In their grasp: Students with disabilities seldom pursue engineering or science careers. But that may be about to change

摘要

TRAVIS BILBEE has always struggled in the classroom. Lectures are tough to follow, and the allotted time for test-taking is rarely enough. In high school, he had to hit the books harder than most and relied on sympathetic teachers just to make passing grades. But it wasn't until he failed a math class as a junior at Ohio State University - his fourth college - that he finally underwent evaluation for a learning disability, at the urging of one of his professors. To his relief, Bilbee was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which qualified him for certain accommodations, such as the ability to review lectures online and take exams in a private area away from the distractions of the classroom. "My grades jumped," the welding engineer major marvels. "In two quarters, I went from academic probation to dean's list."