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Karen Kesteloot September 7, 2013

What it Means To Have Disability Support Services in College

If you have just registered as an art student this f all at college or university, please take the init iative toregister at your school’s disability support services. Most colleges and university have supports f or studentswith special needs. If you are just selecting a school now f or next year research the supports the schoolof f ers.

Disability support services can provide you with a classroom helper to take notes f or you or carry items toolarge and dif f icult f or you. Many provide counselling support and can put you in contact with a network ofpersonal care workers, local doctors and tutors. They document your case so that the prof essors in yourprogram know what needs you have or if something should happen you have the credibility of having reportedyour concerns in advance.

No matter what the concern might be with your health whether physical, mental, or a learning disability; it is wiseto register with the support of f ice right at the beginning of the academic year.

My experiences with mental illnesses as an art teacherWhen I was teaching a Sheridan College, one of Canada’s top arts colleges, I witnessed several studentsexperience challenges with the prof essors in their programs if they waited to report their health and learningissues until a problem arose late in the term. If you have a signif icant and legit imate problem and you wait toreport it, you risk having it look like an excuse f or needing an extension rather than it being a legit imate reason.By being proactive and registering your health concerns at the beginning of the academic year you areprotecting your interests and leaving a verif iable trail.

The most important benef it of registering with the disability support of f ice is that you can have at yourdisposal all the supports the of f ice can provide f or you.

As a college instructor I of ten worked within the health concerns of

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Imag e cre ate d using Quo zio .

As a college instructor I of ten worked within the health concerns ofmy students. I was dismayed that not all of my colleaguesunderstood the needs of the students with mental health concernsas well as I did. I was at the time experiencing Post-PartumDepression and Anxiety Disorder so I knew how to recognize someof the symptoms and could understand what it f elt like to be underpressure with this sort of condition present. I was able to explainthe validity of extensions and sof ter deadlines f or those studentswith these concerns to the other prof essors who hadn’t had anyexperience with anxiety disorders.

I explained that people with lower serotonin levels find it harder toconcentrate when under pressure. Release the pressure and mostpeople have litt le to no problem to f unction at a high level. So weextended sof t deadlines when required. Those students whoneeded that appreciated it and did not misuse it.

I noticed that there were several students who came to me withissues late in the term, usually during mid-terms when the pressure built up asking f or help and revealing theirproblems. Many of these students were not aware of the support that was available to them within the college.I of ten showed them where to go and helped them get started with f inding the support they needed. Studentswhom I helped stopped me in the hall later saying how much it helped them and reported doing so much betteraf ter they got the help they needed.

Don’t ignore your disability!I amguessingthatstudentshope thatthey will beokay andwant towait andsee howthey f airbef orereportingtheir healthconcerns,particularlywhen theyare relatedto mentalhealthissues. Isuspect itcould be amatter ofpride and wanting to not “make excuses” or perhaps the stigma that unf ortunately is still attached to both

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mental illnesses and learning disabilit ies keeps students f rom reporting it until they absolutely have to.I can tell you this, I too never inf ormed my employer of my illness f or f ear that they would not understand andnot renew my contract. So I understand students’ concerns around this.

But all I can tell you are the students that did conf ide in me and went to get the help they needed did f air betterin college than those who did not.

It is in the student’s best interest to inf orm their instructors as to any health concerns that might exist. We asinstructors need to know what the students need if something should happen in class, whether it be toadminister an Epi-pen or know how to handle a f ull- f ledged panic attack. I f ar pref er being prepared in advanceso I can be there to help the students properly than be shocked and surprised and at a loss f or what to do.When I was inf ormed of particular needs of students I did what I could to accommodate them or have asupport worker there to assist.

What you should do with your disabilities when going to college soonSo if you are just embarking on your college education this f all,please go talk to your professors soon and register at thedisability or health off ice.

If you are a high school student with health concerns, I wouldadvise you to make researching the supports that the college haspart of your search criteria. A mother and her son that receivedcoaching f rom me at PortPrep reported that one of the collegesthey had been enrolled in did not have a supportive disability of f iceand it was a humiliating experience f or that student. The nextcollege they chose had a better support system but unf ortunatelyit put a strong distrust into that student.

Read our post “What Art Students with Disabilities Think of Art Colleges in Canada ” to read what mother Bonniethought of the art colleges in Canada for her son MArk, who is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

I think the problem with labels and stigmas is so well explained by our previous guest blogger, Elaine AsplindRussell, in an email correspondence with me:

I think if the students can only recognize that there is help out there for them if they can only seek itout to help them to succeed! It is a difficult thing to accept the “labels” which society wants us to..aswell we must prove to them that we are “ably disabled” rather than “DISabled.”

This concept of “disability” irritates me so much as I have been f ighting the stigma f or YEARS to prove that Iam competent and can be a contributing member to society in general

(You can also read an article Elaine wrote f or us about overcoming disabilit ies as an artist by clicking here.)

I wonder if it actually can at t ime add to the creative power of the expression of artists and our ability toempathize and be sensit ive to the conditions of humanity. I think it did and does f or me at any rate.

ConclusionI want all of the students reading this that might have any kind of health concern that to f eel empowered to

f ollow your goals and believe in your abilit ies. I have seen countless students prevail who have had challenges.

I remember one very challenged young student who had to get around in a motorized wheel chair, came back tocollege af ter a brain aneurism and could hardly hold a pencil due to the malf ormation of her hands and armsmade some of the most impactf ul and intensely meaningf ul artworks I can remember seeing as a collegeinstructor. So be brave like her and go af ter your dreams. She was so happy to be creating and to haveinstructors who helped her to be able to.

I want the same f or you.