Disabled Students Need Not Apply

As some of you may know, I’m a fulltime student. I’ve been studying at Pierce College for two years and I’m in my last class before starting at City University in the fall.

But not long ago I suffered a neurological incident, and afterwards I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. My medication works pretty well, except when I spend long periods of time under fluorescent lights.

You know, like the kind they have at school.

So I went to Access and Disability Services (ADS) to apply for accommodations. It’s not as if I’m trying to cheat, I’m an honor student and a member of Phi Theta Kappa. I just need a little assistance remembering the steps to equations and maybe a little bit longer doing them.

I went to see ADS convinced I’d leave with what I needed. I had no idea that at Pierce College if you’re a night student you receive very little Access and a whole different definition of Service.

I don’t know how many students attend Pierce College, but I assume it’s a lot. Despite that decisions regarding accommodations are made by one person and she’s often not available (this quarter she was gone for 3 weeks). Worse yet if you’re a night student, like me, she’s only available on Monday nights. Of course you’re not the only night student who wants to see her, so act fast.

If you are lucky enough to get an appointment you’ll be told what documents you need to provide ADS in order to receive accommodations. Then you'll need to get your medical provider to fill them out and then make another appointment to see her again.

Let’s say your provider had an appointment available within a week (amazing!) and your instructor allowed you to come late to your 5:45 class (generous!), you'll then finally sit with the ADS coordinator and talk about your possible accommodations.

It’s now three weeks into the quarter, and you've already taken two tests.

During this meeting you’ll be informed as I was, that despite the fact that your neurologist has indicated you need notes for tests that cover multiple chapters, that accommodation imposes an “undue hardship on the college and requires an alteration of essential program requirements.”

What?

You’ll also be told you were required to bring the letter from the neurologist to prove your disability but everything else was just a suggestion and only the ADS coordinator can decide what you need. They’ll also refuse to provide you with a process to disagree with them.

Take a look at the ADS website; you’ll notice a few things right away. One is that they don’t list any hours of operation, and two they list all of the appropriate laws regarding non-discrimination to include their own school policies against it.

Nowhere on the ADS website does it tell you what medical information you specifically have to provide to receive services, and there’s a reason for that. They’re not interested in what your doctor says you need.

Even though she is not a medical professional or an educator, she is the only person qualified to decide what accommodations are necessary for you have an equal educational opportunity to that of your peers.

But remember, “Pierce College adheres to compliance with Title II of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that any enrolled student at the college who has a qualified documented physical, emotional, or mental disability which substantially limits one or more major life activities including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working is eligible for services from ADS”

They’ll be accessible but not in a reasonable amount of time. They’ll provide you with accommodations, but probably not what you need, and you can disagree with them… just not officially.

I think I’m changing my major to pre-law….if I ever pass Algebra.