Musings on Fairness, and Privilege

In a prior post I shared a couple of stories about AIG  and our broker event  (you might recall the "video" we made where channeled my inner John Travolta).  At these events we always brought in a guest speaker or two and sometimes one of them would speak on a "general interest" topic.

One of these speakers that left a very lasting impression on me, his name- Richard Pimentel.  Mr Pimentel was a Vietnam War Vet, who lost his hearing from an explosion.  He was a genuinely inspiring speaker and he was instrumental in helping to enact the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).   His story was moving to say the least.  If your looking for a good movie I recommend you watch "The Music Within" and I include a trailer clip link below.

The ADA was a landmark piece of legislation that opened up a world of opportunity for those who had various disabilities. It enabled huge numbers of the physically and mentally "disabled" to become  full participants in our society.  Sadly like so many well intentioned government actions,  wherever there is a well intentioned program there will be not so well intentioned citizens who find a way to use the system for not such a noble purposes. A recent Wall Street Journal article reminded me that good intentions can always be twisted to benefit some who have no qualms about exploiting "the system".

I am sure many of you have flown with individuals that bring on board  "emotional" support animals (usually small dogs) supposedly to enable them to handle the "stress"of flying.  Recently I had some  first hand discussions with an individual who was so concerned with the idea of putting their dog in storage (think United and dogs) that she had hers designated "an emotional support dog".  A short phone interview with a mental health "professional" and "walla!' they would issue you a note that would met the requirements for an ADA designation.  It does involve playing a little with the "facts", but you do not need a personal visit, just a "phone interview" from a "medical professional" to validate your "need".  Most importantly......it does take a few bucks.

To be honest...I understand, somewhat, the dog thing.  Having my dog shipped steerage would be traumatic.  I am, however, very uncomfortable with using the ADA "rules" in such a process.  In reality the "harm" to fellow passengers of having dogs underneath someone's else's seat is likely minuscule, less than a crying baby.  But my main point is simply how "easy"  and perverted the process is to be designated in need of emotional support.  Now for an even more disturbing trend.

Headline From the WSJ-May 24th 2018
Clips lines from article are italicized.


 

Colleges Bend the Rules for More Students, Give Them Extra Help

With an influx of students classified as disabled, schools move to accommodate their needs

First two Paragraphs:

As many as one in four students at some elite U.S. colleges are now classified as disabled, largely because of mental-health issues such as depression or anxiety, entitling them to a widening array of special accommodations like longer time to take exams.

Under federal law, students can be considered disabled if they have a note from a doctor. That label requires schools to offer accommodations depending on the student’s needs. A blind student, for example, would have access to specialized software or a reader for an exam.

Now helping to accommodate blind students certainly certainly seems reasonable and quite in the spirit of the ADA.  I am sure Helen Keller would approve.  Now "depression" and 'anxiety"?  Well I used to get bouts of anxiety over studying for my German exams at Lafayette and got a D actually so the anxiety was warranted.  I could have done better with some help from a doctor's note!

Some other random comments for articles:

The rise in disability notes for mental-health issues has led to a surge in the number of students who take their exams in low-distraction testing centers, are allowed to get up and walk around during class or bring a comfort animal to school, among other measures. 

Public schools have also seen a significant uptick in test accommodations. From 2011 to 2016, the number of students with special accommodations increased by an average of 71% among 22 flagship state schools, according to data obtained by The Wall Street Journal.

The most common accommodations come during testing. Students who receive extended time may get twice as long as their classmates to take an exam.

We’re seeing a lot more requests for private rooms,” said David Beach, director of the school’s disability resource center.

Some professors question how this affects the fairness of exams.

DUH...

If  must say, if I had twice as long, in a private room, with a "comfort animal" (I am thinking an English/German speaking  horse like Mr.Ed) Boy I'd have aced that class!  You would not want me as a UN translator though!  Nor would I want a heart surgeon who needed to keep me under an extra few hours to complete their work.  Heck I would never want a customer service rep to handle my call who needed "more time" to complete their tasks.  

If the growth rates of students doing this does not raise some college administrators attention what will? A cynic might point out that more students need more dean's and professors etc, even better if they need extra care and facilities.

This is crazy.

"Fairness" is not just making sure the disabled get a fair "shake".  It's making sure the system is FAIR to ALL.  Not just the privileged (see this comment from article!) or those whose employment is bolstered by this crap.  

Miriam Kurtzig Freedman, an attorney who has represented public schools in special-education and disability law and has written several books about accommodations, said that giving some test takers extended time on the SAT is “like lowering the basket from 10 feet to eight feet; you’re changing the game.”

Wealthier students are more likely to receive accommodations than poor students, Ms. Freedman said.

I will not "cut and paste' any more.  With my email notice of this "at the airport blog post" I will include a PDF of the article (for those with no subscription)