Disabilities and school?
 

So I was wondering if there were anyone else on here with LD or ADHD or anything of those sorts who was registered with the disabled services at their school, and if you get accomodations do you use them and how has it worked out for you?

And also, just curious if anyone has any ideas for me on this one...

basically, part of my accomodations CLEARLY STATE that I get a distraction free environment (auditory and visual) and double the amount of normal time on my exams. There's more... but if I get even one of these this quarter for my last final, I'll be shocked as hell.

I have one more final. It's for an online course. All students have 2 options. Take it at home, you have 50 minutes. Or take it at school in a proctored lab, you get 120 minutes. ANY student can chose either. I was told that my accomodations apply in all situations in all classes. So if other students can take it at home, I can too, just I'd get double the 50 minutes. If I take it at school then it is supposed to be double the 120 minutes, and NOT in a lab (ever been in a college computer lab? NOT distraction free).

The disabled student services department on campus wont help me. the instructor wont let me have my extra time and take it at home where I can make sure the area is free of distractions. Instead, he wants me to take it in a computer lab that is VERY busy. And he'd still give me the regular lab version, only 120 minutes. How that is following my outlined accomodations, I don't know. He said if I didn't want to take it when other students were in the lab, then I would have to wait until the lab closed and *maybe* he could arrange to let me take it then. Which would mean starting what is about a 4 hour exam at around 7pm and taking it as I'm crashing off my meds. I haven't yet asked if he'd be there to help me reading the text, because in the lab he wants me to take it in, I also wouldn't have the reader program that I get to help me out.

I have no idea where to turn to get help on this issue, and I need to get it worked out before Friday!!!!!

You should have a personal tutor within your college who you can speak to about this. There should also be a disbilties advisor, although they are harder to get in touch with.
The oter option is to ring exams. Someone within your college should have the number for the exams office. You can tell them about your circumstances aand show them the proof you have from your assessments. From their they should be able to help you out.

It is a pain gettin it all set up. I know i applied for mine allowences and such in August, but never got them put into place till May. Worth it though, espciallyon the exam time an such.

Take care
Km

this isnt helpful at all,but is it ok if i PM you about ADHD?(I assume you have ADHD.) I just need some help with something! :)

griddlebone- sure, you can PM me! I don't know how much help I'll be, but I can try.

I went back to school and met with the chemistry department (one of my majors... just the secretary though) and they can possibly help me out and can't offer the most ideal solution, but it's the best I got right now. From there I went to meet with a couple different college deans... who all just laughed at me, since the instructor who isn't cooperating is a department chair... so apparently nothing can be done, which is stupid. And the testing center at school isn't help... oh, and one of the deans called the test coordinator and the guy I'm complaining about, and both of those parties sent me emails afterwards stating that they had already given me options, and that no further options or arrangements would be made, and that it was disconsiderate of me to go beyond them to the dean just like that/

Well, he's legally obligated under the Americans with Disabilities Act to let you take the exam under suitable conditions, and in theory you could sue the school over it and a court could order them to let you take it during the day (while you're meds are still working) in an individual setting and with the extra time... Of course the chances of that happening before Friday are somewhere between zero and zero, but it might not hurt to remind them of their legal obligations here.

How are the exams timed if you take them at home? Cause if you're just on your honor to only spend 50 minutes on it (or 100 minutes), you could do the take-home version and just take the extra time anyway.

I've never had trouble getting extra time, but it helps that most of our exam aren't proctored anyway (even if they're closed book), so I can go over to the library or whatever and it's not like it makes extra work for the profs to just let me bring my exam back later or whatever... I did have to go to Student Services once to get a letter that I should be allowed to type my chem lab reports, but I've never had a professor refuse to follow what Student Services said I was supposed to get. I haven't even had trouble with getting permission to take evening exams earlier in the day before my meds wear off (one of our time slots for finals is 6-9 pm), or taking an exam on a different day so I wouldn't have to 4 and 1/2 hour exams on the same day.

Are the exams timed online? [Assuming from what you've said they're done on the comp] Or are you just given the time to complete them? Because if you completed it at home could you not jsut take the extra time anyway?

If not i'd remind them of their legal obligations and see whether they'll do any more, pretty much because they have to.

not sure on the armerican act but im sure its similar to the british one.

They have a legal obligation to do all they can to make you feel comfterble doing your exam, even if it means moving you to a lab where you are on your own..

Like someonw said you should remind them of the law.

You should also think about taking it further with someone higher up, head of the course, student support, ect

I'm surprised that they didn't do it a separate lab as you need extra time. I remember when I had an exam last year and supposed to get extra time (which I didn't) I was put into a separate room from everyone else.

I have ADD.

I'm always encouraged not to put it down, so i never get any help, extra time or anything that I'm supposed to.
It's quite hard.

Dicky!

I could be wrong, but isn't it classed as discrimination (under the DDA) not to provide sufficient changes? (whether it be equipment or extra time)

Here in the UK you can get free advice form laywers could you perhaps do that where you are? Im not sure but it doesnt sound right and perhaps to get them to listen you need to go down this route.

Thanks for all the replies!

The exam is timed online on the computer... it automatically cuts you off and submits the test for you if you aren't finished before the time limit.

Right now I'm scheduled to take the exam on Saturday afternoon. Even though I had other really important plans. That's the only time when he said he could let me use the computer lab at school and have it to myself. It still doesn't seem fair tho, I didn't even get a say in if the time on Saturday afternoon would be okay. And I still don't get extra time. He said he may make the exam a little shorter, fewer questions. BUT, it'd still be the same number of points as everyone else's, so that means that when they only get 1 point off if they miss a question, if I miss 1 question I'd get 2 points off. That doesn't really seem fair, maybe that's just me though.. anyone else see a problem with that? I mean other than the fact that the accomodations guideline that I have CLEARLY says that I'm to receive the EXACT SAME exam as the rest of the class.

I'm at a loss as to what to do. I could try taking it at home, without the extra time, I guess... I think that's better than taking it at school, I'm not at all comfortable with how he's trying to set it up. If I don't take it, I have a C, so I'm not in danger of failing in any way, but I can get an A if I get a 90% or above on this exam, and I REALLY want the A because I'm so tired of instructors saying that I'm not capable of getting A's, it's just so discouraging...

You never do in exams.