Oh I see: Blame Students for Ableist Decisions!

[trouble]

*headdesk*

I fell asleep at 9:30 and then woke up at about 2 a.m. and so I went on twitter so I could check the news and what the shit is this?

University Decision To Withdraw Student With Down Syndrome Sparks Outcry

When officials at an Oregon university decided that a 20-year-old with Down syndrome could no longer audit a ceramics class, the woman’s peers responded in force.

Eliza Schaaf was auditing a ceramics course at Southern Oregon University until she received a letter from the school Nov. 8 indicating that her need for extensive one-on-one assistance “resulted in a disruption of curriculum delivery and interfered with the teaching and learning environment for the instructor and other students.” University officials informed Schaaf that as a result she would be withdrawn from the course.

That didn’t sit well with Schaaf’s classmates who said that she was not a disruption and that her inclusion added to their college experience. All 19 of the other students in Schaaf’s class signed a petition asking that she be allowed to remain in the course. What’s more, the university’s student senate voted to oppose the school’s decision.

So, let me see if I get this straight:

The university administration says Eliza is a disruption to her classmates.

Her classmates respond with "lol no". Every single person in the class signs a petition saying she's not disruptive. The student union votes to back her inclusion in the class. There have been student protests saying she's not disruptive. But hey! Let's kick her out of school 3/4s of the way into the term because .... Why exactly?

We have a word for that, you know.

I'm looking more into this case, but it looks pretty shitty to me.

Comments

[kiriamaya]

What the FUCK.

[trouble]

She was all disabled at them.

[ex_wicker969]

MY STATE. SOU WHAT? WHAT?!

There's no mention of the teacher at all, but if no student in the class said anything to the administration about her (and why would they? she sounds like she was just attending class like any other damn college student, wtf, and if they all signed the petition...) then what's the chance it was the teacher that was all on guard by her very overt disabledness?

[trouble]

I'm reading the letter the university sent to Eliza and it's basically "the prof hated dealing with you". The letter claims that Eliza was "observed" by the university administration, but, as the students pointed out, this never actually happened.

Here is the letter.

[staranise]

Yeah, that definitely sounds like the prof having a real snitfit.

[kerrypolka]

Hello fellow Oregonian concerned about disability issues! Um would you like to be friends?

[kiriamaya]

HOW DARE SHE. Doesn't she know that real people have feelings?

[trouble]

The letter that they sent her makes it clear that the prof is the one with the problem, but the problems the prof is describing could have been solved by allowing Eliza's personal assistant to accompany her.

[kiriamaya]

Seriously. >_<

I just... don't get people. I don't get how people could be so hateful.

[trouble]

What I love is how they're blaming the other students. "Oh, this was disruptive to the classroom." Students: No, no it wasn't. Letter: Well, we observed her and she was disruptive! Students: You never observed our classroom once.

[unusualmusic]

That is some fucking PRIVILEGE stinking up the place there!

[crossedwires]

:((

[kerrypolka]

Hey, that's my university! I went there for three years! And they were dicks about disability/mental health to me too.

I think it's time to write a cross letter to the dean and the alumni association about how they are definitely not getting any money from me ever.

[trouble]

D: That story is awful from start to finish. :(

[terajk]

D: D: D:

WHAT.

[sami]

About all I can think of, assuming the University admins aren't wearing their pants on their heads, is that the teacher of the course is lazy and doesn't want to have to deal with having a student with special needs?

<sarcasm> After all, she's teaching Arts and Crafts. Clearly she's teaching at a university because she wants to avoid all the special needs rubbish in the sub-tertiary school system. </sarcasm>

I'd feel bad about going straight to blaming the teacher, but... this would not be happening if the teacher was happy to have the student in her class.

[trouble]

No, it's pretty clear from the letter that the uni sent out that it's basically the prof with the issue.

[geeksdoitbetter]

i don't think it shows the teacher as lazy, as much as unable to provide individual attention to the level eliza needed

which, is why eliza wanted a personal assistant to attend with her. which, i think, would have rocked

[metonymy]

I am going to focus on the positive so I don't start throwing things: all of her classmates, 40 people who signed the petition, and the entire student senate think that she has a perfect right to stay and finish the course. And they were willing to take action to do so, even if that was unsuccessful. That makes me happy. (The rest of it makes me want to cry.)

[trouble]

Yes, I was thinking about that too. ♥

[sabotabby]

Yep. Because the administration are fuckwads and I hope they and the university get sued liek whoa. But her fellow students sound pretty cool.

[trouble]

They do! I admit, I was really surprised to find out that the student senate voted in support of Eliza.

[phoenixsong]

Not to mention that "Dear Parent" letter seems to strongly imply that the university has an obligation to make accommodations, rather than actually justifying them kicking her out!

Semi-related: do you know where I might find some sort of information/ratings on U.S. school districts and their adherence to making accommodations? My son has a physical handicap, and stories like this make me terrified of having to deal with people who are going to be total asshats about it.

[trouble]

I don't, but someone in the <user name = "disability" community probably will!

[originalpuck]

*rages* That is so fucked up!!

[silveradept]

...I'd like to believe that the university will reverse their decision before they get blasted with a big discrimination claim, but I don't think that's likely to happen.

The administration really needed to tell the teach to suck it up, especially if it's this far in the semester, and remind them of their policy about disability accomodation.