top of page

Accommodations- Lessons I Have Learned In A School Environment

Writer's picture: Annie KrollAnnie Kroll


Giant pile of books

I start graduate school in less than a month and now finally have all of my accommodation information in order for the fall 2024 semester. This week I want to share the lessons I learned from spending the summer working with university disability support services to get a classroom moved to an accessible building.


 

1. Professors, teachers, and other staff who teach classes are not contracted through the summer. I was very lucky that I do research with the professor who will teach my two courses, because that is the only reason I was able to get my classroom moved as quickly as I could. If you, or anyone you know, needs a university related modification that requires working with faculty, contracts do not resume until the week before classes start. Many professors are not responsive before then because they are not getting paid by the university.


 

2. As a student, if a disability support services team member is doing their job well, you will not know how hectic the behind the scenes work can be. Just to move a classroom to an accessible location building staff, professors, disability team members, and campus department liason all had to meet at various times and pass information to each other correctly. I was frustrated because I wasn't getting an answer back, but then I learned why it took so long.


 

3. There is a difference between being a staff member doing something incorrectly, and being angry at a policy. I was very angry throughout most of the accommodation seeking process because I interpreted a refusal to move a classroom from my disability counselor. I then learned that campus policy does not determine accessible classrooms as a legal guarantee for students, so professors and building staff can deny it. That information changed how I viewed the situation because I then realized that my anger was placed on a policy instead of a person. Technically, in 2024, a professor has the legal right to decline to move a classroom for a disabled student for a variety of reasons including personal preference.


 

4. I get better results when I treat each new situation as a chance to start over. In 2023, I had a really bad experience with a professor where it was decided that I was discriminated against. I held on to some resentment with the school that I am trying to let go of. I find that when I am able to let that go, I can turn my interactions with disability services into a more positve experience. It is really hard to give everyone a new chance each time, but when I am too guarded the interactions start to turn more sour. This is something I continue to work on, but I am trying to become aware of it. So far, what works best for me is to broadly disclose the event when I start to feel hostile, and then point out something in the present interaction that is going well. Then, I end with a goal. An example is, "I am sorry for the misunderstanding. I can sometimes be quick to get defensive because I had an experience where Title IX had to get involved with a professor where I was found to be discriminated against. I really appreciate the transparency from (situation that happened) and appreciate the new clarity. I hope to find a way where I can find a way to ensure I can set up this accommodation more easily next semester." That formula helps me steer the conversation in a better direction if I think I have become too defensive.


 

5. Sometimes, it is better to schedule a zoom or in person meeting. If I can, I will try to email because it takes less structured time out of my day. However, I wasn't able to resolve what I needed to resolve until I could talk face to face and ask direct questions and get more details. Once the call ended, I was glad that I wasn't needed to deal with checking my email all day.


Being put in a position of having to ask others for help on a regular basis feels vulnerable. I have had to learn through trial and error how to go through that process in a way that feels both productive and not draining. I hope this list is helpful if you are ever in a position where you need to ask for help, especially in an academic setting, for a disability.


 

Thank you for reading about lessons I learned through navigating the accommodations process at a university. If you have any questions or comments, message me through the questions tab or send me a message at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook. I hope to see you next week!

0 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page