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How to Balance Advocacy with Respect

Writer's picture: Annie KrollAnnie Kroll
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Happy national Awkward Moments Day! This blog, I want to tell a story about how I created an awkward situation through my first time asking for school accomodations after being diagnosed with HSP. Then, I will give some tips for how I have learned to disclose my accessibility needs effectively.


 

My spring semester of my sophomore year in high school, I was placed with a new science teacher. This was my first time getting a new teacher after my HSP diagnosis, and I wanted to be prepared to say what I needed, show that I wanted to do well, and also that I knew my rights as a disabled student. My science class comes around, and I confidently go up to my teacher and say something to the effect of: Hi, my name is Annie Kroll. I have HSP, and am having some medical issues. I then listed all of my accomodations, said I needed to be in the front, that I had walking issues, I might need to miss class a lot to go to medical appointments, and I wanted to do well. After my very impassioned speech, I said okay, and went to sit down. I did not pause to allow my teacher to respond, and I used a vocal tone that was very tense. Later, I heard from my friends that the more I was talking, the larger my teacher's eyes got. By the time I was done, she looked scared. Apparently she was a new teacher, and I was her first student interaction. However, I created an awkward situation because I didn't approach the situation from mutual understanding. I was just trying to assert my needs, and prove that they couldn't be messed with. Later on, this teacher became one of my favorites and we got along well. However, I could have approached that conversation differently and made it less awkward. In this next section, I will explain what I have learned so that if you ever need to ask for accomodations, you don't make the same mistake I did.


 

Now that it has been over 5 years since I scared my teacher, I will list some tips to ask for and utilize accomodations in a respectful and empowering way.

1. Be honest during the hiring process as it relates to the job. When I was an intern at the Ronald Reagan Library, I learned that I had more rights as an employee if I disclose my disability before being hired. Since I was honest and upfront about my need for accommodations with mobility needs, and my autism, I then couldn't be retaliated against for not doing certain tasks because I was hired under the assumption I needed assistance in those areas. If I didn't disclose that information, I could be fired for not being able to complete the job as posted.


2. Get things in writing. At the start of every semester I was in school, I would send my professors an email. While I legally am not required to disclose my specific disabilities to my professors, I felt better doing this because I had proof of asking for my accomodations in written form. This served two purposes. First, I wanted to demonstrate that while I might need things like extensions in the case of medical emergencies, I am generally on top of my work and have open communication when I need something. Secondly, written communication allowed me to have proof in case I were to ever be discriminated against due to my accomodations. Having the written proof was very helpful when I was not given the support I was legally entitled to despite following the correct avenues.


3. Do research to know the correct channels to get your accommodations met. I did not need to give my high school teacher a full rundown of anything I might have needed, because teachers in my old district are given copies of IEP and 504 plans. Now, I have learned how information about disabled students are distributed so I can focus more on showing that I am a dedicated student, and less on giving a speech on my accomodations.


4. Regularly communicate. When I was having more extreme medical issues, I would email teachers and ask to utilize accommodations such as extensions, and then wind up not even using them. However, I did this to show that I was thinking ahead. It helps to appear more responsible to others when asking to implement a procedure before something is due, rather than after the deadline has passed. I have found that I am able to get more help when I plan ahead, both in school and the working world.


5. Practice asking for what you need. Every time I get a new professor, I fine tune how I introduce myself. In the beginning, I started by writing a form letter in Google Docs or Word and then pasting that into an email or attaching a PDF at the end of the email. Now, I am able to just send a quick email. Advocacy skills take time to grow through experience, so it is important to practice in lower stake settings. This can include having a trusted person read through a draft before you send it, or writing out a few versions of how you state your necessary accommodations. Either way, the goal is to balance sounding assertive, while also sounding respectful. I am great at the assertive part, but I have had to practice softening my tone.


 

I hope this list gives some insight into the process of asking for accomodations. If you have any questions, leave a comment over at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you next week!

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