I appreciate you starting this Substack. I’ve been on disability for almost ten years and still hesitate to use the term “disabled”. It’s not that I’m ashamed but due to nature of my disability and the way it is perceived (or rather, NOT seen). When I was in school, I was unaware accommodations even existed - not that I would have qualified at the time, but I always ended up dropping courses so I have a ton of “Withdrawals” on my transcript. (I didn’t know about incomplete’s and medical withdrawals or would have been able to do that.) That is the biggest reason I never even attempted to go back as I knew that despite the credits I do have, all the “W”s don’t look great. While that was almost 20 years ago, I can’t help but think that schools don’t want students to know. I never searched specifically for it, but did look into a lot of resources and don’t remember ever seeing anything about accommodations (of course it could be that I didn’t pay attention as I didn’t think it applied to me). I think every college/university should be required to include the information in every handbook (somewhere easily seen, not that you have to search for) and talked about in orientations because unless students have already been given accommodations, most have no idea they are available.
A topic I’d love to delve into is discrimination. With physical disabilities it’s a little more clear and easy to define, however in other cases there don’t seem to be clear guidelines. I experienced something a few years ago which to me screamed discrimination. I contemplated contacting the ADA but did a lot of research and could never find any information close to the situation. I’ve talked to a couple people that know more about their rules and regulations, one of which didn’t know and the other discounted it.
I’m not sure how in-depth your knowledge goes as far as rules/regulations so didn’t want to leave an even longer comment with the story. If you want more info though, I’m happy to share.
Hi Laura. Thanks for reading and your comment. I hope you will subscribe because I intend to write more about accommodations in the coming months, and I would appreciate your feedback. Have a good weekend!
Hey Vanda. I subscribed to you, too. We are wildly different but perhaps similar in age (66 here) and degree of skepticism. I tend to inject humor into my writing and conversation. Sometimes, full-on snark. 😎
I too worked in disability services in higher ed, for about 10 years at a major state uni. I think your writing on these issues is so necessary, and yet, having had that job for 10 years, I know the real issue is that most people (esp. faculty but I digress) don't want to know. They want simple answers and less responsibility (institutional or individual). They ~want to believe that the "real" problem is students scamming the system in order to cheat. I never did find a way to counter that. It's a choice they made. :/
Thank you for reading my article and for your comment. I agree with you — at my workplace, our office was constantly under pressure to make the accommodations easier to deliver. To make it easier for faculty.
The refrain was along the lines of “If you just appease Prof. Asshole, he will stop complaining to us (my boss- administrators).”
No, I thought, Prof. Asshole needs to adjust his ableist attitude. If he were acting this way based on race, you would have his head on a pike.
Loved this, Teri. There is so much to learn about this topic. One thing I’ve been wondering about is, should I re-enter the workforce while still disabled, when is the right time to bring that up to a potential employer? Seems like after a job offer is made, maybe. But if the accommodation I need is around a flexible work schedule that allows me periods of rest, it feels like that might have to come to light sooner than the offer.
I am nowhere near ready for this, so no rush responding or posting about it. But I do keep wondering how I’ll handle that when the time comes. I’ve worked in my county for just about 20 years and have a lot of connections- people who might want to hire me just knowing my work, and who also know I’ve become disabled by long COVID. So it’s possible I could get work through folks who already know my situation, but what if it’s an employer who is new to me?
Thank you for sharing your deep knowledge here. So glad you started to write on Substack.
Amy, thank you so much for restacking and your kind comments. I am just getting started here so every little boost means a lot.
I also appreciate your question and will post an answer, but I won't rush. Finding out about the things want to know about or are just curious about is so helpful. ❤️
I really appreciate you. I am going to recommend your newsletter, like you graciously did for me, when I am at a proper computer tomorrow ☺️. And, my crystal ball is “in the shop,” as I used to tell my employees 😂, which means I have no idea when I might be ready to return to work. So definitely take your time! 😄
The beauty of my answer to your employment question is that it has been pretty much the same for many years and is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. 💐
I appreciate you starting this Substack. I’ve been on disability for almost ten years and still hesitate to use the term “disabled”. It’s not that I’m ashamed but due to nature of my disability and the way it is perceived (or rather, NOT seen). When I was in school, I was unaware accommodations even existed - not that I would have qualified at the time, but I always ended up dropping courses so I have a ton of “Withdrawals” on my transcript. (I didn’t know about incomplete’s and medical withdrawals or would have been able to do that.) That is the biggest reason I never even attempted to go back as I knew that despite the credits I do have, all the “W”s don’t look great. While that was almost 20 years ago, I can’t help but think that schools don’t want students to know. I never searched specifically for it, but did look into a lot of resources and don’t remember ever seeing anything about accommodations (of course it could be that I didn’t pay attention as I didn’t think it applied to me). I think every college/university should be required to include the information in every handbook (somewhere easily seen, not that you have to search for) and talked about in orientations because unless students have already been given accommodations, most have no idea they are available.
A topic I’d love to delve into is discrimination. With physical disabilities it’s a little more clear and easy to define, however in other cases there don’t seem to be clear guidelines. I experienced something a few years ago which to me screamed discrimination. I contemplated contacting the ADA but did a lot of research and could never find any information close to the situation. I’ve talked to a couple people that know more about their rules and regulations, one of which didn’t know and the other discounted it.
I’m not sure how in-depth your knowledge goes as far as rules/regulations so didn’t want to leave an even longer comment with the story. If you want more info though, I’m happy to share.
I live with multiple sclerosis and clinical depression and teach and tutor part-time in higher ed. I appreciate this a lot. Thank you.
Hi Laura. Thanks for reading and your comment. I hope you will subscribe because I intend to write more about accommodations in the coming months, and I would appreciate your feedback. Have a good weekend!
I did.
Hey loved reading this. So not my wheelhouse. Hardly ever think about it. But no it's in my consciousness.
I saw a comment you left that was insightful and incisive on the marijuana kid's post. https://botharetrue.substack.com/p/beautifuldisasters?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
I subscribed. I'm publishing a memoir chapter by chapter to my paid peeps. Also little personal essays. Hi. This was a 'hi'. LOL
Hey Vanda. I subscribed to you, too. We are wildly different but perhaps similar in age (66 here) and degree of skepticism. I tend to inject humor into my writing and conversation. Sometimes, full-on snark. 😎
Yes, I'm 64. Thanks for subscribing. Never lose the snark!
I too worked in disability services in higher ed, for about 10 years at a major state uni. I think your writing on these issues is so necessary, and yet, having had that job for 10 years, I know the real issue is that most people (esp. faculty but I digress) don't want to know. They want simple answers and less responsibility (institutional or individual). They ~want to believe that the "real" problem is students scamming the system in order to cheat. I never did find a way to counter that. It's a choice they made. :/
Thank you for reading my article and for your comment. I agree with you — at my workplace, our office was constantly under pressure to make the accommodations easier to deliver. To make it easier for faculty.
The refrain was along the lines of “If you just appease Prof. Asshole, he will stop complaining to us (my boss- administrators).”
No, I thought, Prof. Asshole needs to adjust his ableist attitude. If he were acting this way based on race, you would have his head on a pike.
Loved this, Teri. There is so much to learn about this topic. One thing I’ve been wondering about is, should I re-enter the workforce while still disabled, when is the right time to bring that up to a potential employer? Seems like after a job offer is made, maybe. But if the accommodation I need is around a flexible work schedule that allows me periods of rest, it feels like that might have to come to light sooner than the offer.
I am nowhere near ready for this, so no rush responding or posting about it. But I do keep wondering how I’ll handle that when the time comes. I’ve worked in my county for just about 20 years and have a lot of connections- people who might want to hire me just knowing my work, and who also know I’ve become disabled by long COVID. So it’s possible I could get work through folks who already know my situation, but what if it’s an employer who is new to me?
Thank you for sharing your deep knowledge here. So glad you started to write on Substack.
Amy, thank you so much for restacking and your kind comments. I am just getting started here so every little boost means a lot.
I also appreciate your question and will post an answer, but I won't rush. Finding out about the things want to know about or are just curious about is so helpful. ❤️
I really appreciate you. I am going to recommend your newsletter, like you graciously did for me, when I am at a proper computer tomorrow ☺️. And, my crystal ball is “in the shop,” as I used to tell my employees 😂, which means I have no idea when I might be ready to return to work. So definitely take your time! 😄
Thank you, again!
The beauty of my answer to your employment question is that it has been pretty much the same for many years and is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. 💐