[nabs-l] Extended Time

[Chris Nusbaum]

Ashley,

I agree. Extended time has definitely helped me in math classes, but I don't
usually need it in other classes. This is in high school, where extended
time accomodations (at least for me) are on a case-by-case basis.

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ashley Bramlett
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2013 6:56 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Extended Time

Hi Arielle,
I think you had some great points. In high school, they could have a case by
case basis as not all our classes need extended time. I think the
implication is bad that taking a test in braille means we are slow readers
and will always be slow. I know some rather fast braille readers who would
likely finish tests faster than sighted students.

Anyway, good discussion. if we use any accomodation, we should think about
if it helps or hurts us in the longrun.

Ashley

-----Original Message-----
From: Arielle Silverman
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2013 9:57 PM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nabs-l] Extended Time

Hi all,
The last post about using extra time on quizzes got me thinking about why we
automatically get extra time to take tests and whether or not this is a good
idea. I think the extra time is intended to correct for any issues with our
accommodations or technology that make test-taking slower; for example, it
might make sense to use extra time if we have to have a scribe write an
essay for us or if we are using a reader and asking them to repeat things or
read answer choices a few times. Extra time also seems appropriate if we
have a problem with technology breaking, files not downloading correctly,
etc. But I question whether extra time is really appropriate for online
quizzes, for example, or for Braille or large print tests.
As a Braille reader I used extended time only on a few occasions and I found
that I only "needed" it when, deep down, I didn't fully understand the
material I was being tested on. This happened a lot when I had tactile
diagrams to interpret since I have always been bad with spatial mapping and
understanding tactile images. So I would use the extra time to agonize over
test questions I didn't understand and then eventually guess an answer. I
really don't think the extra time was helpful for either my test performance
or my learning and I feel it only acted as a Band-Aid covering up the real
issue which was that I didn't know how to interpret tactile images. Had I
not been granted extended time this might have become a more pressing issue
for me to deal with back in high school. Similarly, I worry that when
Braille readers are automatically granted double time across the board, it
allows teachers to grow complacent with slower Braille-reading speeds than
is desirable and almost sets up the expectation that Braille reading is
inherently slow. It might be appropriate to *temporarily* grant an
individual student extended time while they are still in the process of
building Braille fluency, but granting it to everybody who reads Braille is
something that bothers me. I also question the implication that blind
students just do things slower and that nothing can or should be done about
it so just let them take extra time. I don't need to tell you that extended
time is not granted in the job world and this is becoming more real for me
as I approach graduation and employment myself.
I'm not trying to belittle anybody who uses extended time. I am just
proposing that we reflect a little on what the extra time is specifically
meant to accomplish, why we use it and whether or not it is actually
helpful. I would propose that we make mindful decisions about when to accept
extended time and that we aim to use it only when it is truly necessary and
beneficial. In order to grow as students progressing toward employment, I
think we should also be aware of why we are finding ourselves needing extra
time and see if there are skill issues we might be able to address so that
we need it less in the future. In my own case my weakness with tactile
diagrams probably won't impact me much on the job, but a weakness in Braille
reading speed or Web navigation is something that can be addressed with
training and practice and addressing it can make a person much more
competitive on the job, and able to get the job done as efficiently as
sightedd colleagues.
Best,
Arielle

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