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Disability Self-ID Statements
All students with disabilities who are registered with ODS are expected to self-identify to their professors during the first two weeks of each semester. The templates below will provide you with some ideas in developing your own statement:
You will know I am having a seizure when:
What should you do when I have a seizure: I will fall, so it is best if I am
lying down on the floor where I can't fall any lower. If
possible, lie me down on the floor. Clear away chairs or anything that I
could hit with my flailing arms/body. You do not need to insert anything in
my mouth. Not even a wooden spoon. I promise I will not swallow
my tongue. The seizure should only last for 1-3
minutes, possibly less. You do not need to call an ambulance or
CAVA unless the seizure lasts for 4-5 minutes or more.
After the seizure: Call the disability office. Hopefully,
someone from there will come and get me. Or, call my emergency
contacts (above), and ask if they can come pick me up. During the seizure, I will lose
consciousness. When the seizure is over and I regain
consciousness, I will be very confused. I will not remember the seizure, where
I am, who I am, who you are, etc. It will help if you tell me
that I have just had a seizure, and where I am. (I will also not
know my phone number, where I live, etc.) Just tell me what's
going on simply. It would be especially nice if you tell me that
"everything's going to be OK." I may be unable to talk or move at
first. If this is the case, I should be able to talk and move
within 10-20 minutes. Most likely, after a few minutes, I
will be able to stand up and walk with help. If someone is
willing, a student can take me outside of the classroom to wait
for whoever can come to get me. It is best if someone stays with
me. (I will not be completely with it/conscious. I have been
known to wander around, climb stairs, walk into other buildings
or the street, etc. after seizures.) If no one is available to pick me up,
then you can call CAVA or security or an ambulance (not all
three). Otherwise, please do not call CAVA or an ambulance.
Things to know about
my disability: If you have notes that I could make a
copy of, it would be very helpful; because I read lips, I miss
everything that is said when I am not looking. Please do not call on me in class
(especially when I am taking notes); because of my disability I
often get lost in oral conversation with more than one person,
and I get really embarrassed if I did not hear what was said or
asked. If there is a participation requirement for the
class, it would be wonderful if I could meet with you one-on-one
outside of class. I do not always spell correctly (I
cannot tell the difference between the sounds of similar
letters), but I have a plan: All of my papers will be proofread;
for exams, professors often have me take the exam home, type it,
and e-mail it back, or I could read it to you. I read lips, and I can not if your
mouth is covered or you are facing a wall/board. I have extended time on exams: time +
1.5. Sometimes if I get sick fluid builds up
in my ear canal, and I can hear almost nothing. If this
happens, I will let you know. I recognize my speech is very good,
because of many years of speech therapy, and it is easy to
forget I am hearing impaired. Myths: I am mean, rude, or ignoring you
intentionally. I am dumb. I am trying to make my professors' jobs
more difficult. Some additional information: Devices I have used in past classes and
may at some point use in your class: remote captioning (CART), note
takers, seat reserves, FM systems, and hearing aids. Aids I may try in the future: a hearing
dog to alert me to alarms (because I can't hear fire alarms) and
when people say my name the dog will nudge me to get my attention. Goals: to become a lawyer and help
children with disabilities get their accommodations in schools. Captions on TV and in films are very
helpful. I am very open about my disability and am
happy to answer any questions. Thank you for signing my TAF form and for
your understanding.
Appendix B Forty Things I Needed the Most
1. I am not stupid, I am wounded. Please respect me. 2. Come close, speak slowly, and enunciate clearly. 3. Repeat yourself -- assume I know nothing and start from the beginning, over and over. 4. Be as patient with me the 20th time you teach me something, as you were the first. 5. Approach me with an open heart and slow your energy down. Take your time. 6. Be aware of what your body language and facial expressions are communicating to me. 7. Make eye contact with me. I am here -- come find me. Encourage me. 8. Please don't raise your voice -- I'm not deaf, I'm wounded. 9. Touch me appropriately and connect with me. 10. Honor the healing power of sleep. 11. Protect my energy. No talk radio, TV, or nervous visitors! Keep visitation brief (five minutes). 12. Stimulate my brain when I have any energy to learn something new, but know that a small amount may wear me out quickly. 13. Use age-appropriate (toddler) educational toys and books to teach me. 14. Introduce me to the world kinesthetically. Let me feel everything. (I am an infant again.) 15. Teach me with money-see, monkey-do behavior. 16. Trust that I am trying -- just not with your skill level or on your schedule. 17. Ask me multiple-choice questions. Avoid Yes/No questions. 18. Ask me questions with specific answers. Allow me time to hunt for an answer. 19. Do not assess my cognitive ability by how fast I can think. 20. Handle me gently, as you would handle a newborn. 21. Speak to me directly, not about me to others. 22. Cheer me on. Expect me to recover completely, even if it takes twenty years! 23. Trust that my brain can always continue to learn. 24. Break all actions down into smaller steps of action. 25. Look for what obstacles prevent me from succeeding on a task. 26. Clarify for me what the next level or step is so I know what I am working toward. 27. Remember that I have to be proficient at one level of function before I can move on to the next level. 28. Celebrate all of my little successes. They inspire me. 29. Please don't finish my sentences for me or fill in words I can't find. I need to work my brain. 30. If I can't find an old file, make it a point to create a new one. 31. I may want you to think I understand more than I really do. 32. Focus on what I can do rather than bemoan what I cannot do. 33. Introduce me to my old life. Don't assume that because I cannot play like I used to play that I won't continue to enjoy music or an instrument, etc. 34. Remember that in the absence of some functions, I have gained other abilities. 35. Keep me familiar with my friends, family, and loving support. Build a collage wall of cards and photos that I can see. Label them so I can review them. 36. Call in the troops! Create a healing team for me. Send word out to everyone so they can send me love. Jeep them abreast of my condition and ask them to do specific things to support me -- like visualize me being able to swallow with ease or rocking my body up into a sitting position. 37. Love me for who I am today. Don't hold me to being the person I was before. I have a different brain now. 38. Be protective of me but do not stand in the way of my progress. 39. Show me old video footage of me doing things to remind me about how I spoke, walked, and gestured. 40. Remember that my medications probably make me tired, as well as mask my ability to know what it feels like to be me. |
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I have a seizure disorder