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The Southern Oregon University pulled out a student with Down Syndrome from a non-credit introductory ceramics course in 2010. They took a lot of criticism in the media, but overall SOU has quite a good record of admitting students with mental and physical disabilities. There are a lot of questions being raised about who should and should not be allowed to attend public colleges. Is it the best environment for people with serious disabilities? Is it fair to the other students? Is it fair to the instructors?
Apparently, the student required much more assistance in the class than the instructor felt was fair. She was allowed to complete half of the course before she was pulled out. Her parents have put her story out on the internet in hopes that the University would see the error of their ways and change their minds. This has not happened. Many people have accused SOU of discrimination.
But SOU has a significant percentage of students with mental and physical disabilities that attend their school, both credit and non-credit courses. SOU students with disabilities seem happy with the school’s accommodations for them. They have a Disability Resources department that provides students with assistance for everything from getting around campus to reading in braille.
Still, some feel that the case reeks of discrimination. The situation has sparked debate about admissions policies and reasonable accommodations for disabled students. As the economy struggles and educational funds are increasingly limited, it is not yet clear how much support public colleges and universities will be able to provide students with disabilities. A documentary about the student and her situation was filmed and played locally.
