October 2, 1996 : Over The Edge f| by Jason Saga Me: How come you’re in university if you have a learning disability? Sabina: You’re in a bad mood this morning! Me: Sorry. Sabina: You’re not the first to ask, I’m sure. A learning disability does not mean you’re dumb. In fact, you have to be average or above average intelligence. Me: Brainiac? Sabina: When I went through the 10 hours of learning disability testing last year, they said my IQ was 135. That’s the group below genius. Believe me, it feels like it’s well below. Me: What’s wrong? Sabina: I can’t listen to the prof and take notes at the same time. Me: Neither can I! Sabina: It’s one kind of learning disability, called an auditory processing problem. I don’t know why it happens, but I’m listening to the prof... : — Me: I don’t know why that happens either! Sabina: ...I’m following along, I might even be interested, I hear something that I think I should put in my notes, I start to write, and suddenly I don’t hear a thing the prof says. It’s likes a black curtain comes down. It’s like all I hear is a mumble. I’m totally concentrating on my notes. Then I look up, I switch on the prof, and I don’t have a clue what the prof is talking about. Me: That’s extreme. Sabina: That’s what a learning disability is: an information processing problem that is way worse than your other abilities would suggest. My notes are a useless patch work. Me: What can you do about it? Sabina: Last year I used to bug all my friends: “What did the prof say next? How does this connect to that?” They got annoyed. So I tried just sitting and listening, and it worked great except when it came to studying for tests. So I skipped classes and just did all the reading, and that worked great, except I’d always miss something crucial from the class - like what was going to be on the test. So now I borrow someone else’s notes. I promised them free beer at the Iron Horse on a cheap beer night. Me: Too bad I wasn’t in any of your classes. Sabina: Yes, they’re all my friends, except in history 100 where J didn’t know anyone. I thought of Casablanca... Me: As usual. Sabina: ...where Rick is convincing Ilsa to get on the plane, and he says, “If that plane leaves the ground and you’re not on it, you’ll regret it, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.” I’d decided to get through university without special help, but I went to the Learning Skills Centre, showed them my documentation of disability, and they arranged a notetaker for History. Me: Why try to do it on your own when you can get help? Sabina: Getting a notetaker takes care of the immediate problem, but it does nothing to fix the learning disability because it really can’t be “fixed.” Me: You’ve got to focus on your strengths then. Sabina: And what might those be, Jason? WE NEED YOU! OVER THE EDGE still is looking for volunteers in everything from Writers to Advertising Reps! All interested people need only come to the Over The Edge office in the Wintergarden on the Prince George UNBC campus with a sample of their writing/art/portfolio to become a part of Over The Edge! So, what are YOU waiting for? Come see us today! Over The Edge 333 University Way rince George, B.C. V2N 4Z9 Phone: 960-5633 ax: 960-5617 Me: Cleverness, great actress, Casablanca authority - how would I know? But you may have taught me more on this bus ride up the hill than I’ll learn in the library today. Top Ten Most Fun/Annoying Things That We Did While Waiting in Line at The Office of the Registrar by Vince Yim 10: Counting the spelling mistaiks in last week’s issue of Over The Edge. 9: Incessantly screaming “ARE WE THERE YET?” 8: Picking out subliminal messages in the add/drop form. 7: Singing the “Happy Happy Joy Joy” song and trying to get others to join in 6: Hoping real hard that the $1000+ cheque that we write doesn’t bounce. 5: Singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”...and starting at 99 billion. 4: Adding up how much money all of this would cost us. 3. Singing “Thé Song That Never Ends”...and not stopping until you reach the counter. 2: Periodically getting up to use the lavatory...especially after drinking the water. Oh, wait. That’s Mexico. Nevermind. 1: Singing “I’m Henry the Eighth, I am, Henry the Eighth, I am, I am, Henry the Eighth I am! I got married to the widow next door...she’s been married seven times before...second verse...same as the first!”