College Accomodations?

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You misconstrued my point. What you said, "The ADA requires that any disclosure be entirely voluntary," is true, and that is the "measure" I referred to. We tell them, if we wish. I think you missed another point I mentioned as well.



For decades, if an employer knew a prospective employee were even seeing a therapist, with no idea why, they may not hire that employee, based on preconceived notions that people who see therapists are unbalanced and do not make good employees.

Clearly, if a man with no legs rolls into a logging company's hiring office in a wheelchair, that man is not qualified to work in a logging camp. His disability is clearly obvious, and any reasonable person would know that he shouldn't be hired, much less applying for the job.

Mental disabilities are known as "hidden disabilities" because we can't see them. They are not obvious. It is true that some hidden disabilities may, and probably should, disqualify certain individuals for certain jobs. However, because for many years, people have been refused employment they were perfectly suited for based solely on answers to questions like, "Do you have any Psychological conditions?" or, "Do you see a therapist regularly," without even knowing anything more than the answers "Yes," or "No," many employers would refuse to hire.

THAT is what the purpose of the ADA is. To prevent unfair hiring decisions, based on prejudice and ignorance.

If I have a disability, I may tell my employer (before I am actually hired), and inform them of any accommodations I may need.

Employers are restricted by law from refusing to hire you based on that information, but it can and does already happen anyway.

What you are suggesting is forcing people to reveal private information to employers. A violation of privacy rights the ADA was designed to prevent.

Essentially you would need to overhaul the constitution's provisions for privacy to do what you suggest. The law written into the ADA was to protect individuals from discrimination.

You're suggesting that we turn back the clocks and allow employers to start doing that again.

Thanks but no thanks.

The way things used to be was unfair to the disabled. What you are suggesting is going back to that. The way things are, is not unfair to you or anyone else like you, because even with the ADA in place, the hiring and working world is still stacked in your favor, because employers can always find a way to skirt the laws.

My ex wife was asked at an interview, (are you planning to get pregnant any time soon?" (A flatly illegal question). When she called the interviewer on the question, he looked her right in the eye and said, "Sue me." Interviews are done in private rooms, usually with only the interviewer and the interviewee present. One person's word against another's. In the vast majority of cases it is impossible to prove employers routinely break the laws in the ADA.

The point is, even with the protections afforded by the ADA, people with disabilities are already and still disadvantaged, just not as much as they used to be.

You're suggesting that we take away any slight advantages we have given to them, which in reality are not advantages at all, but simply give them a better chance than they used to have.

Life is still stacked in favor of those who do not need accommodations.

The concept that you would achieve fairness for yourself by taking away advantages from others, is backward.

How would you feel if all people with no legs advocated the removal of all people's legs to level the playing field for them?

I have a question for you:

Should we outlaw the manufacture of prosthetic legs because the availability of them makes life unfair for those of us with legs?

There is a "catch" attached to hidden disabilities though. That catch is that it is possible for those who really are able, to demand accommodations they don't really need. That, I think, is the real problem you're trying to adress. The issue with the way you're suggesting to "fix" this problem is that it will affect not just those abusing the system. It will also affect those who are not abusing it, who really do need the accommodations. When you suggest ways that will affect everyone diagnosed with a disability, whether they actually have one or not, it can appear that you may have one of two attitudes about disabled people:

A) None of them are truly disabled, so employers ought to be able to refuse to hire any of them.

B) Some of them are truly disabled, but employers ought to be able to refuse to hire any of them regardless.

I bet your views would change if you spent a year in a wheel chair to see what it's really like. I don't think you would believe any longer that the laws as they exist make anything unfair to you as you are.

The only thing I am going to try to get is a single, because I'm a light sleeper and I can't sleep if my roommate is up studying with the lights on. The university I'm hoping to get into has suite style dorms, instead of traditional dorms, so it's quieter.

I agree with dvcal that people should be rewarded for not using the accomodations, but in the end if you look at it you are being rewarded. You are learning important life and social skills on your own and it is going to be with you forever. But there is nothing wrong with taking accommodations. In HS I refuse to get any accommodations but truthfully I needed it because I'm struggling in some class requiring abstract thinking and a lot of group communication. So, I have to get help for that and learn. I'm an A+ student getting 90+ average, but since I refuse accommodations to help me learn other skills, I struggle when for example I go outside other than school or library.

Overall, there are benefits to taking it and refusing it, but the bottom line is it doesn't matter which way you go as long as you learn those skills.

I disagree about this.

TBH I used to think that asking for accommodations would mean weakness back when I was getting tested for Autism. I thought that I wouldn't need it, it would mean that I am less productive, less smart and getting handouts from authorities.

But then I got assessed. I was so used to running out of time that even during the psychological assessment tests, that don't have a result on my grades, I was rushing. The psychologist noticed that, noticed that my accuracy was low as a result, and in the diagnosis, she explained why. She pointed out the large differences in my different levels of ability, including how my processing speed for superficial problems is very fast but it takes me longer to think through problems with multiple steps.

Learning this, I realised that the whole problem with autism is that it's a different way of thinking. Even if it's not a learning disability per say, the school system is designed for the neurotypical way of thinking. Besides, who wants to be put under extra undue stress by time limits, when stress is proven by psychological studies to decrease performance?

I am sorry but if your brain slow at processing making you take longer to do task then you are less productive.

You can say that if you want to, but it doesn't make it true. With accommodations, one can be just as productive as anyone else. Now I said can be, not will be.

That is the actual purpose of accommodations. The goal of accommodations is to level the ability of autistics to be more productive. Not all autistics with accommodations will be as productive as their peers with no need for accommodations, but some of them will be.

Policies the likes of which you are suggesting would prejudice employers against hiring even those who would be just as productive as anyone else if allowed the accommodations.

That, in turn, would exclude those productive employees from the work force. How is that good for society?

You seem to be entrenched in the idea that if accommodations are offered to those with disadvantages, is somehow unfair to you. You haven't provided one iota of evidence of this.

They are disadvantaged. Allowing them accommodations, decreases that disadvantage. It takes nothing away from your ability to do the job.

Decreasing their disadvantage, does not disadvantage you. What it does do, is increase the amount of competition you have to fend with to get the job.

If you're that good at what you do, you shouldn't be so worried about it.

It seems to me that what you really want is to limit your competition, which isn't necessarily bad in itself, but when the target for limiting the competition happens to be the disabled, you really should not be surprised at the back lash your getting.

Let's say you worked in an office on the twelfth floor of a high rise. Would you complain that money is spent on elevators and ramps for wheel chairs, just because you can walk up twelve flights of stairs to get to work, but others can't?

It may seem to you that there is a big difference between physical disabilities and psycho-neurological disabilities, and you would be correct, there is. But the difference is only in how disabilities affect what does or doesn't need to be done to make things fair to those that have them. If accommodations can be made that increase the productivity of those with disabilities, that does not decrease your productivity. It doesn't really matter whether the accommodation is a ramp installed, braille instructions for the blind, or written rather than verbal instructions for those with psycho-neurological disabilities that present problems with processing or remembering verbal instructions, or any other accommodation offered. The purpose of the accommodation is to increase that person's productivity.

You don't seem to want these people to be more productive, or perhaps as productive as yourself.

You seem to me to be threatened by that prospect. If you are as good as you say you are, I don't understand why you're so concerned about it. Accommodations won't necessarily mean all of them would be as productive as you are.

I don't understand why you have such a problem with it.

Not really... I got straight A's in high school for the most part, without getting accommodations.

From how the psychologist explained it, Asperger's Disorder is characterized by incredibly high levels of functioning in some areas and incredibly low areas of functioning in other areas. I was lucky enough to be able to compensate for lower areas in functioning with my high abilities while I was in high school, but it was stressful and I still had marks docked off when I knew the right answer because of rushing. I was diagnosed in university and started using accommodations, so I don't know what it's like to not use them in uni. But uni and the job market are really competitive now and I wouldn't want to risk scraping by with minimum grades.

Anyways my point is, if you don't use accommodations, good on you, you are probably working extra hard to compensate. I used to think it wasn't fair because I could do better if given extra time and I was working harder than the normal person for the same results. If you feel that offering accommodations is not fair for the same reasons I used to, I encourage you to rethink the position you have on using them and ask for accommodations yourself.

I commend MrXxx for once again nailing the point on this issue.

I disagree. Some people are more effected than others. My first couple semesters I refused to ask for accommodations. My 2nd semester in, I started to have trouble in a math course. I did all my homework, went to class all the time, and understood all the material because I was able to teach myself at home, but when it came time to taking tests in class, I just couldn't focus due to being so bothered by all the lights and sounds in that room students were making. I ended up getting a D in the class because I just couldn't finish my tests. The Next semester, I finally gave in and asked for accommodations. I retook the class that I got a D in and got A's on every single test and got an A in the class. I didn't even do any of the homework because I already knew all the material. It was just the environment that was making it so hard for me in the other class. I don't regret it at all and now I realize how much harder I was making it on myself trying to be cool and not ask for accommodations. I am a little shocked to the people's responses here who are not understanding. You would think that this being an Autism board that people would know what its like to be sitting in class going through this.

Can't say I ever had this problem. When I take test, my mind tends to focus on the test, and my senses tend to block out outside stimuli unrelated to test. My senses can become very hypo-sensitive when it comes to thing unrelated to the test I am taking.

The thing is I can finish the test in required time but if I get close to the time barrier I start to get nervous and can't focus. Also extra time can be used to make sure even if I know something that my writing is clear enough for my professors and TAs to read it something most students don't have to struggle with.

Also requesting accomadations helps me with my real weakness social skills of having to request them each quarter.

I have accommodations, I have the over-ruling to record (via-audio) lectures despite the professor's opinion on such things. However, I can't force the professor to give me a copy of his projected slides if they do not to.
I have 50% more time for my exams. I have the right to take them at the disability test center, where I can take the exam at a quite environment. If gaining 50% more time overlaps with my class schedule I may schedule the exam at another time (than at the same time as all other students).

Taking the exam elsewhere helps me a lot. After finishing my exam, I can put my legs up on the table and relax a little; later, I review my exam with my regained wits. Another plus with the room, I get a table. As I am left-handed, a right-handed desk can get annoying. Writing with my left-hand on such a desk seems awkward; I have had teacher-assistants assume I was cheating; remaining over-my-shoulder and staring with silence...................really distracting.

The disability exam room has a camera that has a person watching me for cheating; so no worries for the professor there.

I get some accommodations as well, and I think they're helpful if you don't use them as a crutch. However, I think its worth saying that just because you need extra help in college to level the field, it often doesn't have much to do with your later career? You could argue that some who needed accommodations is going to be a less productive worker, but depending on accommodations or what not, they likely have nothing to do with each other? If you're going to be a doctor for example, what's important would be that you understand what you're doing / learned the appropriate material in school, not whether or not you had a separate test room in Biology.

At uni i have separate exams in a naturally lit room (no fluorescents), lilac paper, extra 20 minutes per half hour, allowed food and drink in exams (otherwise at my uni you are only allowed unwrapped lollies and water) i can take a plushie/stim toy into exams, i have a notetaker, all my classes are recorded (edustream), i am able to access extra help for writing assignments (theres a facility for disabled students to get help with writing and proofreading) and my public speaking assignments are only able to be assessed on my content not my speaking skills

Its important to note that i not only have aspergers but i also have, irlen dyslexia, dyspraxia (with low muscle tone), hypoglycaemia, panic disorder, a speech impediment and i have trouble concentrating for long periods in lectures whilst taking notes (i have to draw and doodle to keep my concentration)

The serveces for learning dissabilities at my current college sucks. It's gotten worse over the years. I don't really bother going. I would if I thought it would help. When I use their "services" I use this term losely. I get a peace of papre with my acomaditions. It used to be that the instuctors at my school had to sign something to show that they saw and acknoldge it. Now they don't even have them do that. I'm really disipointed that it's so bad. I had recently gotten over my self esteme issues about getting help. Only to learn how bad they suck.

Before the school that I curently attend. I went to two others. Both with much better departments. I regret not useing them more than I did. The first had a required study hall with toutors. In math and writting. They made sure that I got early regerestion so I got into the classes I needed. Looking back I wish I had taken more advantage. If my current school was like this I'd use there services.

My second school Was not as goot as the first, but much better than the third. It's hilight was clases for LD students.

Update: I am going to the college I want to and I managed to get a single dorm. I didn't even need to provide medical documentation in order to get one. At my college, it's actually fairly easy to get a single, because a lot of students don't live on campus past their first year. So, I'm happy. A single in my building is only about $450 more a semester than a double, but it's well worth it.

I have a room within an apartment, that exists within a doom. If you are an aspie, I suggest you avoid sharing space with other people. Am a semester and a half into this situation and the constant lack of privacy annoys the hell out of me.