Skip to main content

Leveling the Playing Field

When you think about it, most of us have disabilities of some sort or another. I’ve worn glasses since I was eight years old, and a couple of years ago I had cataract surgery. (My pre-surgery view of the world looked like this Monet painting.) Like you, I’m no stranger to physical problems with a classroom.

Dealing with your issues

Nobody is going to chase you down and demand that you find help. They probably don’t know that you are having trouble reading or hearing, so you must take initiative to deal with your issues.

What you can do

First, you need to figure out what kind of problem you have and how severe it is. Did you have an IEP in high school? Have you always had trouble seeing things from a distance? Then you need to take some action. Here are some places to begin:

  • Get an eye exam. There’s nothing shameful or nerdy about wearing glasses. (Harry Potter wore them, and he saved the world.)
  • Get your hearing checked. A family doctor can recommend specialists who do this.
  • Get the computer to read aloud to you.
    • Instructions for Apple computers
    • Windows computers have something called Windows Narrator, which can also read your screen to you (though the instructions are a bit more complex).
  • Contact the Student Accessibility Center. They are there to help you, whether your problem something like a broken leg or more long-lasting such as dyslexia. The SAC Website has many detailed links. Follow them up.

Two more things

The university also provides, free to you, a general health center and counseling services. As with the Accessibility Center, all of your dealings are strictly private. Nobody will share your information with anyone (including your parents) without specific written permission from you.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Your Computer Ready for School

Back when I was a student, everyone packed up their portable typewriter for the move to campus. Lots of people got a new typewriter as a graduation gift, but I didn’t. I ended up using one we bought when I was in high school. The story is probably the same for you, except that it’s a computer, not a mechanical typewriter. Whether you just bought a new one or kept your old faithful companion with all of its stickers, you need to do a few things to get the machine ready for college. Getting Old Faithful ready for college Is Old Faithful sick? If the machine crashes a lot, has trouble (and takes a long time) doing things, or pops up weird ads to play poker or look at porn, you probably have a virus. (You just had to download that fancy screensaver, didn’t you?) Take a deep breath—bite the bullet—pay the computer repair shop to clean it up for you. Now that Old Faithful is feeling better … Back up the really important stuff. (Your only

Lunchroom Legends about College

A lot of fake news circulates concerning college life. I’m not sure where all of this comes from, but kids seem to tell each other these lies—and you need to ignore them. Spoiler Alert: Pretty much all of the legends below are quick routes to failing a course or flunking out entirely. Don’t believe them. College attendance doesn’t count Yes it does, in two ways. In our course (and in many courses) attendance is part of the grade, and unexcused absences count against you. And obviously, if you weren’t here and the teacher said something you need, that hurts too. Some teachers don’t appear to take attendance, but they really can—they just know who is supposed to be in their small classroom. (I’m not that good. I will usually call roll.) You only think that absences don’t count against you because we don’t have an assistant principal phoning your mother. You are an adult now, and you should know how much absences hurt your grade. Strolling i

If you are in trouble in a course

Every semester, I have one or two students who stop attending and stop submitting papers, BUT they are still on the books as students. Because they are missing major papers, they end up failing the course. This is not good for their GPA. It takes a lot of work to overcome an “F.” What to do if you are sinking Your first step should always be to discuss your problem with your course instructor. You may have some options to save your grade. If the issue is that you simply weren’t prepared for the course, working with our tutoring center might be your best choice. Before you make any major changes, discuss things with your academic advisor. Perhaps it would be wise to withdraw from the course. A “W” on your transcript doesn’t kill your GPA, and you are always free to try the course again at a later date. While you are in your academic advisor’s office, ask the question whether you are in the r