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What should I tell my College - Advice Please!

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 6/15/2009 7:54 PM (GMT 0)
Hey guys,

I'm filling out a Disability Self-Disclosure form for college - I'm starting at the end of the summer.
It's asking me "What support services or accommodations do you plan to ask for at this College?"
What do I respond to this? What is it appropriate to ask for? What additional information should I provide?

Thanks
Posted 6/15/2009 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
Hi I am not a clloege student but I would ask for bathroom rights and perhaps .I am hoping others here that are in your situation will jump in and give better advice.. lol gail
Posted 6/15/2009 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
I ask for bathroom rights e.g. even to have someone follow you to the restroom if it's during an exam, extensions for assignments IF you are flaring, right to sit close to where you can get in and out of the room in case you need to leave, etc. etc.

And don't forget to speak with your teachers about different needs at the beginning of the semester when you give them your accommodation letter. Set up an appointment if you can. This is more important than anything.
Posted 6/16/2009 9:00 PM (GMT 0)
If you're living on campus you might want to think about whether you need any special housing accommodations, like you might want to ask for a single if you have issues that might make sharing a room uncomfortable or if you need a room that's near the bathroom (or even that has a private or semi-private bathroom). If you're going to be on the board plan and have major dietary restrictions, you might want to just mention that, in case there are any issues with getting food that agrees with you.

Other than that, I'd second what LMills said. In my experience the most important thing is making sure that your professors are fully informed from the start and so understand if you need to miss class, turn in assignments late, etc. if you're having issues. I made the mistake of not doing that the year after I was diagnosed (I was in remission at the beginning of the semester), and it made it much more complicated to explain what was going on and get extensions on papers when I eventually ended up getting sick enough to fall behind for a bit.

There's a good chance that things are going to crop up that you didn't think of anyway, and the office of Student Services (or whatever they call it at your school) will probably be glad to help co-ordinate whatever you need as you figure it out.
Posted 6/17/2009 1:36 AM (GMT 0)
I am a college student and I made sure that the housing people knew about my disease. It was the only way I could get a dorm with a bathroom in it. I still have a roommate, but at least it's just one, and the bathroom is semiprivate (instead of the hall bathrooms where everyone knows your biz).

Def tell what's going on... I never asked for extensions on my work because of it, but I always made sure to tell my professors the first day that I might be out sick sometimes. And def tell your roomie. It makes things easier all around.
Posted 6/17/2009 1:48 AM (GMT 0)
You may need to be able to miss more then the usual number of classes if you flare, definetly the right to slip out of exams to use the bathroom, those kinds of things.
Do fill out the form, do find the disabilities advisor on campus and talk to them early each semester even if its just a get acquainted type meeting.
Posted 6/18/2009 4:28 PM (GMT 0)
If you have to miss a lot of class to go to the bathroom, you can even request a note-taker.  At my college (also the place I work now), they have a Disability Resource Center that arranges stuff like that.  I usually saw note takers for students who were deaf or had trouble using their hands, but you should be able to get one to cover you when you have to miss class, if that will happen a lot. 

 

I don't know if you have arthritis with your Crohn's but, if you do, you may want to think about that too.  Sitting in those desks may be painful so you could request they let you sit in a regular chair or maybe at a table, if there is one in the room.  Or just to let you get up and move around every so often.  I've just received an accomodation at work because the height of my chair hurt my knees and raising my chair made my desk too low and I had to bend over to work and it hurt my back.  They raised my desk up using some boards and now I'm much more comfortable.  So, stuff like that is also an option if you have arthritis with it. 

Posted 6/18/2009 8:27 PM (GMT 0)
I am an adjunct college teacher. I imagine this is standard at most schools now -- in the syllabi for all courses, there is a statement that the school abides by the ADA and that reasonable accomodations are available for any disablity. I always make it a point when I get to that section in my first-class lecture every semester to say "And if anyone needs to discuss that with me, see me after class." When they do (I have had deafness, vision, psychiatric and other issues raised by students) I simply tell them that I will work with them and that I too have a chronic condition, which I name and explain briefly. It always works best to deal directly with the instructor in my experience. It is also important to keep the term "reasonable" in mind and ask only for what you truly need, like understanding if you need to leave class. If you are in a situation where you expect to need to miss more classes than normal, it is a good idea to get a letter from your treating physician going in that certifies your condition and explains that it may on occasion preclude you from attending. The one thing that frustrates me is students who miss a lot, never contact me and offer no explanation until it is too late to salvage the semester. Forewarned is forearmed.

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