A Long Expected Rant, Accompanied By A Quaking in the Earth
Feb 27th, 2008 by John
Let’s do this to reverse title order then. That Earthquake that apparently happened last night. Well I was still awake when the main tremor was and I didn’t notice a single thing. Yet people down the corridor were saying how their ‘walls were shaking’ and all sorts. Am I blind, deaf and mounted on springs? The people who I was also up and around with didn’t notice anything either. So that’s the second quake I’ve slept through, I don’t think I’ve ever properly experienced one. Anyway, moving on, it’s time for the main event.
Student Support Services. They happen to be really good at my university. Support for disabled folks, providing equipment to those who need it to help them in their studies. Support for dyslexic persons also, and any other kind of learning disability. Of course you have to be able to prove you have a disadvantage, but then you are eligible for good things.
Now, please don’t get me wrong here, I approve of this wholeheartedly! For example. A student has bad arm or back pain, opening doors might be a struggle for them sometimes for example, and spending too long sat at a computer only aggravates the situation. Student support agrees to give this person voice recognition software for their laptop, so they don’t have to type so much, and wrist wrists to make it easier when they do. I think this is a good thing. Helping to ease their woes and not making them pay for everything when university is expensive enough as it is.
Now then, dyslexia. If I start spouting misconceptions here or saying untruths, please feel free to soundly flame and troll in the comments. As seems to be the general theme, art courses have a generally higher number of dyslexics than more academic subjects. This makes sense as those who are less able to express themselves verbally or through text will likely be better at communicating visually.
As I understand it, dyslexics have trouble with writing, spelling, reading, that kind of thing. And I’m not trying to put anyone down here either. So, if Student Support were to offer them the time of tutors who would help them write their essays, proof read them and get them ship-shape then that seems perfectly fair to me! Laptops. They also make life easier, spell checking and even grammar correction makes written work a lot easier for those who would otherwise be at a disadvantage. So if a student didn’t have a laptop (which seems to have become essential student kit) I can understand Student Support providing them with one.
Now here is my qualm. On a Photography course, if you are dyslexic you can apply and have yourself tested for learning disabilities. And, if you’re cunning, rather than acquiring a laptop it seems people can convince the university to provide them with a brand spanking new Apple Mac. After all, they are more useful (apparently) in the creative environment. And if one is on a Photography course then it would be helpful. Ah. But if it were to have Photoshop it would really need some upgraded RAM to make it run faster. So you manage to convince the university to buy you one.
Now then. How will having a brand new mac, optimised for digital imaging, help a dyslexic student who has problems with written work? In this case it seems to me that Student Support have totally failed to even address the needs of the person, but they’re getting a free and brand new computer out of it. I wouldn’t mind, but I’m paying a lot of money to go to university, and it seems all my money has gone towards is equipping my classmates with brand new computers at around £700 a piece. Maybe that explains the quality of some of the lecturers.
I’m not slagging off the person who has managed to… procure the hardware. Good on them, in a way, for getting such a lovely piece of kit! I am however rather peeved with the university over this.
(Edit: Yes, I am bitter and jealous)
So, In the extract above, am I spouting tripe? Discuss. (30 marks)
Hehe, I don’t think you’re spouting tripe at all. I think it’s fair enough that a photography student might want to use the Student Support service to get a laptop with good tools for essay-writing, but I don’t see how their dyslexia justifies them getting a very flashy Mac solely for the creative aspect of the course. Silly silly silly.
I felt the earthquake! It was wild, my whole room did quite a wobble.
:happy:
I want an earthquake to happen that I notice! Preferably not a horribly destructive one…
Also I give you 30/30, but then I’m somewhat biased.
I think you should get 30/30 for your finely balanced yet authoritative and persuasive piece of writing! Whilst I do not feel as strongly as you (not having to pay £3,000 a year or whatever it is) I can totally understand how irritating it must be, especially as they are obtaining equipment that isn’t necessarily helping them in their weakest areas
I didn’t feel the earthquake either- yet I never do. Not even the Buncefield explosion and some people that live just up the road from me actually filmed it happening we were so close, and they heard it in Europe! I’d sleep through anything. :bigo:
I didn’t feel the earthquake either when everyone else is saying that they did. Bollocks to that! I was wide awake and everyone was saying the furniture in their rooms moved. Why when I am next door does the earthquake not reach me? God knows.
As for the mac situation I am partially inclined to agree with you and partially disinclined to agree.
I agree because dyslexia is not a visual problem – dyslexics may have difficulty reading but only because of sound-letter associations not because they can’t visualise the word. So to get hardware and software based around visual aspects to help them seems very unfair to other students who do not receive the same thing.
However, saying that dyslexia does come with many other problems attached to it other than difficulty in reading, writing and the spoken word. And this is where I am inclined to disagree with you. A lot of dyslexics have problems with memory and organisation, for example, and it seems reasonable to me that providing software and hardware applicable to their course could help to counteract these problems.
My thoughts on the issue anyway.
solution:
pretend to be dyslexic, get apple mac, profit!
see simple really plus i’m mean so 29/30 for the essay
Robyn: Hehe, being a heavy sleeper has its benefits. And I suppose I’m somewhat over being particularly irritated about it now. Still just seems a little strange, but that said…
Fredneeds: Yes, a good point, I hadn’t considered it from that angle. Thoughts much appreciated. And in terms of the earthquake, they seem to induce hyperbole worldwide. Although someone did have a chimney collapse on them! Poor fellow. D:
Tim: Easier said than done I fear! :catfish:
Well I agree that dyslexics should get some extra support from their uni, but why a brand new, top-of-the-range product? Most of the dyslexics that I’ve met at Brookes are happy enough with the computers in pooled computer rooms and those (computers, not the dyslexics) are nothing special. So I mostly agree with John, giving him 30/30 for his rant, and 5/30 for my answer.
As to the earthquake, I was awake at the time and my bed did shake, so did my walls, but i assumed it was just the guy that lives above me, beacuse he often plays his music really loud and the whole room shakes. Admittedly, I did think it odd that my room was shkaing loads more than usual and that i couldnt hear any music, but I was willing to assume it was him. I’m unreasonable at times, especially when I’m tired.
Tammy: Hehe, thanks for the mark, but your answer was perfectly good. Extra points for agreeing with me
Wow sounds like you got the quake in quite a dramatic fashion! That guy nearby must have some quality speakers. Thanks for the comment.
I’m not inclined to argue on the dyslexia front, as I know bugger all about it.
But.
APPLE MAC PLZ.