Hello all,
Liz wrote:
"As someone taking a few difficult classes at uni, the only way you can get an
extension at my college is if you have a detailed doctor's note giving details
of reasons for an extension. Simply crying to the lecturer cuts no ice here!"
David responded:
"Well, I'm not sure that's how it work everywhere."
Here's my 2 cents:
My experiences in the U.S. sound more comparable to Liz's experiences in the
UK. In the U.S., university student accommodation requests are handled by an
Office of Disability Services (or something similarly named) located within
the university. In general, the function these offices serve is to control
disability accommodations. When it comes to nonapparent disabilities, multiple
layers of documentation and test results are required to support an
accommodation request, which is then challenged, denied, or accepted by the
Office of Disability Services. The cost of these tests and physician
documentation is the student's responsibility and the time-consuming process
of proving your nonapparent disability can easily become the equivalent of a
part-time job. Finally, "acceptance" of your nonapparent disability, does not
guarantee that the needed accommodation will be provided.
As for approaching an instructor to ask for a last minute accommodation, (such
as an extension on an assignment) and without the prior approval of the Office
of Disability Services-oh my. In general, I would expect such a request to
wither on the vine and leave the requester thoroughly shamed and exposed. Our
only hope in these cases is that the instructor has some knowledge of
disability policy, has familiarized themselves with the flaws in the standard
university accommodation system, and cares about the disabled student's
progress. There are such professors but I have found them to be the exception
rather than the rule.
Things may be different in Canada as you say. However, in the U.S., the notion
that accommodations for people with nonapparent disabilities are a "privilege"
and are easy to come by is a harmful myth-although a prevalent one. In fact, a
fellow student in disability studies was confident that they would be able to
"play the ADA card" at another university. However, the student neglected to
take any ADA policy courses and did not adequately explore the experiences of
those who attempt to negotiate university accommodation systems. Like many
people, this student will probably not understand a real-world disability
experience in terms of accommodation requests until they actually attempt to
"play the ADA card". In the meantime, this negative disability stereotype
continues to be perpetuated and is really not helpful to disabled people.
Best, Sharon Lamp
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