university disability "accomodations"

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That's a good idea. I will bring my earplugs to my next exam.

My misunderstanding again. I know you still used and Chris and them are trying their hardest to help us in our education career here. I haven't give up on ODS either since Win and Liz have left it.

Ah. Another question for you, then:

Are you in a concentrated field? That is, are most of your classes run through the same department, or are you having to take courses that are administered by a number of different departments? The reason I ask is that you may be able to influence a departmental policy if you are only dealing with professors in a department in which you are well known or are majoring.

I see no reason why, on a modern laptop (which is probably quieter than someone scribbling away with a pen and rumpling paper) you should have to leave the room. If you mentioned to someone at the departmental level that you felt that it was a form of discrimination against you because of your disability, and that such things were illegal (delicately phrased and delivered at the appropriate time, I mean), perhaps the wheels might move a bit for you?

I am pretty sure I've seen some caselaw, somewhere, in which there were proceedings based on a similar instance. I will snoop around, as soon as I have a spare minute. I'll post what I find. If you happen to have a copy of that ruling (if I'm remembering correctly) and it applies in your state, it would be good backup material for any argument you want to make. Considering the amount of federal money that flows through Universities, they typically do not want to do anything that raises red flags at those levels....

Yes, our ODS is not usually very helpful - the examples I cited were unusual. My daughter goes to another institution locally here and her experience has been dramatically different than what I hear from students happens on my campus. It depends on the staff, the organizational culture, and most importantly, on the budget as to what they can or are willing to do at a disability center. Here on my campus, the center is more than a million dollars in the red, because they were flooded with requests for accommodation in the last few years that were not anticipated when the state legislature dealt with the budgets. The staff is tired, burned out, and have limited resources, yet more and more students come in asking for help. It's kind of a no-win all around.

It could take a few days for me to find that legal brief, Alex, but I will look for it. - N

westlaw is your friend.

Oh, I know, I know. I spent a lot of time with Mr. Westlaw doing my Administrative Law class. : ) He was my Very Best Friend during that year.

Jerry, I haven't looked at the legalities in a while (and so there might be something that's passed at the federal level with which I am unfamiliar), but please be aware that what the schools had to do for you in elementary and high school is NOT what has to happen for you once you turn 18 and are in college. That much I do know.

Unless your particular state mandates it, you lose a lot of what you are used to be entitled to as far as support. Regardless of what you might have as far as a disability and/or documentation. I know a woman here on my campus who is so visually impaired she has to use a white cane. She can't get them to put a camera in class for her, so she has to carry her own camera and laptop so she can zoom in on the formulas on the blackboard. And it's all perfectly legal, as far as the school is concerned (she's already gone the legal advice route). They have to allow her to use the camera, but they don't have to provide it for her.

When I worked at a University in Texas we had a man who had a neurological condition that made it difficult for him to read. He was allowed to have a note-taker in class to transcribe the lecture and copy things off the board, but he had to pay for it out of his own pocket. Had he been blind the Texas Commission for the Blind would have paid for anything he needed. But he wasn't blind, he just couldn't process what he saw.

It really does vary wildly from state to state, once you get out of high school.

That's unfortunate. I used to work in the University Disability Services office and we had individual quiet rooms, one with a computer for students to take their exams--I think the majority of people using the service were either Aspies or had ADD and we made a point of having a quiet environment. I'm sure you're not the only student having this problem so hopefully you can find someone in your student services office to make sure you have the right environment.

Can't find it, Alex. It may have been an administrative ruling and not a court case. But I know that singling out someone and not allowing them to be in a room for a test when there is no logical reason why they cannot take the test there just smacks of exclusionism, and that is definitely a no-no under ADA and 504. Best of luck! - N