Accommodations: What the hell are schools doing?
Table of Contents
Prelude
Recently, I decided to look into using my diagnosis in order to get accommodations that I thought would be helpful to me.
As a senior in high school who has committed to a university, I was looking at the procedures at my uni for accommodations related to autism or ADHD. I was also looking at AP testing accommodations from the College Board (which I could write a whole blog on how awful the College Board is, but it's a story that's been written 1,000 times).
What I discovered is: It sucks. It really sucks to try and get accommodations.
Nothing, and I mean nothing is easy about the process. This is definitely something my parents are aware of, but... just. Wow. So, let me get into why it sucks. For this, we're going to use my university's guidelines for ADHD accommodations.
University's Requirements
Here is a link to a PDF file from my university listing what is needed to request accommodations. I cannot stress how ableist, classist, and maliciously ignorant this document is. Especially for a college-aged student who is able to understand their own needs and self-advocate, which understandably is not a privilege everyone has, but how can you expect anyone to self-advocate with this type of work needed.
Let me break down some of the things here for anyone who doesn't see my reasoning. First of all, having ADHD, a huge struggle of mine is actually doing things that I don't feel actively engaged by despite knowing and wanting to do them (executive dysfunction). There is no other way to describe this document, and what it requires, then as unengaging.
So on the very first point, this document has already failed to promote self-advocacy and is ableist. Of course, not every document that triggers my executive dysfunction is ableist. There is some level at which I should be expected to function, but the requirements are extremely excessive to the point of ableism, because the very purpose of the requirements is to get help and allow me to function more easily. The requirements are a direct hinderance to the ultimate goal of the document.
If you don't see why the requirements are excessive, I'm going to tell a little story. The first two requirements are for a full psychiatric evaluation from a psychologist or psychiatrist within the last 3 years. The last time I received a full evaluation was... 2011? 2012? I haven't been evaluated since I was diagnosed with ADHD. Why? It's not necessary.
Okay, fine, so I need an evaluation. I can just go get one!
Nope! Here's where the story comes in. When I was starting medication for my ADHD this January, I first was perscribed by my family doctor. After the medication I tried gave me severe side effects, my doctor was unable to perscribe me additional medication without me getting a recommendation from either psychiatry or neurology. Generally, psychiatry is the better option for evaluating what medication will work for you. So I tried to get an appointment with psychiatry. What I discovered was I would probably not get one until June. Six months later. Right now I would be unmedicated, in a significantly worse place mentally, and failing school.
If it takes six months to get an evaluation, and I move in August, and I haven't selected where I will be attending until May... nobody will be getting an evaluation, unless they have money. That's where the classism comes in. Access to better healthcare in the U.S. is highly dictated by your income. So now we're dishing out accommodations based on income? Good look, guys.
So whatever, say I get an evaluation somehow. Now I need an evaluation summary with a diagnostic interview? What is that? What? The only thing I can find out of this is "based on more sources than the student's self-report", which just screams "I don't think disabled people are able to understand their own issues on a high level".
Next, I need testing that validates the current impact of my conditions on my academic function. Right, the "I am disabled" test! So they can verify I hate my life! Right. Here's a video of me screaming at how ableist you are. Does this prove that you are disabling me enough? Am I struggling enough for you? The point is, not everything is visible now, and some things are precautions to take because they might be an issue, and the bureaucracy doesn't let me change these things very quickly, so I'd rather do it now. I'll talk about this more later.
Oh boy, point 5. "A specific diagnosis (not merely a reference to symptoms)". This one is the king of classism. NOT EVERYONE CAN GET A DIAGNOSIS. FOR MANY REASONS. The U.S. healthcare system is awful, and getting a diagnosis is usually just a challenge of seeing enough doctors until one agrees, or obtaining evaluations proving the DSM criteria (six months for that!). This is a challenge of how much money you're willing to spend on healthcare, or how much money you already have for health insurance. It's also neuronormative. The fact you would require this for something like ADHD or autism clearly shows you have no understanding of basic human respect. If you haven't read my blog on neurodiversity, I would suggest you do so, but the point is regardless of if you think I have ADHD or not, if I know that I have problems with executive function, I should be able to attain accommodations. A diagnosis should never be a pre-requisite for basic human respect in the form of accommodations.
Finally, I'd need a clinical summary with the following:
An indication that other possible causes of the presenting behavior have been ruled out.
So... You want my doctor to write this? "We thought he might just be lazy, but then we made him do sit-ups. While he wasn't very good at those, he tried. Therefore, we've decided he's not lazy, he's just weak." The whole requirement just leaves bad taste. It acts like it's my job (or, my psychiatrist's job) to prove I'm autistic or ADHD enough. It's gross. The words "presenting behavior" just remind me of ABA, which is basically Pavlov dogging a person because you don't like how they respond to situations.
A description of functional limitations and the impact of the condition on the student’s current participation in courses, programs, services, or any other university activities.
Here's something to consider. I might not know right now! I might not have these issues yet, because I'm not in university. What I do know, is myself! I do know that I might need some accommodations. If I know this, why should I wait until I have these issues? I can request them, try them, and if it turns out I don't need them, great! We'll change things up. This also limits my ability to get an evaluation, because this is required as a part of a clinical summary. That means my evaluation has to take place after I am already experiencing a need for accommodations (6 months more!).
Recommendations for academic accommodations, including a rationale for each.
I will say, this is reasonable. If I were to do this myself (which I am not, I have to get a doctor to tell them this!), I would be able to rationalize my needs within the context of what I know about myself. If I can't, then I can have an evaluator do it, or have a third party write what they know about me.
AP Requirements
After discovering all the excessive requirements for my university, I decided to move on. Shortly after, I realized AP tests were coming up, and they're online, at home, and prime stressors!
I also realized that during stressful tests where I don't know the majority of the answers (a 60%-70% on an AP test is considered passing and roughly average), I tend to get very stressed and need breaks. So I turned to my 504 plan! Breaks in class! I looked at the College Board website for information on accommodations, saw the listed accommodations, saw "Breaks as needed", and thought... Wow, that'll be helpful! It said to email my school's disability services coordinator to discuss accommodations. So I did that. I emailed them with a list of accommodations and my rationale.
Here is my email's contents:
I was specifically looking to get these that they listed on their info page:
- Breaks as needed
- Extended time (150%) (only for math)
- 4-function calculator
My reasoning for the above are as follows:
Breaks: These are already included on my 504, which makes things easier. If something is not going well during the exam I could get very overwhelmed, very unexpectedly. Breaks as needed allows me time to cool down if this happens.
Extended time: When doing math problems I get very invested in my answer- if it's a decimal I might try to simplify or make it exact even if the decimal answer is correct or close to correct. This can lead to me taking longer than most people on math problems, especially in Calculus where there is a lot of estimation. The time is for more breathing room as I will inevitably follow some of my habits regardless of how much practice I do.
4-function calculator: I can't do basic math under pressure, and a 4-function calculator when doing real world math is never not going to be an option. I could do mental math, yes, but it would hurt my head a lot. As I often say to myself when doing very "computational" homework assignments that don't include much actual mathematical skills outside 4-functions "I am not a computer". I am really not. Most of the points I lose currently in math classes are because I failed to perform basic addition or multiplication properly, calculator or not. I feel like the College Board might be harder to persuade with this one because of my good math track record, but it would be beneficial.
How reasonable, drawn out, and based in my history these requests are! I sure do hope the College Board will listen!
Here is the response I received:
Thank you for reaching out to me. I am so impressed with your level of self advocacy and responsibility! Way to go!!!
Your current 504 does not have the accommodations that you have requested. The College Board typically only accepts accommodations that the student is currently using in the school. They don't usually let schools add additional accommodations that haven't been in place just for testing.
I replied, stating it was fine if I couldn't get extended time or a 4-function calculator, but that my 504 did include breaks, and I could probably get that. Unfortunately...
Because you don't currently have breaks during testing (written that way in the 504 plan) we didn't apply to the college board for that accommodation.
We would need a doctor's note (a note suggesting breaks during testing with a reasoning / diagnosis) to attach to the 504 plan and then we can send it into the college board for approval. We have missed the deadline to apply for accommodations but we could still put in a form; I just cannot guarantee they would approve it before the AP test.
Welp. If that's not more proof the College Board is awful! Yeah. I give up. It's not worth the time. I can just struggle through like I always have, it's my last year in high school.
It's not that I need breaks, it's that I think I might. I just want that as an option. Nothing else. The College Board can't do the bare minimum. I already budged on two accommodations, but I can't even have the most simple of accommodations. Real stand up work, guys!
I almost never use my 504 accommodation that allows me to take breaks during class. It's just an option.
Conclusion
What you've probably discovered today is: it's exhausting to get accommodations. It's not easy. That's not to mention IEPs and 504 plans (the system public schools in the U.S. use for accommodation), which are a whole new beast that I am not qualified to write about.
What I want you to take from reading this is that regardless of someone's "disabilities" that you think they have, what diagnosis they were able to obtain, and what you think they need to do to fix their problems, we need to accommodate people.
Everyone has unique struggles. I understand these systems are in place to accommodate people with well-known disabilities, and that often people can gain accommodations through social means, but we need to throw out our medical understanding of some "disabilities" (also see my Neurodiversity blog for info on this!). Requiring a medical professional to approve every little thing I could ever need helps no one. These requirements exist so that someone without "disabilities" can't fake their way into accommodations, but they're too stringent.
Often "high-functioning" people who are diagnosed with ADHD or autism are ignored in their needs because they can function fine without accommodations. I'm fully aware of the fact I could function without some of these things, but it would damn well make my life easier, and I have the reasoning to prove that! It's not my fault I've managed to internalize my "disabilities" in such a way that you think I function the same as someone you perceive as able! I'm telling you, this is my struggle, help me! Only to be rejected by the system because it doesn't think I've struggled enough. Not every struggle can be evidenced in grades, in stories from family, in evaluations from psychologists. Not every struggle can be measured, summed, and averaged. Some of our struggles are internal, invisible, and impossible to prove. Humans are not statistics. Humans are not numbers. Humans are not stories.
Just trust me. I already got the damn diagnosis! I can clearly understand my neurology on a high level to some extent! The system was never designed to allow individuals to succeed by themselves, it was designed so doctors could tell me what I need. You're wasting my time with bureaucracy because you're afraid someone will lie. That's not my problem.
It's ableist, it's classist, it's neuronormative, and it's just disrespectful to everyone who has fought so hard for themselves.
These systems need to be easier to navigate, regardless of where you are in life. Rich or poor, diagnosed or undiagnosed, visibly disabled or not, I should be able to so much as ask for these things without begging a doctor to listen to me. I know what I need, the doctor is only a diversion that ensures able people that I'm "disabled" enough for them.
Dear every "Department of Disability Services",
Stop glorifying the medical model in your assistance of autistics, people with ADHD, and other neurodiversities.
It's not necessary anymore.
Sincerely,
Kat