from the Office of Accessibility Services requesting that I not penalize the student for excessive absences or deduct anything for late work or missed exams. The nature of the disability was not specified beyond requiring that "The accommodation would be employed when a student's disability creates an inability to attend class and perform as a student."

The student wants to be a professional pilot. My opinion is that a disability of this magnitude should probably be disclosed on the 8500. I was hoping that Dr. Chien might have some advice to counsel the young man, although that might be difficult without knowing the precise nature of the disability. I'm pretty sure the OAS paper trail by itself would be a deal breaker if it ever came to light.

 

[poadeleted20]

Clearly someone doesn't want to share that student's medical records with you, and that is their prerogative. How you deal with that in terms of grading and credit is between you and the university. Your department chair would be the place to start on that -- and get any guidance from your chair in writing.

However, if that student is going to apply for an FAA medical certificate, s/he is going to have to disclose that medical situation on the 8500-8, and if it's ADHD (as one might suspect based on the contents of that email), it's going to be a deal-breaker with the FAA. What I'd suggest is discussing this situation and your concerns first with your department chair (you might find the department is already aware of the issue and dealing with it), and then explain the problem to the Office of Accessibility Services. I'd tell them that in order to prevent trouble later, I was going to give that student a special briefing on FAA medical certification requirements (including all forms of disability, not just ADHD) so that student could make an informed decision on whether or not to continue in the program.

BTW, this sort of problem is why we set a requirement to pass an FAA Second Class medical before enrolling in the Pro Pilot option of our Aviation Sciences program when I was Program Director. It wasn't hard to sell the University administration on the idea that if we let a student go through the program and spend $50-100K on the degree and then find out s/he could not work in the field, the University would likely get sued for letting it happen. The administrators were well aware that such lawsuits do happen, and universities do lose them, and that settled the issue.

In particular, we had one young man who'd just gotten out of the Federal pen on a conviction for trafficking and transportation of a controlled substance (at least only by car, not airplane) and now wanted to be an airline pilot. We explained to him that a) he wouldn't get a medical certificate for some time without a lot of costly medical evaluations at his own expense, b) he'd never get an ATP certificate ("moral character" clause), and c) by Federal law he couldn't work as an airline pilot for at least 10 years after completing his sentence. It took a lot of work to explain this, but eventually, he stopped calling (troll perhaps? ).

 

[Doggtyred]

Is it a reasonable accommodation to not penalize a student for missing an exam? Not in any school I've ever attended. Or for missing homework.

 

[ClimbnSink]

Sucks for the individuals but I laugh about the special treatment cupcakes messing up the gov mandated health and safety cupcakes. He'd get more time to take the SAT you say? Why yes my child does have a disability...

 

[Anymouse]

Perhaps we should just give the kid his certificate just because he really really wants it.

 

[Clark1961]

Hey, I was told to make allowances for football players...I don't teach at that institution anymore.

 

[warthog1984]

I'm teaching as an adjunct in a university flight program. I have a student that seems intelligent and engaged but has trouble making it to class and getting assignments in.

This afternoon I got an email from the Office of Accessibility Services requesting that I not penalize the student for excessive absences or deduct anything for late work or missed exams. The nature of the disability was not specified beyond requiring that "The accommodation would be employed when a student's disability creates an inability to attend class and perform as a student."

The student wants to be a professional pilot. My opinion is that a disability of this magnitude should probably be disclosed on the 8500. I was hoping that Dr. Chien might have some advice to counsel the young man, although that might be difficult without knowing the precise nature of the disability. I'm pretty sure the OAS paper trail by itself would be a deal breaker if it ever came to light.

How do you know its the student that has the disability? Maybe they are acting as a caretaker for someone who has a disability, but it is impacting them as well.

I'd take the student aside, explain the probable ramifications for the 8500, medical, and career ambitions, and then leave it.

Without more info, I wouldn't risk opening a can of worms based on a potentially false premise.

Also, Dr. Bruce is no longer on POA. You can try contacting him through aeromedicaldoc.com.

 

[poadeleted20]

Is it a reasonable accommodation to not penalize a student for missing an exam? Not in any school I've ever attended. Or for missing homework.

Personally, I don't think so, but that's a policy decision for the University's administrators and/or Faculty Senate, and adjunct faculty are often much less familiar with university policy than regular faculty members. That's why I suggested involving the department chair before going outside the department or even speaking to the student involved. If you want to keep teaching there, you really don't want to inadvertently violate university policy.

 

[flyingron]

It's called the ADA...reasonable accommodation and all that. As C'Ron alluded to in his other program, the problem is what happens when someone who has been "accommodated" through the educational process finds they are ill-equipped to actually perform the job they are training for. It's not just pilot (which has been tried in the courts many times to try to apply accommodation to medical requirements and failed). My wife was at the university in the "education" major with a friend who had severe reading disability. While there are probably things she can do with accommodation, teaching other kids to read is probably right out.

 

[fozzie bear]

I don't teach in an aviation program, but I am a tenured university professor and have dealt with disability services on many occasions. I have never received a request that required such accommodations to a student. You are the expert as his instructor. If I had a similar issue in my field, I would discuss any concerns with disability services; they may not (probably don't) have any idea of potential impacts on the student's professional aspirations. They can then work with the student on issues. At this point I may or may not notify my department head and/or Dean. I normally wouldn't at this early stage, but because I am on a friendly basis with both, I may informally bring it up.

 

[poadeleted20]

I don't teach in an aviation program, but I am a tenured university professor and have dealt with disability services on many occasions. I have never received a request that required such accommodations to a student. You are the expert as his instructor. If I had a similar issue in my field, I would discuss any concerns with disability services; they may not (probably don't) have any idea of potential impacts on the student's professional aspirations. They can then work with the student on issues. At this point I may or may not notify my department head and/or Dean. I normally wouldn't at this early stage, but because I am on a friendly basis with both, I may informally bring it up.

Keep in mind, Jeff, this is an adjunct faculty member who probably doesn't attend regular departmental meetings and may not even know the chair's first name (or be known by sight to the chair) -- and probably isn't conversant on all university policies. When I was program director of the aviation program within the Department of Engineering & Aviation Sciences, I would have expected an adjunct aviation faculty member who was only on campus a few hours a week to come to me at once with a concern like this so there would be no policy fumbles.

 

[fozzie bear]

Keep in mind, Jeff, this is an adjunct faculty member who probably doesn't attend regular departmental meetings and may not even know the chair's first name (or be known by sight to the chair) -- and probably isn't conversant on all university policies. When I was program director of the aviation program within the Department of Engineering & Aviation Sciences, I would have expected an adjunct aviation faculty member who was only on campus a few hours a week to come to me at once with a concern like this so there would be no policy fumbles.

I see your point. I just really don't work with adjuncts on a regular basis. In that case, I agree the department head should be notified. Either way, even as a professor, I would leave it to the department head or disability services to discuss with the student. I still can't believe that an instructor would be asked to forgive missed exams/assignments.

 

[poadeleted20]

I see your point. I just really don't work with adjuncts on a regular basis. In that case, I agree the department head should be notified. Either way, even as a professor, I would leave it to the department head or disability services to discuss with the student.

Disability services is not qualified to talk about the aviation career impact of the disability, and in my former situation, neither was the department head (a Nigerian PhD electrical engineer with zero aviation background -- the main reason that is my former situation).

I still can't believe that an instructor would be asked to forgive missed exams/assignments.

After my five years in that job, I can believe faculty being asked to do almost anything -- especially non-tenured adjuncts.

 

[docmirror]

Another adjunct here. I ran into something similar about 6 years ago. The student didn't want to go into flying, so I had the special student services guy give me a rundown one afternoon on what was, and wasn't in scope.

Anyway, in this case, if the PT prof in a flight training program can see a potential or even possible deal breaker, I think he/she would owe a duty to the student to sit down with them and set the record straight about potential likely roadblocks. No need to get into cases with the student, but make them clearly aware of the limitations involved in SOME disabilities and the poor record with respect to the FAA aeromed dept.

I know if I were in that students position, I would want to know about it. The school should also be involved in the discussion if they have a med guy on call, or someone that can do a consult without the 8500 form being involved yet.

 

[Unregistered]

Appreciate the thoughtful replies. I'm going to take it up with the chair per Ron's suggestion. I was not clear in the original post. I'm not required to let him completely miss assignments or examinations and receive credit; the money quote is "The student should have the opportunity to make up missed exams, assignments, or other tasks within a reasonable time and without retribution. The student will still be graded on the quality of his/her performance."

Apart the fact that the "quality of his/her performance" is in some way connected with the ability to show up and be prepared, that is not the problem for me per se. I like the kid and have already been pretty flexible with him prior to the OSA notification. My opinion is that we are failing the student, as an institution, to allow the student to continue training without discussing the implications with him.

I am not an academic, although I taught in this program full time in the 90s. I have been a blue collar working aviator for 25 years and can literally make as much before lunch as they are paying me to teach this class. I thought it would be fun to help them out in the off season when they needed a body, and it has been. My tolerance for politically correct bull****, however, is at an all time low and although it is not particularly endemic in the department the university is rife with it. I am not comfortable standing by while a student with a declared disability completes his training and placed into the pilot population without some additional investigation and am not concerned enough about keeping this "job" to be circumspect about my opinion. In short, I am a curmudgeon. The previous holder of that unofficial position around here passed away so it was open.

 

[Henning]

Just stay out of it, it will all come out in the wash.