#caesarv

Caesar Villagomez

We live in a society where everyone isn’t born equally. Some are hard of hearing, some can’t see, some can’t eat, and some can’t use limbs we were intended to have.  But we can all agree that it’s a normal presence in our population. And being a normal presence, the best thing to collectively do is to accommodate all these people with disabilities so that we could all have the same opportunities in life,  A quick visit to the Disability Resources and Educational Services office revealed to me that here at CSU Northridge, We have the largest enrollment of deaf students nationwide. In the past, deaf students would need to go to specific schools tailored for their needs. But with the inclusion of assistive technologies for the deaf in public schools, we’ve become the best school to handle the influx of students. This is an outcome of the American with Disabilities Act of 1990.

When the Act of 1990 was enacted, The discrimination of both the mentally and physically disabled was prohibited across the country. The bill made sure in include that schools needed to provide accommodations to its students and staff such as building ramps to access all areas of the campus with the inclusion of expanding classrooms to include students with hidden disabilities such as ADHD or Deafness. So it seems natural to assume that after 2 decades of being a federal mandate, all the problems regarding disabilities and their discrimination would cease to exist. Assistive technologies have become prevalent across the country in the form of interpreters, online classes, specific accommodations for instruction and exams, and even medication in order to support the students in the pursuit of a higher education. And it certainly is a step in the right direction, But colleges nationwide continue to lack in doing enough to integrate students with disabilities. That’s okay, these things take time  “ Designs for educational change are created out of experience that comes in part from experimentation.” Came from Kaufman’s journal about experiments changing the educations system.

Mental disabilities are just as prevalent as physical ones. Accommodations are necessary  in order for these students to be integrated well with the rest of their class.The graph contains the percentages of all americans who go onto pursue a post secondary education. 

The survey was conducted by the U.S Department of Education and also goes on to represent the variety of disabilities that are prevalent in the population. But what’s common with every demographic is that given their disability, Over 60 % of young adults want to pursue post secondary education. That’s a population too large to ignore and furthermore a population too large to discriminate. Yet we hear stories today like the one posted in the article Bring Down the Barriers- Seen and Unseen  that goes on to say,  “A student with epilepsy at Colorado Mountain College was asked to drop a class after she had a seizure that was deemed too distracting to other students.” (Rachel 178). This is a terrifying demonstration of a school tolerating and accommodating it’s non-disabled students when it should be the other way around with the student being integrated more efficiently into the classroom because while the girl’s seizures may have been disruptive, It was out of her control. Nonee of us are born equal. A better environment could have been provided such as an online classroom but the school did no such thing. Forcing the girl to sacrifice her education at the sake of others who just happened to be lucky enough not to be born with a disability like her’s.

A large part that is hindering the expansion of support for disabilities as a whole is the rampant abuse of the services provided for the disabled being used by students that aren't disabled with anything. I’m not discussing about the harmless abused acts where students take elevators instead of taking the stairs. Or where student’s press the big blu button placed on the side of a wall that activates the doors instead of pushing open the doors because they are lazy. I'm talking about student’s who are faking disabilities in order to get extended test times, extended due dates, extended one on one teaching from the professor, or even access to prescriptions drugs like Adderal which puts these students at an academic  advantage over the rest of the population which isn’t fair. Melana Vickers from the Pope Center on Higher Education  even comments on the issue saying that “The rise in LD (Learning Disabled) and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) has stirred controversy. One reason is evidence that some diagnoses are illegitimate. Various news organizations including ABC News and Usa Today have reported that for a price it’s possible to secure an illegitimate diagnosis.”

It’s expensive for schools to hire new staff such as interpreters and offices designated for the disabled. As well as keeping existing staff on campus for more hours in order to present more instruction time for the students who need it. That’s why the government provides subsidies to schools nationwide for them to provide these necessary services. But when schools don't properly utilise these funds to accommodate students we end up with instructors like the one at County College of Morris, in New Jersey  that went on to tell a young man who had a problem with stuttering, “Not to participate in class discussions” because the instructor found his severe stutter to be disruptive.(Melena 178)

To view a school which has integrated students with disabilities successfully, as well as properly utilising the funds received by the national government, take a look at CSUN. We’re a public campus which has taken a successful approach in integrating the population of students with disabilities, with the population without any disabilities. It helps us stand out when CSUN’s services don’t seek to only tolerate these people, but to actually welcome them. The commentary in The Chronicles of Higher Education aids my statement even more when the author said, “When our campuses tolerate, but do not welcome, people with disabilities, they undermine the values of democracy, justice, and intellectuale freedom that are the core values of a higher education” (Rachel 180).

There are shining examples of what’s possible when integrating students with disabilities is done correctly. If anything, it’s a major loss for the colleges unsuccessful welcoming students with disabilities. It’s stated perfectly in The Chronicle of Higher Education, “When we regard students and colleagues with disabilities as nuisances or disruptions, we lose the opportunities they provide to think critically, with fresh eyes.” ( Rachel 180).

It’s inherently obvious that within the last 25 years, the awareness and assistance that schools are providing for the mentally and physically disabled has increased significantly. And the progress that came after the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 wouldn’t have been possible without it. That being said colleges haven’t gone far enough in accommodating students with disabilities. There’s a large margin, or large void full of errors that need to be corrected in colleges across the nation. But we’re certainly on the right track.

N.d. Edweek. Web. 4 Nov. 2015. <http://www.edweek.org/media/2015/05/26/33dc-college1-c1.jpg>.

Adams, Rachel. "Bring Down the Barriers-Seen and Unseen." The Chronicle of Higher Education (2011): n. pag. 6 Nov. 2011. Web.

Vickers, Melana Zyla. "Accommodating College Students with Learning Disabilities." For Higher Education Policy (2010): n. pag. The John William Pope Center. Web. 10 Oct. 2015. <http://www.popecenter.org/acrobat/vickers-mar2010.pdf>.

Vanbergeijk, Ernst, and Paul Cavanagh. "Federal Government Continues Its Drive to Include Students with Intellectual Disabilities in Higher Education." The Exceptional Parent (2015): n. pag. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.

Hoffmann, Kathy. "Advising Students with Disabilities." Research and Teaching in Developmental Education, 26.2 (2010): 46.

Adams, Rachel. "Bringing Down The Barriers-Seen And Unseen." Practical Argument. 2nd ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 178-80. Print.

Caesar Villagomez

I originally had the impression that I already knew everything there was to know about writing but I was quickly proven wrong with the many new writing styles that were shown to us over the semester. I began to learn how to quote journals properly, as well as to structure and format my essays to the best of my abilities. Four months ago I wouldn’t have the capability to write the essays I can now.

The original version of my paper was littered with incorrect formatting and misunderstandings of the prompt which left the essay a scrambled put together mess. Throughout the following couple of days I began to understand my shortcomings in my writing skills and improved my paper significantly over the original to the point where I am proud of what I wrote. Following the prompt to the word really helped.

For the incoming students, You won’t be asked for much. But do everything you are asked to do as there are not a lot of opportunities to manipulate your grade. Participation in the classroom isn’t necessary, but it will become incredibly handy to network with the students around you as the opportunity will arise to do several group projects.

By Caesar Villagomez

9:32am on the phone screen @ the bedroom

I wake up to a still morning, no alarm, no birds, no other person in my home but me. Nothing seems out of the ordinary to me so I reach for my phone while i’m still under the covers to see the screen cluttered in the usual notifications. Next to the Snapchat icon there's a name; “laly”. I double tap the notification to open up the app so that I can see the pic she sent me. The pic opens and it's her, and two other friends of mine from highschool with the caption “Good luck living without tech”. The realization seeps in that 2 minutes into a  tuesday and I have already failed my journey to go a day without any tech. I’m a failure

9:58am on the screen the stove has @ the kitchen

Moving on from my mistakes, the morning was still, I only heard the ruffling of my pj’s and the hard wind outside. I let my dog inside from the backyard thinking she would bring in some life but she was just as still this morning. I wasn’t sure if this was a regular occurrence or if I was just noticing it for the first time today undistracted. I began to prepare my breakfast and I heard nothing but the clashes of pans and plates as I prepared everything I needed for an omelette. I tried to hum but it came out offsetting, almost creepy. So i stopped that. I looked at my dog sitting on the floor across from me, I looked at the clock, I looked back at my dog, I looked at my food, and I looked back at my dog. I sat there munching my food for 21 minutes ( I looked at the clock a lot) before I had to catch the only bus I knew would get me to school on time.

11:17am on the screen announcing the next stop @ the bus

I left my phone at home thinking there was no way I could trust myself after this morning’s incident. Digging into my right pocket I felt my wallet and loose change. Digging into my left pocket I find my poppin red earbuds. I must have stuck them in my pockets out of habit. This would be the time I would throw on a song by Gambino but instead I sat in silence with the rest of the bus with the occasional cough. I never crossed eyes with anyone on the bus because their eyes were glued to their phones. I wish I had someone to talk to.

12:07pm on the wrist of a girl @ the walk to class

The walkways were crowded with longboards, scooters, and hover boards with everyone having a place to be. I only had to be at class so I fought the silent crowd walking. The crowd was calling their roommate to bring their phone charger, texting their mom I love you, listening to a Gambino Song. Man I wanted that.

12:55pm on the projector @ the class

I’m sitting in a Computer Science class wondering if looking at the teacher’s power point voids my English assignment. The assignment itself isn’t hard. What’s becoming hard is avoiding tech when it’s being thrown at me from every corner. I play with my chair pump for the next hour trying to remain faithful in a room full of screens. We even had assignments to do on our computers but I still played with my chair because there was nothing I could do cause I left my laptop at home wanting a  genuine paper. It’s like I never even showed up to class.

1:38pm @ the marketplace

There was a hum of voices filling the entirety of the place. It was a nice break from the silence. I went there with the intentions of eating but none of the food there was calling my name so I sat at an empty table. The hum of voices felt like an an assurance that nobody was paying attention to what I was doing. When I had my phone it would always feel like eyes were always on me. I pulled out my blue journal adding a new entry under 11/17. I glance at a distant TV with the hopes of finding the time. CNN was reporting bomb threats on 2 flights headed to france. I shouldn’t know that. I scribble “1:38pm @ the marketplace”

3:57pm?? @ the front of the marketplace

I looked at the girl, the girl looked at the squirrel, I looked at the squirrel, the squirrel looked at the guy near me headed in the opposite direction, the guy acknowledged the squirrel, the girl acknowledged me, we all acknowledged each other. We exchanged smiles then went on our way. Our paths would never cross again I thought

4:22pm @ french class

The professor is boring anything living in the classroom. My classmates hide their phones behind each other's back so that the professor does not see. The desks around me tease about how I don’t have my cellphone. I would text friends on where to hang out around this time but I welcome the peace of mind of not being responsible to share or say anything, That doesn't help the class be any less boring though. So I play with my chair again digging my nails into the plastic. It’s as if I grew used to always having my mind became preoccupied. I look at the Asl interpreters conversating in sign and I look at the girl they’re supposed to be helping. I look back at the professor with his words going in one ear and out the other. I look back at the girl, the interpreters, and the clock on the wall. 2 minutes passed.

8pm? 9pm? @ Reseda Blvd

I had walked home because I was 2 quarters short on my bus fare. It was a 4 mile trip that took an hour. There’s a handful of people I can think of off the top of my head that could have given me a ride if I had just called them for a quick 30 seconds but that wasn't an option. I was on my own. A smoke took my mind off the anxiety of being alone but I knew it was only a temporary fix. But I stayed hopeful, I knew that as soon as I got home I could see my family in the living room, my dog in her bed and a meal for me by my mom. It was all minutes away from me and I wouldn’t be so alone.

10:37pm on the cable box @ home

The living room was quiet with a single light in the corner illuminating the room, the dog was sleeping in her bed, and the bedrooms were closed. The house was still without a sign of life except for the slight snoring you could hear from across the home coming from my parents bedroom. I head to the kitchen with a cold plate of rice, beans, and chopped beef waiting for me on the counter. I microwave the food but the plate ends up being hotter than the food. I sit in silence hearing myself chew for 10 minutes before I lose my appetite.

10:59pm @ the bedroom

I lay on my bed staring at my ceiling trying to murder the feeling paranoia was setting in. Maybe my work called me needing my help, maybe my friends had a spontaneous hang out and tried to get a hold of me, or maybe somebody was hurt and I had no way of knowing calling back into the memory of seeing the CNN headline “Bomb Threats, Paris”.  I reach for my phone while over my covers. I wake the screen up revealing the time in a large font “11:08pm”.

I don’t care anymore.

I unlock my phone.

And nothing was wrong..

I send laly back a snapchat

I put that Gambino song I wanted.