"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention."
Academic Accommodations for People with Mental Health Concerns
by Sarah Hancock
The
majority of students young and old return to school this month,
leaving many people with psychiatric disorders and their loved ones
scratching their heads wondering if they can really tackle school.
When
I returned to school in 1998, after having been newly diagnosed and
put on medication, I was stunned at the difference in my academic
abilities. I just couldn’t perform as previously. Half of the
problem was because I hadn’t found the right medication and
other supports necessary to live successfully with my illness. The
other half of the problem was that I just wasn’t used to having
symptoms.
A
large percentage of people who have a psychiatric diagnosis begin
having symptoms in their late teens and early twenties. For that
reason, it’s like having the rug ripped out from under you just
as you began understanding how you do your best.
Growing
up, I’d never had an individualized education plan (IEP). I
wasn’t aware that there were provisions for me. With my new
deficits, I thought surely it was the end of my academic career.
However,
I was lucky. I had many deaf friends used to being in a “disabled”
system. When I shared with them my desire to drop out due to
complications with my disorder, they wisely asked if I’d spoken
with my disability counselor. Of course, I hadn’t. I’d
never even knew there was such a thing!
They
introduced me to BYU’s Disabled Student Services (in an effort
to focus on strengths rather than deficits, BYU has since changed
their office’s name to the “Accessibility Center.”
Other universities are following their example).
So
what could an Accessibility Center possibly offer you, a loved one or
someone you serve? Well, let me explain. Strictly legally speaking,
every school taking federal funding of any nature must comply with
section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the ADA of 1990 and
the ADA’s amendments of 2008. Even if your college or
university is a private one, chances are there are students attending
the school utilizing federal funds Pell grants, requiring that school
to comply.
Academic
accommodations allow equal access to academia and school activities,
contributing to the diverse educational experience.
Psychiatric
disorders adversely affect students in two ways, the symptoms
themselves and the side effects of the medications prescribed. Both
need to be taken into consideration when discussing possible academic
accommodations. But how do you even know what to ask for? That’s
a great question!
In
the kindergarten-high school arena, a parent and student sit down
with the school psychologist and the special education teacher to
create an IEP. When a student attends college, he must go to the
equivalent of an accessibility center. (Some campuses call this the
disability center or disability services, programs and support (DSPS)
office.) Regardless of what they call it, you can look it up on your
school’s website.
Once
in that office, you will discuss possible accommodations with a
disability support counselor.
At
your first meeting it is good to bring a letter from your doctor on
his or her letterhead stating your diagnosis and any recommended
accommodations. You can also plan ahead and come to the office
completely prepared if you ask for the intake forms prior to your
first appointment so that you have everything all ready for your
counselor the first time you sit down with him.
(As
a disability counselor, it always impresses me when a student makes
the effort to do this, demonstrating a desire to succeed. Sometimes
university accessibility center websites have the forms to download
on their website. If you have everything prepared for the first
meeting, you can get your academic accommodations expedited for use
immediately.)
The
first meeting with the counselor is an intake session. During this
meeting your counselor will discuss with you the intake forms and the
letter from your doctor. In this meeting it is vital to keep in mind
two things.
First,
how do the symptoms of your illness affect your ability to perform
academically? Second, how do your medications affect your academic
ability?
Each
person will answer those questions differently, regardless of the
fact that they may have the same illness and the same medication. For
that reason, it is vital to be able to communicate with your
counselor the answers to those two questions.
When
discussing possible academic accommodations it is also good to
consider the following questions:
What is the underlying problem?
How does it affect your academic performance?
How long have you dealt with your symptoms?
How do you cope with your symptoms?
Rather
than go into the specifics of each illness, I am going to touch on
underlying problems and how to address them.
First,
preferential seating can help students for a variety of reasons.
Symptoms of psychiatric illnesses often affect one’s ability to
filter sensory input. For example, if a person is in a classroom
where multiple students are typing away on their laptops, it may be
virtually impossible to filter out the tapping and focus on the
material. Giving the student preferential seating allows the person
to sit in the front of the room and away from the students who are
typing on their laptops.
Preferential
seating is also good for students with an anxiety disorder, allowing
them to sit next to the door to step out, have the anxiety attack and
then come back in with minimal class distraction.
Preferential
seating is also appropriate for students with PTSD because it allows
them to always sit where they are most comfortable so as to allow
them to have a bit of control over their situation — especially
for veterans who are used to keeping an eye of surveillance on their
surroundings. Preferential seating is good for a person on medication
that causes dry mouth because drinking lots of liquid creates a need
to escape class discreetly for frequent bathroom trips.
Having
a distraction-free testing environment is also vital for successful
testing. Each school should have provisions for a student to take
exams and quizzes in a proctored testing center. This creates a
relatively distraction-free environment, allowing students to focus
on their exam.
Test
proctoring is also given to students with an illness or medication
that slows down their processing speed. Depending on the situation,
students can get adjustable time for their exams. For example, if a
student with a panic disorder has a panic attack during the test, the
proctor can stop the timed test, let the student have the attack, and
then start the time again when the student is ready to proceed.
Some
disorders or medications allow time and a half on tests due to
processing issues. If this does not resolve the processing issue and
additional time is needed, the student can talk to a counselor for
additional provisions. (After having some neuropsych testing done, my
counselor decided that having double time on tests was appropriate
until my brain was able to recover from its trauma.)
Test
proctoring is usually done on the same day and at the same time as
the students’ class. Test proctoring is closely monitored just
as a classroom or testing center would be, assuring professors they
aren’t giving one student advantage over another, but merely
allowing a student with psychiatric symptoms to have equal access to
their exams.
Note
takers or audio recording devices can be utilized to help students
with psychiatric symptoms make up for what they didn’t process
during the class. Processing information while trying to cope with
psychiatric symptoms can be difficult for many reasons. The person
may process information slowly because of the actual symptoms or
might process information slowly due to the prescribed medication.
Either
way, having access to another student’s notes allows the
student with a psychiatric diagnosis to spend their energy focusing
on the professor rather than both listening and scrambling to keep up
with the notes.
Accessing
notes can be discreet as well. A student can approach the professor
with an accommodation letter from the accessibility center,
explaining the need for a note taker. The professor can then ask for
a volunteer notetaker and get the notes after class.
Some
universities have the ability to pay a small gratuity to a note
taker; other schools write a letter of gratitude to the note taker at
the end of the semester, mentioning the amount of hours contributed
for the semester by the good Samaritan. Either way, it’s a
win-win situation.
Note
takers do not take notes if the student they are serving is absent.
Audio recording devices work much the same way, and it is solely up
to the student’s preference.
Flexible
attendance is also available on a limited basis from a college or
university. I say limited basis because in general colleges cannot
allow a student to miss more than two classes for accreditation
purposes. However, if discussed in advance, a student can arrange
with a teacher to access the class via Skype, Google Chat, or via
another interactive media source preferred by the school.
When
a student goes to register for classes, he needs to think about
normal life patterns. If symptoms or medication causes difficulty
getting out of bed before 11 a.m., taking a class earlier than noon
isn’t advisable. Or perhaps the student needs to start taking
night medication earlier (like between 7:30 and 8 p.m., rather than
waiting until they are going to get in bed).
The
other accommodations I would recommend are tutors and study skills
classes. Since the large majority of people diagnosed with a form of
schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are diagnosed in their late teens
or early twenties, they are not used to pursuing education while
dealing with symptoms. Attending a study skills class can teach them
additional compensatory strategies circumventing symptoms, allowing
them to succeed.
Course
load is also vital to discuss with a disability counselor. Taking a
lighter load doesn’t mean that you are weak; it means that you
are smartly choosing to care for yourself by not overloading. If you
know you need to take a certain number of credits to keep a
scholarship or FAFSA money, your disability counselor can write a
letter to the financial aid office, stating that you are being served
by the accessibility office for having a verified disability and
asking for an appropriate credit load given your circumstances.
It’s
important to remember a couple of things about receiving services
from an accessibility center. Everything you discuss with your
accessibility counselor is completely confidential. Professors and
other university staff do not have access to your information unless
you sign a release for the counselor discuss it. You can revoke that
release at any time.
Additionally,
the fact that you received services from an accessibility office is
not disclosed on your academic record or transcript. Please have no
reservations about taping into your resources. Doing so will allow
you to succeed in a way you may not have be able to do so without
academic accommodations. You have the right to succeed, and you
deserve it.
Sarah Price Hancock, a graduate of San Diego State University's rehabilitation
counseling Masters of Science program with a certificate psychiatric
rehabilitation.
Having embarked on her own journey with a mental health diagnosis, she is
passionate about psychiatric recovery. She enjoys working as a lector
for universities, training upcoming mental health professionals.
Sarah also enjoys sharing insights with peers working to strengthen
their "recovery toolbox." With proper support, Sarah
knows psychiatric recovery isn’t just possible — it’s
probable.
Born and raised in San Diego, California, Sarah served a Spanish-speaking
and ASL mission for the LDS Church in the Texas Dallas Mission. She
was graduated from Ricks College and BYU. Sarah currently resides in
San Diego and inherited four amazing children when she married the
man of her dreams in 2011. She loves writing, public speaking,
ceramics, jewelry-making and kite-flying — not necessarily in
that order.