Episode 101: Learning Differences

Transcript

• [0:00:07] BT: College isn't a one-size-fits-all experience. On this podcast, we believe that a student's experience should be tailored to support their unique journey.

  [0:00:15] BHA: We aren't the only ones. On many campuses, there's an entire office dedicated to providing accessibility resources for a variety of needs, including learning differences. I'm Becca Haupt Aldredge from Bucknell University.

  [0:00:27] BT: And I'm Brooke Thames, also from Bucknell. In this episode of College Admissions Insider, we're exploring how an accessibility office offers support. We'll chat about what learning differences are, the kinds of accommodations that might be available, and other ways students can work on skill-building and development.

  [0:00:44] BHA: Our guest is Jessie Jones, accessibility coordinator, within Bucknell's own Office of Accessibility Resources. Welcome to the podcast.

  [0:00:51] JJ: Thank you for having me.

  [0:00:52] BHA: Can you tell us a little bit about your role as accessibility coordinator?

  [0:00:56] JJ: Absolutely. As an accessibility coordinator, I meet with incoming and returning students and discuss their accommodations.

  [0:01:04] BT: I think a great place to start this conversation is by defining some of the terms that we're using. And so, what is a learning difference, and what does that mean in the context of education as a whole?

  [0:01:14] JJ: Absolutely. A learning difference is just the way a person receives and retains information. It doesn't have to be a diagnosis. It could be a nonspecific learning ability, or learning difference. It doesn't necessarily have to be something that they have seen a provider about.

  [0:01:31] BHA: How are students with learning differences typically supported throughout their educational experience? Let's say, in their K-12 environment?

  [0:01:40] JJ: Well, K through 12, students are typically supported by IEPs, which is an Individualized Education Plan — or 504, which is something that helps with access to accommodations.

  [0:01:52] BT: When it comes to college, are there ways in which that support through IEPs might look different? Or can a student expect universities to offer that same kind of programming that's available to them in high school?

  [0:02:06] JJ: Higher education does not offer a 504, or an IEP plan per se, but what we do offer is specific information from the student — whether it's from a provider, or self-reported information — and we develop an individualized accommodation plan for them.

  [0:02:22] BT: Are there general buckets or categories of learning differences, or accommodations, at a school like Bucknell?

  [0:02:39] JJ: Absolutely. We have math differences, we have reading, we have your typical ADD or ADHD diagnoses, and we have non-specific learning disabilities, which typically are supported by medical documentation.

  [0:02:53] BT: What might any of those differences actually look like for a student in the classroom?

  [0:02:58] JJ: Non-specific learning disorders might come in the form of not being able to retain information; poor note-taking; the inability to prioritize assignments; taking a longer time during exams — whether it's note-taking or being able to pull back information that they may have just a moment ago known. That does draw out the testing process and causes all sorts of things from anxiety to just a different sense of self and performance.

  [0:03:34] BT: For a student who may have any or all of those experiences, and they're navigating that transition from high school to college that might not follow the same procedures that they had in high school, what's the process for requesting accommodations? You mentioned some things might be maybe medically noted, but then other things might not be.

  [0:03:52] JJ: Reaching out to our office, emailing, calling or coming and visiting us right at Carnegie. We are typically in there from 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. and you just come in and you provide all the information. The information can also come from your faculty member, or someone who's been closely related to you — an academic advisor, any number of resources. You don't necessarily have to be the one to do the reporting, but you definitely have to advocate for yourself.

  [0:04:18] BHA: Is it possible for a student to adjust their accommodation if their learning needs, or circumstances change?

  [0:04:23] JJ: Absolutely. What we follow is called an interactive process. What we have is something called an initial interactive process meeting, which is what we do to get to know you. The interim interactive process meetings can take place at any point in the semester. If you find that you need a little more time taking exams, or if you find that some things just aren't working out for you, you can certainly reach out to our office and any one of us will be happy to set up a meeting with you.

  [0:04:52] BT: I'm curious about the actual process of securing some of these accommodations in collaboration with a student's faculty member. Say a student is requiring some additional time to take an exam, or even a quiet testing space that's separate from the classroom, how do you work with faculty to ensure that students are supported?

  [0:05:11] JJ: Faculty members can reach out to us either through phone call, or through email, or they can stop right by the testing center. Students and faculty members are always welcome to come during normal business hours to discuss any sort of need for additional time, or space away. We do require that you make a reservation in the testing center, so that might not be something you can walk directly in to do. But certainly, reporting it anytime is perfectly fine.

  [0:05:36] BT: Official accommodations aren't the only way that a student can get support on a college campus. At Bucknell, our staff is committing to encouraging all sorts of development in all different areas of a student's academic and professional lives. In that spirit, the Office of Accessibility Resources actually launched an executive functioning pilot program this year to help students develop and enhance their organizational skills outside of that official accommodation process. First, let's define our terms again. What is executive functioning?

  [0:06:08] JJ: Executive functioning is not just taking the accommodations and running with them. It's actually being able to apply them in an order that's going to benefit a student and be able to allow them to maximize their time and actually make use of their time and develop organizational skills.

  [0:06:27] BHA: What was the catalyst for Bucknell building a program around executive functioning? What does the programming actually look like?

  [0:06:33] JJ: That's an amazing question. The executive functioning was actually brought about by a parent of one of our many students who saw that there was a need not just for their student, but for many students around the campus who seemed to struggle with being able to prioritize assignments, to complete assignments on time, and to function outside of the academic setting. We were fortunate enough to receive the ability to not only bring in some excellent professionals to support our students, but also to give us some knowledge pieces as well that might benefit staff.

  The executive functioning coaches will meet with the students once a week either virtually, or they'll meet with them in person, to discuss tasks that they might need to complete and help them to break them down — whether it's day by day or hour by hour. And then give them prompts and cues to be able to re-task themselves, or refocus themselves once they're off task, or once they lose focus.

  [0:07:41] BT: So far in the pilot program, what have the results been?

  [0:07:46] JJ: We just officially launched. It's too soon to tell. But from what I hear and from what I understand from our staff, a lot of our students are reaping the benefits of the executive functioning program. They are meeting, I believe this is maybe their third week meeting with their coaches. So far, everyone seems to be doing very well. Hopefully, a little longer down the road, we’ll have some numbers and some actual data to back up what we visually are able to see here in the OER.

  [0:08:21] BT: That's fantastic. I love knowing that a parent is part of the reason that a pilot program like this was able to be launched. I think that's proof that it's not just the staff and the faculty that are invested in students here at Bucknell. It's also our larger family network, which provides a great environment for students to thrive in.

  It sounds like for your office with a program like this in particular, part of that environment is providing proactive versus reactive systems of support. Why is that important when it comes to accessibility from your perspective?

  [0:08:50] JJ: Oh, that's another amazing question. I honestly do believe that the best way for us to approach accessibility is to be able to treat it like you would anything, and normalize it, and to allow a student to not only take up space, but create a space for themselves, and to just offer background support. There is obviously a marked benefit of planning, certain things you just can't. You just can't plan it. I think that's the most difficult part, is the expectation and what students hope for, versus them being able to say confidently they have support.

  There might be a time where they feel like time and a half is great for them. Then the difficulty level of the work increases, and so they might need more time. Or they might find that having two exams back-to-back might be difficult for them. Again, we always assess it there. I don't really know if planning that's the best way to go.

  Foundationally, we can help them, but just allowing them to exist as they are and then supporting the way that they need it. They already come and they're extremely smart. They've already navigated the world, whether they were diagnosed or not. They already have navigated the world and struggled tremendously sometimes. Other times, they found their strength. I don't know if there's any one way to plan that. You can build around it, but you certainly can't plan.

  [0:10:54] BHA: When we speak about systems of support, we know that there are numerous, both in accessibility resources and other offices across campus that help support students in their transition, but also their personal growth in and out of the classroom. What offices, or centers exist at Bucknell, and at other institutions, to provide layers of support?

  [0:11:13] JJ: That is a great question. We receive, again, the referrals from faculty members, so they are always a great resource to be able to initiate contact with our office. Followed by faculty members, we have Housing, we have Student Health. Student Health is very integral. We have not necessarily a highway of information, because we don't share information, but we do have students that we refer to them, as well as receiving referrals from Student Health. There's Dining Services. Again, it's a highway of information. We receive referrals from them and we also will provide referrals to them.

  [0:11:50] BT: It's also worth noting, our Writing Center, our Teaching & Learning Center, and even peer mentoring programs, all of those are places where students can go and receive extra support for their academic journey, right?

  [0:12:00] JJ: Absolutely. As a matter of fact, we are physically located where the Teaching & Learning Center is. A lot of tutoring happens there. A lot of writing services and assistance happens there. Again, really great colleagues right there available in Carnegie to be able to assist. Also, we receive referrals from them. It's, again, a great system and a great network of support we have.

  [0:12:25] BT: We spent a lot of this episode talking about the experience once a student arrives at college. I'd love to close with some advice for those who are still in the process of even looking at schools. What should students with learning differences be looking for in order to ensure that they'll be best supported throughout their college journey?

  [0:12:42] JJ: Absolutely. Well, first and foremost, look on the website and you can type in "accessibility," type in "accessibility resources." They all exist under different names and different umbrellas, but they should all have a comprehensive plan of what it will look like when your student initially arrives. When you go on tours, ask to see the accessibility offices. Some of them are known as Student Support. Some of them are known as Student Accessibility Services. Ours is known as the Office of Accessibility Resources. Take a tour, request to meet with any of us, and we will be happy to provide, or answer any questions you may have, generic questions.

  We'll also meet with you prior, too. Once you are accepted into Bucknell, we will do our best to make sure that you have all the support you might possibly need before you even arrive on campus.

  [0:13:35] BHA: I think this was a great episode to frame up some of this transition around accessibility and student support and ultimately, student success. Thank you so much for joining us.

  [0:13:44] JJ: Absolutely. It was a pleasure to be here.

  [0:13:46] BT: Thanks to everyone out there for listening. If you're a fan of the podcast, please take a moment to rate, subscribe, and share this episode with the students and families in your life.

  [0:13:53] BHA: We'll be back with another new episode in a few weeks. In the meantime, you can send your questions, comments, and episode ideas to podcast@bucknell.edu. We read every note you send.

  [0:14:04] BT: Finally, you're invited to follow Bucknell on your favorite social media apps. Just look for @BucknellU on Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and TikTok. You can also follow our student-run Instagram account, which is @iamraybucknell.

  [0:14:19] BHA: Until next time, keep reaching for your dreams and your dream school.

  [END]