Accommodations and Accessibility

Everyone needs help. One of my issues with large institutions is that everyone is treated as a collective. We are all given the same treatment. But we are all different people.

Enter accommodation and accessibility offices. These are bureaucratic nonsense but hopefully in a way that benefits you. There is this misconception that only people who have a severe disability like partial paralysis or extreme ADHD.

In reality, you can get accommodations for a broken arm or a anxiety diagnosis. Do not be afraid to take advantage of an office that is designed to make college easier for you.

I had surgery on my right wrist at 16, and while the surgery was a repair to cartilage, it did leave behind arthritis and pain if I hand write more than a paragraph. I can take notes by typing and thought I would be fine, but I had a professor who insisted we not have laptops, phones, or any devices out. When I told her I couldn’t write all my notes by hand, she said “well you don’t have accommodations and I don’t make exceptions.”

So, I got an accommodation saying I am always allowed to have a laptop out in class.

I learned that it is better to have accommodations you never use rather than not have them when you need them. So before you start university, go have a checkup with all your regular doctors. You need a note from each about whatever accommodations you are asking for.

Reach out to the university accommodations office before you move in. Ask them if you need to come into the office in your first week to finish establishing your accommodations. Some universities make it unnecessarily hard to get what you need, specialized paperwork and extra forms.

That is why you email them. To double check if you have everything you need, to check if you need more than the signed doctor’s note.

And be inventive. If you know you are not good with lots of stairs because you have asthma, then ask your doctor to put that you can’t have any classes above the second floor unless there is an elevator.

ESA’s are harder. Those are treated like VIP tickets to a concert, and sometimes getting permission for an on-campus ESA is so hard it becomes inaccessible. Feel free to enlist help from a parent or friend. Bureaucratic nonsense always makes me anxious and upset. My university has changed the application for ESA’s every year. Meaning no matter what, I was confused and frustrated. I had to fight for my ESA, even though I have been diagnosed with severe mental illnesses and had doctors willing to attest to the fact I needed some normalcy (I grew up with lots of animals in my home so being without one felt extra stressful).

Everything else accommodation wise is specific to your university. Do your research. Be creative. Be willing to share personal information. And above all else, stay ahead of the curve with your paperwork.