Scribe for LD student

[Lady Brown <ykflb@TTACS.TTU.EDU>]

I am forwarding this message for Lisa Johnson-Shull.  LFB


Suzanne,

Your response sounds great to me.  If the student is willing to give you
a
sample of what his writing is like when he does write himself, you can
do
another layer of assessment with regard to his needs. It isn't as if he
is
going to damage himself or someone else if he follows through with your
request right?  I am assuming the student doesn't have a physical
impairment that prevents him from controlling his hands and
fingers--that,
of course, would definitely warrant a scribe.

I do think that some students are told they have a "writing dysfunction"

learning disability (I am not sure what it is called) when in reality
their
writing has just horrified someone who was intimidated by the prospect
of
the amount of time and patience needed to help the student work through
it.
I do know of cases, however, where students have a "head to hand"
communication disconnect that warrants the use of a scribe for essay
exams
where the time pressures of the test combined with the writing
disability
is too stressful. On my campus, providing the support services for such
a
problem is the responsibility of Disability Resource Services, not the
Writing Center.

I think your way of managing this seems responsible.  If when the
student
communicates verbally he makes absolute sense but turns in written work
to
you that is nonsensical and illegible, then he might need a scribe.  My
fear would be that having the Writing Center provide the scribe would
send
too literal a message to your campus faculty and before you know it they

will think you are a typing service.


Lisa Johnson-Shull
ljohnson@mail.wsu.edu


Lisa Johnson-Shull
ljohnson@mail.wsu.edu



--
Lady Falls Brown, Ph. D.
Director, University Writing Center
http://english.ttu.edu/uwc/
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409-3091
806-742-2476

WCENTER listowner
Ykflb@ttacs.ttu.edu