
Now that it is the end of January, and many of you are back in school, I wanted to talk about navigating having a disability in school. I have been in public school from K-12, and completed 4 years of undergraduate school at a Jr. college and 4 year university. As I will hopefully be using these tools in the fall to start a masters degree program, I want to share what I have learned. I have faced discrimination in college and high school, and hope I can empower any of you who could also encounter discrimination.
1: Public high schools and public universities have services for accessing accommodations. Follow the requirements to obtain these services, even if they are long, or seem redundant. The forms need to be filled out correctly to gain access to the services that support students gaining accommodations. Unfortunately, it is easier to get services if you have a physical disability compared to mental illnesses. Having a parent advocate to navigate these services is also very helpful.
2: Know your rights. Once you are registered with your disability office at your school, you are protected from retaliation for using your approved accommodations. I prefer to communicate with processors or teachers over email, this way if something is said that is inappropriate there is documentation. If something is said in class regarding your disability status, send an email after class asking for context about the comment so there is documentation. I had an instance where I was retaliated against in college for using an accommodation and I was able to supply emails to support my experience.
3: Be active in your community! I joined school senate, youth council, and other student organizations to help advocate for accessibility. This also helped me make friends who could relate to me. I could then do better in school because I knew that I was being supported by the school.
4: Email professors or teachers at the beginning of the year/semester with the following: Enthusiasm about the class, a summary of the accommodations you have, a desire to do well, and an open line of communication for any questions. This helps show that you care about the class, and that you also know how to use your resources.
5: Reach out to professors, and your school's disability office with questions. I had a note taking service as one of my accomodations. This tool would record the lecture, and then transcribe it into notes within 48 hours after the class occured. I could take my own notes and use this tool. However, I never learned how to use the technology. Now, if I start my masters program back at this school I will have no idea how to use this tool that will really help me in long class sessions.
Hopefully this list will encourage you to see if you can benefit from accomodations as a student, and figure out how to make school an accessible place for you to succeed. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next week! you for reading, and good luck this semester to everyone in school!
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