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I'm not saying it's the norm, but what I'm saying is that it is very possible that someone with aspergers can gain degrees because a lot of learning is self directed while being unable to hold a job because many times a job's central focus is working with others.
You have a point, but I tend to give people the benefit of doubt. This lady could have really tried to succeed but still failed. Sad.
I agree, and personal experiences do not give someone the ability to judge the level of her condition.
It's not that difficult to imagine social behavior in an Asperger's patient that would disqualify him or her from virtually every job possible. Interacting with others is not optional in a workplace setting, and an individual who cannot interact with others will not be an asset to the company.
With that said, the morality of what she chose to do is debatable, but I can understand her viewpoint, as well. Maybe she was hoping additional learning would make her more employable and did not want to cut her future short.
So sad. There's not much more to the story we know about but I did work with individuals who had varying degrees of various mental disabilities. Being in a school environment and in a workplace are two different areas. She might have had the best intentions when she was pursing her degrees but the illness rears its ugly head in the most important of decisions.Those with mental disabilities have higher rates of divorce, bankruptcy, financial issues, unemployment, etc.
As someone with Aspergers, I'm still not buying it.
In college, many fellow students I knew also had it (to varying degrees.. this was an Engineering program after all).. they still did fine after graduation. Maybe they were a little disadvantaged compared to a normal person with the exact same qualifications but it wasn't so much of a disadvantage that could qualify as a disability.
I don't know of anybody with Aspergers who has gotten multiple degrees and/or advanced degrees in employable or technical subjects (i.e. Science, Engineering, Math, Business, Finance, etc.) and has lived in poverty for the rest of their lives, never being able to start a career due to the disorder. Anyone who has the aptitude to get those degrees but claims their disorder is holding their employment back is only looking for a big fat excuse.
I agree. I've never been formally diagnosed, but that is only because doctors I've spoken to do not feel it would do me any good to have it on my medical record at my age (mid to late 30s) and insurance wouldn't pay for any related cognitive behavior therapy anyway. One doc put it best: "It will only do you harm to have it on your record, so we're not going to diagnose you...but know that you almost certainly have it, as in I'd say 99% that you have Asperger's."
I've never had trouble holding down a high-paying job.
I do have trouble with social interaction, but there are occupations where this is much less of an issue...such as the STEM fields. I'm in I.T.
For people with Aspergers, if they have the capability to finish school, then they have the capability to work.. I don't see Aspergers as an excuse to discharge loans if the person is able to graduate fine.
And your expertise with Aspergers is exactly what? Have you known anyone with Aspergers? How severer or mild was their Aspergers?
Many can learn in the structured environment of school, but because of many issues, including social interactions, just can't deal with the work environment.
Everyone should have the opportunity to discharge loans since they didn't get a job, Aspergers or not. Plenty of people don't have this syndrome and they can't find work either. Don't blame this story on the A.S. person blame it on the people who granted the decision.
For people with Aspergers, if they have the capability to finish school, then they have the capability to work.. I don't see Aspergers as an excuse to discharge loans if the person is able to graduate fine.
A.S. is not an excuse it's a way of being, a fact of life, just because you "don't see it" doesn't mean anything nor change any of our circumstances in dealing with it.
For people with Aspergers, if they have the capability to finish school, then they have the capability to work...
Not necessarily. A successful worker needs to do more than possess the theoretical knowledge of the field. He needs to get to work every day on time, cooperate with co-workers, file reports on projects or activities, even punch a time clock, which are not necessarily things that a Aspie can grasp the importance of, and form the habit of consistently carrying out without disrupting the workplace.
Think of yourself as an employer. Would an aspie fit into every job category in your shop? What if the boss is a stickler for having everything done by process and flow chart, and he has an Aspie who analyzes the task and finishes the project his own way, quicker and more efficiently than the routine that fits most worker, and doesn't see the importance of leaving a paper trail of how he got there, which he retains in his head.
Aspies are notoriously poor self-starters. They are not gifted at guessing what you want done, so they have to wait until you tell them, very exactly and specifically, what you want them to do and how you want them to do it. That works fine in the academic world, but it is not what employers are looking for in the corporate empires.
Just read this article and I"m kinda unsure how I feel about it.
On one hand, I think its really nice of them to forgive this debt since this person obviously cannot hold job.
But on the other hand, that's a LOT of education to complete, for free and which will be essentially wasted. And due to the person's age when they started (60s) surely they should have known by then that they had issues in working. I mean the paper might get you in the door but its the aptitude and ability that will keep you there.
I would like to have my loans forgiven because of my depression. Not having to pay them back will magically make my depression disappear.
Last edited by yayoi; 06-06-2012 at 02:57 PM..
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Not having to pay them back will magically make my depression disappear. 
