She's special

     It's that time of year again, where classes are starting up. Every semester I am given a new set of teachers and every semester a new set of challenges. Sometimes the most challenging thing is to receive the proper disability accommodation in any given class. Sometimes its a struggle to access an appropriate note taking system, other times it's a matter as simple as trying to access my curriculum in an appropriate way from the front of the classroom, given my visual impairment. I know what's appropriate to ask for and what isn't, but sometimes professors have a different idea in mind. Most semesters I run into a least one professor who isn't flexible. This semester's problem is note taking.

     When I originally requested disability services at the college I'm attending, one of the accommodations I was given was a note taker. Even back in high school I never had a note taker. There was typically a paraprofessional in my classroom taking notes for another individual and I had access to the notes, but it wasn't in my IEP. The paraprofessional was able to help me fill in the minute details that I would miss and I was allowed to use a recording device for audio. That was it. Now that I'm in college and have specific labels, I automatically get specific services, one being the notetaker.

     This semester, I have some professors that are strict about use of note taking devices in their classes. I prefer to take my own notes via my computer and microsoft word. I really don't like trying to decipher notes that other people have taken. On the first day of classes, I sat in on a class where the teacher insists that if you use a computer, you must sit in the back. That's all fine and well for most, but I also have a visual impairment and must sit in the front row. When I brought this to the teacher's attention I was asked, "what do I tell the other students, when they ask?" Fortunately, I am extremely open about things, but that is extremely awkward none the less. I feel like the only thing the teacher could say is, "she's special".

     Over the years I have been extremely open about my disabilities, but in the past it has been difficult to explain things to my peers. It's not a secret if you have a disability, but people don't know how to take it when they are told you have one. Most of the time, they just back off as if your some sort to of alien. When I asked the question, I really didn't know what to think about the situation. As of right now, I have dropped the class for other reasons. In the meantime I still have other classes where computers aren't allowed to be used and I still face the same difficulty with peers. As of right now, it looks like my teacher's are just going to tell people I'm special. It doesn't feel right, but I don't know what to say.