Sensory Help for School

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At my university, there are no accommodations for people with sensory processing disorder. I think a lot of people with autism and aspergers know because they are sensitive to sound, touch, and other things. I decided to be an activist after I found there was nothing to help me in my time of need which caused me to drop out. I told my university the majority of people with ASD have sensory issues and so these sensory issues are a disability and are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. I am going to meet with them.

Here is a list of accommodations I am asking for students with autism or sensory issues:

1) Random clicker questions, which require full-time attendance in a sensory unfriendly room, should not count for or against a student's grade.

2) Pop quizzes need to be taken at the testing center alongside the other quizzes.

3) Class work during lecture in an unsensory friendly room should taken in an alternate location like quizzes.

4) Professors need to let students walk in class a few minutes late to class to avoid crowds in hallways.

5) Students should not be penalized for non-attendance in a sensory unfriendly classroom. Instead they should be able to go somewhere like the library to learn the material. However, it is their responsibility to go to office hours to ask any questions they couldn't in class.

6) Labs that require something anti-sensory in nature, like extremely loud, high pitched noises, should not count for or against a student's grade.

7) With group assignments, if the professor notices the student with autism alone, they need to put the student in a group.

I hope to write back and tell everyone how it went. Hopefully, other people can do the same thing at their universities. Share your experiences of lack of accommodations for school here. Any suggestions? The more I have to present, the better.

Last edited by techn0teen on 30 Aug 2011, 7:35 pm, edited 2 times in total.

3 5 and 6 sound pretty unreasonable.

I don't think 5 is unreasonable at all. If there is a discussion or lecture that counts of 5% of the student's grade and it is in a room that is impossible for the student to sit all the way through without a meltdown, it isn't fair to randomly do role call to measure attendance. The student shouldn't be penalized for trying to prevent a meltdown.

I experienced this with one of the room's at my university. It was over 50 years old. The chairs squeaked, the chairs were so close together students squished me when sitting down, sound was amplified, the lights were extremely bright, the chalk board was ancient and made agonizing noises. I would stay for forty minutes trying to listen to lecture, but I had to leave the class to cool down.

When I came back five minutes later, they took attendance and I didn't get credit even though I was there basically the entire lecture.

I do agree that 3 and 6 are pretty hard core, and I don't like the idea of professors being forced to do extra work. Maybe all in class work is taken in an alternative location just like quizzes?

Here they are updated:



I edited it in my original post. Let me know if anything else sounds extreme or unreasonable.

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If you cannot arrive on time to the classroom, how do you expect to function in a work place? School prepares you for life and for the work place. And arriving on time is very important in society. If you arrive late you are disrespecting the person who is waiting for you. I used to have HUGE fights with my husband about is subject, because he used to refuse to follow schedules, een when our kid started school. Finally, after about 5 years fighting almost every morning, he changed his approach and he is complying with the schedules. Schedules exist for a reason, and arriving late is not acceptable. Start waking up earlier.

Did you even read my post? They took role call randomly. It doesn't matter if you come on time or not.

I came to class on time. I actually came ten minutes early to class so I didn't have to deal with the crowds pouring into the lecture room. I was sitting in lecture for over forty minutes. It was the nosiest, most crowded classroom I have ever experienced. It wasn't a normal work situation. I left for five minutes so I wouldn't have a meltdown and interrupt the class.

I left the class out of courtesy for everyone else. And I took no longer than the average bathroom break to regain my composure and come back inside.