Uni said I'm not allowed to attend lectures.

Post Reply New Topic

I'm going to ask my dad if he can find me legal help.

I don't get challenging behaviour so much if I get the right support.

I'll ask my dad. He will back me up too.

Thanks.

Really? I've talked to universities before about online programs and accommodations. I need to have work cut down and extended time on test & quizzes as well, but they refuse to do this without giving an explanation as to why. Now, we do have a local community college where we live. The only way I can attend this college is if I take the four basic subjects, but I don't want to do that. It would be too stressful for me, and I only want to take one creative writing class. :/

I agree with Loki. At my community college, getting accommodations is very difficult... Even if you don't have legs, they want a doctors note to tell them you don't have legs (and yes, I witnessed this, some guy lost his legs in a car crash a few weeks before the semester, asked for accommodations without a letter. I mean, they could of at least helped him out for the day and required him to bring it the next day or something, but they wouldn't allow it.)

The system for getting the accommodation isn't easy either, especially for something like autism. You need the doctor's note and then you have to meet a school counselor in person and explain the diagnosis and request the accommodations for the letter of accommodations. The counselor then decides if you really need it and if you do, you have it on the letter of accommodation but the counselor can deny it and so can her superiors. Each semester requires a new letter of accommodation and the college requires 30 days notice for updating or for a new letter for the next semester. There tends to be less than 30 days between semesters.

The letter of accommodation doesn't do anything as is. No, you have to go into a meeting with each faculty meeting and explain it all to them. They are not permitted to give any accommodations not on the letter... oh, and there are so many policies that are enforced sporadically that a faculty member can effectively persecute you and single you out if they don't like or don't think you should have the accommodations.

In other words, it is a hellhole of anxiety. The system is nearly impossible for anyone with severe anxiety.

Yes, the school has faced several lawsuits over it and they had to pay quite a bit at the end of each lawsuit in damages and court fees, but their policies haven't noticeably changed.

The school says that now they've added an appeal system for the accommodation system. This appeal process is not in public view. Administrators refuse to reply to emails concerning it.

I bet they're stopping you from going so they can claim some kind of extra funding for having a disabled student, but if you attended, they probably wouldn't be eligible for that funding, and since all they care about is money, they are happy to screw you over by forbidding you from attending and then lying that you can't. That's why I hate universities.

It's supposed to be a place of learning but mostly its just a haven for politicians, bureaucrats and other liars.

Exactly what I was thinking!

You are the one who is paying them to educate you. Therefore they are working for you. Go to all your lectures!

Is she disruptive though and how disruptive is disruptive? I have had meltdowns and had to drop out of university all together because of the sounds of people snapping gum and clipping their nails in class and they were never asked to leave the class or to ever stop. Even after I complained to the teachers about it none of those students were ever asked to stop yet I was allowed to drop out of school because I could not handle the noise. I have also been in classes where kids have spoken out of turn, cursed out and yelled at the teachers, talked to each other and other things like that. They were not told to leave. Were these people not being disruptive? Or is disruption based on a a some sort of scale?

The disruptions I make in lectures are stimming, rocking, writing notes to my support worker and, if it gets bad enough, leaving the lecture hall.

I don't think my disruptions are severe enough to be barred. I have cried and hyperventilated before but on the average lecture day, with my support worker, I write a dozen of pages of notes during the lecture - that's how I keep myself from losing it.

I have been more disruptive in hallways waiting for lectures / practicals (such as shouting, kicking the walls and pulling my hair out), but during lectures I sort of hypnotise myself with the lecturer's voice and the note taking.

Now that I won't have DSA funding, I won't get the nearly free taxi to and from university, which means that I won't even be able to travel there, as I cannot travel druing rush hour!

As a teacher of disconnected youth, I sympathize with both parties in this issue, the student(s) and the education institution.

In our classes, we have 2 diagnosed ASD students and several with ASD attibutes. And as our program is supposed to be about students with different learning styles, I have always been angered by the limited funding. The politicians seem to treat different learning styles as needing the same resources. How much harder it must be for such students in regular learning environments.

As a teacher, limited for time and resources, so many of the students don't get enough of my/our time because of the challenging behaviour of other students. It becomes a moment-by-moment balancing act. Students who fall behind because the squeaky wheel gets the oil is a big part of it. Sometimes the challenging students are acting out because of their issues. Other times it's because they're just being thoughtless, inconsiderate of other students.

Many times I've had to take a student aside to deal with their behaviour and anxiety, and hopefully give them a road back to completing the task of the session. But each time I do so, others fail to complete tasks because I'm not there for them. Many of the students should be in a program more suited to their needs, but few such placements exist and our program has become the catchall for a variety of differently learning students. (VCAL, if anyone in Oz knows of it.)

ASD students (or those with ASD attributes) come in different behaviour packages - everything from the nice ones who fly below the radar, to the studious ones who have little outbursts, to the ones who have trauma all day long. It's a juggle.

As teachers, we are expected to get through the curriculum so that some can come out with certificates and go onto jobs or higher learning. But for many, the task is just keeping them connected.

So, when it comes to behavioural difficulties, spare a thought for the other students who also need the teacher's time, if they're to complete the curriculum. If anyone is to be blamed, it's the policy makers who under-resource such places, forcing teachers into a triage situation of deciding which students should be getting the attention.

My suggestion is to study at home for this school year, while working on EF skills and learning to provide structure for yourself.
It doesn't sound so bad not to go to the sensory overload of university campus.
And staying away from people doesn't sound bad either.
And you have your house to yourself now, unlike that gawdawful group home you were living in before.
Since you are repeating the year, I guess that a lot of the academic material is already familiar to you?
Then you have more time to work on EF and study skills.
And more leeway to make mistakes in the process.
Talk to your non-uni support person and therapist about them putting together a plan for you this year to make this self-study thing benefit you in terms of academic success and daily functioning.
Try to take this negative situation of the university cutting off support and turn it into something good for yourself in the long-term.
Don't focus on how the university is screwing you over.
Certainly they are screwing you over, but focus on your study topics and improving skills instead of them.

Are you on a probationary period? I remember things were bad for you a while ago, and the university was giving you a hard time over it. Is this is the plan they came up with?

I was required to take a semester off when my bipolar was bad. That was a total no school semester off, more or less to get my s**t together.

What did you sign that allowed this? Did the university give you an ultimatum, it is this or you are gone? If you legally agreed to this situation, (signed something), I don't know how much legal recourse you have.

I'll be perfectly honest, at my university, in the States, if you were shouting, screaming and pulling your hair, someone would have called security on you. Especially since it seems like every six months, some student decides to go human hunting with a weapon on campus. People are just over the top alert to "abnormal" behavior. If your resource worker was with you, I probably wouldn't give a thought, but you alone, acting that way, I would be concerned. *NOTE...I understand about stims and meltdowns. The great unwashed would have a really hard time with a grown adult, screaming, pulling on hair and kicking walls. If I knew you had ASD, I wouldn't even look a second time. Not knowing about ASD, and getting ready go into a lecture hall, with a fellow student action like the above, I'd be concerned.

How obvious the stims? There is rocking or leg foot boucing, that isn't really noticeable, or if someone walked into the lecture hall, would they wonder what's up? Because if I was in a packed lecture hall, and I sat next to you, while you were really rocking or stimming, I'd get up and sit in the aisle. The note passing wouldn't bother me, but someone physically non stop moving, just within my peripheral vision, I couldn't concentrate.

I hope you and your resource person can come up with a workable plan. I think the problem with "just showing up" is a) the professors know who you are, and I'm sure are the ones that complained about your behavior. b) have no qualms about ratting you out to the department chair.

Is there no other university that is more accommodating, or are you almost done with your degree?

Sorry you are having such a tough time. ♡♡♡

This is not legal by any stretch, if anything this is direct abuse and blackmail which you might even be able to sue them for.

Did you get any of this on paper or e-mail? Save it well in case you need it.

In the USA the American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that reasonable accommodations be made for individuals with a documented disability. Further, restricting the activities of a disabled individual (i.e. you had problems in lectures, you cannot attend them) is considered discrimination. It is a major no-no

Reasonable accommodations are decided by both parties. If OP was in the States, she'd be up a s**t creek. Most universities in the States wouldn't be this kind. I've got an excerpt right here.



Here's the link, if you want it- http://definitions.uslegal.com/r/reason ... omodation/ .

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles, SteelMaiden. Has your calming behaviors become more profound or more frequent recently? If they have, it may behoove you to take the year and study at your house. Maybe your dad can help you find an aide that could work with you at home.

I do not live in the UK, so I don't know how their law works. If you've always done those behaviors, then the university is the one at fault- they took you in knowing your issues and are surprised when you still have issues. That's BS.

If you have been getting worse, you may want to get more involved assistance. I don't know what that entails in the UK, though.

Yeah... No.

As I previously stated...I am uncertain as to UK law, but in the USA, this would not fly. A man with loud explosive tourrettes (sp?) syndrome has the same rights to class as you and I... whether or not she is disruptive, matters not.

I can confirm this, they are better than school. I went to a very good school in East Reading, but they simply weren't able to offer me much additional support (there was a lot there, but it wasn't what I needed - I am sure it was very useful for students who weren't as academically able).

SteelMaiden - I do not think the university can take away your DSA. This is provided by SFE. If you are enrolled at the university then you are entitled.

If you'd like, we can contact the NUS about this.

Is that something which you are officially entitled to, or something which you feel you need? If it's the former then why are we living in a world where I am not getting work reductions?