[nabs-l] extra time on tests was Re: Lines

Tue Apr 2 17:49:11 UTC 2013

First off, hope y'all don't mind. I changed the subject line to better reflect our conversation. I do take extra time on tests at my university. I will say that I am studying French and Russian. I think that a student should take extra time depending on their situation. For example, my school typically does a poor job getting me exams in electronic formats, and I usually have to stop in the middle of my exam and make the student disability testing center fix their mistakes so I can correctly access parts of my exam. I need my full time and a half, or double time, to complete exams because of this. I will also say that when reading large volumes of foreign language material, it takes me a little longer than my sighted class mates who can just scan through the material to answer the questions. I will say though that I am only an advocate of using your full time and a half, or double time, if the situation requires it. For example, your disability office screwing up your exam to begin with, or some other situation where you have a proctor or something. I really honestly believe that we should have an opinion on this on a case by case basis. My situation is different from Arielle's, and Arielle's situation is different from Justin's etc.
Just my thoughts,
Laurel
On Apr 2, 2013, at 11:43 AM, Danielle Sykora wrote:

> Hi all,
> I believe that extra time should be used sparingly; only when it is
> really necessary. We must be careful to use the accomidations we have
> been given appropriately. Like others have said, I only use extra time
> when I experience technological issues or if there are complicated
> daigrams.
> 
> As for waiting in lines, this oppurtunity should also only be used if
> it is necessary. Most of us are completely able to stand in a line
> just like sighted people. Although it might seem tempting to cut a
> line and skip the waiting time, we might be causing more harm than we
> realize.
> Many people with guide dogs choose not to bring their dogs to
> amusement parks so this wouldn't be a big issue. It is unfair to have
> a dog waiting in lines (possibly in extreme heat) for long periods of
> time.
> Just my opinion,
> Danielle
> 
> On 4/2/13, Jessica Silva <jessmonsilva2003 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>> 
>> Hello:
>> Personally, and I know I'll probably get a lot of flack for this but I
>> honestly feel this way. I strongly feel that people with guide dogs
>> shouldn't be taking them to water parks anyway. I don't think it's right
>> that the dog has to go through so much especially at a waterpark. I
>> understand we want to look more independent and what not, but putting a dog
>> through torture like that, at a crowded waterpark, waiting for hours and
>> hours  possibly in lines if you choose to stand in a line just seems
>> inhumane to me.
>> Jess
>> 
>> Check out my blog:
>> http://empowernetwork.com/jessicasilva
>> http://www.makemoneywithjessica.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ------------------------------
>> On Tue, Apr 2, 2013 4:55 AM MDT Carly Mihalakis wrote:
>> 
>>> Good morning,
>>> 
>>>        It seems to me, in the end your scores speak louder, and
>>> with my clarity than if you happen to have taken extra time.  I mean,
>>> who cares?
>>> Car09:35 PM 3/31/2013, justin williams wrote:
>>>> I take the time and a half.  Think what you want.  I can learn to be fast
>>>> on
>>>> a job.  I was one of the top agents at Teleperformance; still got cheated
>>>> in
>>>> the end.  I was one of the best agents in the call center. (Grin.)  No
>>>> but
>>>> seriously, I use any tool available to me.
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kirt
>>>> Manwaring
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2013 12:26 AM
>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>>> Subject: Re:                    [nabs-l] Lines
>>>> 
>>>> Justin,
>>>>  In high school I took the extra time way more than I should have; in
>>>> hindsight, I was using it to hide the fact that I wasn't as efficient
>>>> with
>>>> braille as my peers were with print.  I know this is an entirely
>>>> different
>>>> subject, but I think extra time is legitimate only when inherently visual
>>>> information like pictures and complex graphs need to be presented
>>>> tactally
>>>> or verbally.  Even then, it ought to be used with care because, as has
>>>> been
>>>> said ad noseum, you can't get the "time and a half" on the job.
>>>>  Best,
>>>> Kirt
>>>> 
>>>> On 3/31/13, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> Do you take the time and a half on tests?
>>>>> 
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Arielle
>>>>> Silverman
>>>>> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 11:04 PM
>>>>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Lines
>>>>> 
>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>> Thank you Kirt for making such a great point. When I was growing up my
>>>>> parents and friends often pressured me to use my blindness so that we
>>>>> could cut lines and sometimes my parents even required it without
>>>>> giving me a choice about it. I used to try and justify our behavior
>>>>> but in  the end when I did this I always felt a deep sense of shame
>>>>> and anger, but I could never figure out why. Since then I have learned
>>>>> about self-perception theory in psychology classes and I think I
>>>>> understand why it bothers me (and many of
>>>>> us) so much. Basically, self-perception theory posits that we draw
>>>>> conclusions about ourselves by observing our own behavior. I think
>>>>> whenever I used my blindness as a reason to get a guest pass and skip
>>>>> the line, it made me start to see myself as a handicapped or crippled
>>>>> person, which was very upsetting. For some people who have trouble
>>>>> standing for long periods of time, or who have guide dogs who get
>>>>> uncomfortable standing out in the sun, cutting in line seems
>>>>> legitimate. But if we can physically handle the lines, accepting the
>>>>> special passes doesn't do us any real favors. I insist on standing in
>>>>> line with everyone else because I want to see myself (and my fellow
>>>>> blind friends) as strong, healthy, normal people. I feel I have little
>>>>> to gain by skipping the lines, and much to lose in terms of
>>>>> self-esteem and self-respect. I think every time we take an
>>>>> accommodation, we need to think about what we are gaining from that
>>>>> accommodation vs. what we are potentially losing in terms of normalcy.
>>>>> If an accommodation like a piece of technology is  truly necessary, it
>>>>> will give enough benefit that it's worth the self-esteem hit. But if
>>>>> an accommodation isn't really needed, I think we have more to lose
>>>>> than we have to gain by accepting it. For this same reason I also do
>>>>> not write off blindness as a reason to claim a tax deduction.
>>>>> I am proud to be (barely) earning enough income to be required to pay
>>>>> taxes and paying taxes just like anyone else in my income bracket
>>>>> makes me feel good about myself and where I belong in the world.
>>>>> There's also the argument that if we want to be allowed the same
>>>>> rights sighted people get, we need to be willing to saddle the extra
>>>>> responsibilities. If we want to be allowed to ride amusement park
>>>>> rides without discrimination, we need to be willing to wait in line.
>>>>> It sends a mixed message to skip the line and then insist on equal
>>>>> treatment by the ride operators, just like it sends a mixed message to
>>>>> request unnecessary extra time on tests and then ask for a professor's
>>>>> letter of recommendation.
>>>>> Again, though I'm not a dog user, I think having a guide dog is a
>>>>> legitimate reason to not wait in lines.
>>>>> Arielle
>>>>> 
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>>>>> 
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