Has anyone ever gotten any practical help for their LD issue

I have a story of what I went through in trying to get the help from the college Student Disabilities Service, being tested, findng out what I have, and getting treatment for it. And seeing what the college Student Disability Service are suppose to provide to student with ADD and Learning Disabilities. Or do they even know much about ADD or understand what is all behind it at all. I will post the story up pretty soon. Still working on it.

Thanks,
K.D.

Hey, KD.

I’d be interested in your story. Please post it when you get it done. But consider starting a new thread. I’m skipping this thread from here on out as I think Werner is a troll. Read his other thread…He (she?) thinks ADD and ADHD doesn’t exist.

ME

Hey ME, I would love to hear about what people are experiencing from all avenues of assitance. Frankly I have never heard of a positive outcome. I have only heard people describe less than positive experiences.

Troll or no troll the original poster asks some legitimate questions how you can construe this as trollish is mystifying.

Many people who deal with LD and a system that allegedly is there to help them may end up upsetting Mary Sunshine but if someone tells the truth about just how totally incompetant and cruel that system is I say let everybody hear it.

KD’s story is like 99.999% of others who have asked for a hand up only to be kicked in the face.

So, ME, who here elected you troll hunter?

The sad fact is ther isn’t a lot of sunshine in the lives of LD victims. So if the reality of their live is disturbing to you then don’t read about it but it is not up to you to decide what others should be allowed to read.

Perhaps we could develop a strategy that KD could use next time KD has to deal with another no nothing boob.

My name is Joe Tag. I was born September 14th, 1962.
I live in northern New Jersey; and was originally diagnosed, with
Dysgraphia, at Teachers College of Columbia University, New York City
(Manhattan), when I was 7yrs. old.

I could not draw, or write.
But I was stubborn, and found that I did like to read; to use reading to
learn about the world. Also, I found that TV news taught me a lot about
what was going on in the world. I started typing, being taught at the
High School, taking accross town for special class during school; and
got serious about typing in 8th grade. I type 40wpm.
I have failed College Algebra ( Math 1054, and Math 1000 ) three (3) times; partly because of so much homework, and it was too tough with the
algebraic expressions. From 3rd—6th grade, I was tutored for
cursive writing (script) in Princeton at the Educational Therapy Clinic, by
Ms. Betty Travers and Ms. Marcia Dovey Lewis. I thank them for that.
Also, I am glad I can type.

Using email, fax, and answering machines /voicemail solves a lot of
communications problems. However, I have problems dealing with my
parents and my younger sister; face to face and on the phone.
They have been contradictory too many times. Sometimes, I have
problems with Social Skills. Yet, at work, I do many work chores,
and small kind-courtesies ( load the copier with paper; fetch the neighboring departments mail for them, when I collect mine) .
I work at Kean University ; http://www.kean.edu . Though I am not
taking classes, I risk my job any day.

Life can be very tough. On this bulletin-board, we need to be kind and
civil to each other; use the system as a resource of information.
Sometimes, a short, brief request for help, and then Private Messages
( or private e-mail ) direct correspondence works better for the people involved. It matters how you say things.

Thank you. Adults with Learning Disability histories may write me at
[email protected] .

For the time:
http://tycho.usno.navy.mil
For the weather:
http://www.weather.gov
For mass transit:
http://www.apta.com

Peace.

/signed/ Joe Tag,Jr.

>!49 West Grand St., Elizabeth, NJ 07202

––– end ––—

[quote=”Shawn Flynn”]Hey ME, I would love to hear about what people are experiencing from all avenues of assitance. Frankly I have never heard of a positive outcome. I have only heard people describe less than positive experiences.

Many people who deal with LD and a system that allegedly is there to help them may end up upsetting… but if someone tells the truth about just how totally incompetant and cruel that system is I say let everybody hear it.

KD’s story is like 99.999% of others who have asked for a hand up only to be kicked in the face.
The sad fact is ther isn’t a lot of sunshine in the lives of LD victims. So if the reality of their live is disturbing to you then don’t read about it but it is not up to you to decide what others should be allowed to read.

Perhaps we could develop a strategy that KD could use next time KD has to deal with another no nothing boob.[/quote]

Mr tag’s post is an example of the sad fact that the only person that you can depend on to help you is you.

I would advocate that those of you who have been mistreated by rntities such as a colleges office for LD student to complain often loudly and fiercely.

People in these positions are usually typical no-nothings who are put i these position for their ability to blow smoke and look like they are actually doing something no one else can do.

When basic accomodation is not forthcoming I would tell people to act up.

Ask questions and demand answers. Here’s is something that may be helpful. You can go in and ask questions and you will get the usual stock answers and by verbally asking those questions you leave them an avenue of denial. If you put carefully worded questions in written form and if no matter what they come up with for an excuse for their ineptness they will end up looking like jerks.

If they refuse to fill out your form then take that form to their boss and say they won’t answer my questions.

If someone is not accomodating you then they deserve no mercy and very little respect so give them what they deserve. In other words treat them the way they are treating you. Make their lives suck at least for a little while.

Ask them what suggestions they have for you and have them write them down. Ask them why they are “unable to help” when they come up with a feable excuse. Ask them to put that in writing. Ask them what they have done for other students and ask if you can speak with those students. It is a good idea to have someone with you when you do this.

If you expect lame brains to do the right thing think again. People in those type of positions ie education, do as litle as possible and their only motivation is keeping their meaningless jobs.

This is advocacy. It is not pretty. It is not fun but if people were inclined to behave in honorable ways people with LD would be getting a fair shake. As it stands now they are not.

I doubt if you will see anything here that will show how anyone with LD got help from the people whos job it is to assist the LD.

I am sure there are exceptions but generally help for LD adults does not exist. I will not exist until we demand it.

Loudly and proudly lose control!!

Hello, all; Hello, Shawn –

I have gotten “practial help” when my parents took me to a
separate tutor, for my Dysgraphia issues of handwriting/script.
They also sent me to Davis and Elkins College, West Virginia; and
i attended the William James Center LD program there, the first
Freshman semester ( http://www.dne.edu ) . HOWEVER, when
I was there, there was NO CONTINUOUS LD Support Plan; I had to
demand to create one for myself. After High School, it is very much
up to the individual to seek assistance. My first college was
Davis and Elkins, West Virginia; my second college was Union County
College, New Jersey; my third college was Kean University ( in Union.
New Jersey ) .

Kean’s director of LD program (Project Excel ) has a Doctorate in
Education, known as EdD. Kean’s Office of Disability Services director
has a Masters in Social Work (M.A./MSW) degree.

In meetings, in requesting services, you may tape record the meeting,
because *YOU CONSENT* to the taping, and the other person ( a professor or director/assistant director) must cope, and permit it.
Take meeting notes if you can, for documentation of the meeting.
If you bring a parent, __THEY SHOULD’NT COMMENT__ .
The parent should be there to listen, the student should be assertive.
A parent attending in a meeting to request assistance should only be
there to help the student understand what is being said.

******

The original question of the thread was “When did you get practical support”? The request for support is different: provided at three
stages of life: 1) Public School Years ( Kindergarten to 12th Grade) ;
2) Secondary Education ( college / University; and trade school ) ;
3) Workplace ( post-college or High School ) .

******

Make sure that you have contacted your states Vocational Rehabilitation
agency. In New Jersey, it is DVRS; in New York, it is VESID.

–— end –—

[quote=”Shawn Flynn”]Mr tag’s post is an example of the sad fact that the only person that you can depend on to help you is you.

I would advocate that those of you who have been mistreated by rntities (sic) {entities} such as a colleges office for LD student to complain often loudly and fiercely.

People in these positions are usually typical no-nothings who are put i these position for their ability to blow smoke and look like they are actually doing something no one else can do.

When basic accomodation is not forthcoming I would tell people to act up.

Ask questions and demand answers. Here’s is something that may be helpful. You can go in and ask questions and you will get the usual stock answers and by verbally asking those questions you leave them an avenue of denial. If you put carefully worded questions in written form and if no matter what they come up with for an excuse for their ineptness they will end up looking like jerks. If they refuse to fill out your form then take that form to their boss and say they won’t answer my questions.

If someone is not accomodating you then they deserve no mercy and very little respect so give them what they deserve. In other words treat them the way they are treating you. Make their lives suck at least for a little while.

Ask them what suggestions they have for you and have them write them down. Ask them why they are “unable to help” when they come up with a feable excuse. Ask them to put that in writing. Ask them what they have done for other students and ask if you can speak with those students. It is a good idea to have someone with you when you do this.

If you expect lame brains to do the right thing think again. People in those type of positions ie education, do as litle as possible and their only motivation is keeping their meaningless jobs.

This is advocacy. It is not pretty. It is not fun but if people were inclined to behave in honorable ways people with LD would be getting a fair shake. As it stands now they are not.

I doubt if you will see anything here that will show how anyone with LD got help from the people whos job it is to assist the LD.

I am sure there are exceptions but generally help for LD adults does not exist. I will not exist until we demand it.

Loudly and proudly lose control!![/quote]

[
This is advocacy. It is not pretty. It is not fun but if people were inclined to behave in honorable ways people with LD would be getting a fair shake. As it stands now they are not.

I am sure there are exceptions but generally help for LD adults does not exist. I will not exist until we demand it.

Loudly and proudly lose control!![/quote]

Shawn,

What is the best way to do this on a national level? I agree with you but I seem to be in the minority on this in the LD population.

PT

Working with a general reading tutor was helpful. It gave me some confidence and some skills that I didn’t have. Working with a tutor from one of the reading programs was a waste of my time.

Speech therapy helped me. Some teachers helped me because they allowed me accomodations. Accomodations like extra time or different books or reduced work load have always helped me but not every teacher allowed them. Some other teachers did more harm than good. The resource room teacher in my middle school was one of them.

Most helpful was my mother at the time because she read outloud to me what I couldn’t read myself and typed up my assignments for me and generally tutored me and coached me.

[quote]

What is the best way to do this on a national level? I agree with you but I seem to be in the minority on this in the LD population.

PT[/quote]

PT-

I would agree you are in the minority. I think that is changing however. My belief, based on only what I see, is that yesterday’s children were taught they (we) were different and wrong. Today’s children are taught they are different, but not wrong. To watch a parent advocate for you for 12 years teaches you not only how to advocate for yourself but that you are worth advocating for. I personally believe that the children coming of age now are on the leading edge of nothing short of a revolution.

bgb

BGB, I wish I could share your optimism but I see things getting worse for LD patients. As the world becomes more and more high tech LD for lack of a better term becomes all the more troublesome. For every “solution” tecnology creates it creates more problems.

I think I read somewhere that the prisons are full of LD patients so at this point I don’t see much hope.

I think real solutions are simpple and easy to employ but unfortunately too many people in the field actually believe they know what they are talking about and continue to spread misinformation in order justify what they do to earn a living.

LD is an impediment for which there is no practical help available. I am P-Ode because there are solutions available but the vultures and ignoramuses that work in this field have more interest in maintaining the status quo than actually providing real life solutions. Kinda makes me wish ther was hell.

P-Ode: We are __NOT__ and will __*_NEVER_BE_*__ “patients” !!!!!!
We are “CLIENTS” or “Customers”! THERE IS NOTHING “I L L” ABOUT OUR “HANDICAPS” OR ISSUES!!!! A PROBLEM IS ONLY SOMETHING TO BE DONE, OR ACCOMPLISHED. IT COULD BE MAJOR, IT COULD BE A SMALL MATTER. DON’T BLOW THINGS UP OUT OF PROPORTION!!!! .
I TAKE OFFENCE TO BEING CONSIDERED A “PATIENT”!!!!!
Bad enough the psychotherapy clinic is a “Behavioural Health Program”.
Better to be named a Community Mental Health Center.

=x=x=x=

DID YOU CONTACT YOUR LOCAL VOCATIONAL-REHABILITATION OFFICE?

[quote=”P-Ode”]BGB, I wish I could share your optimism but I see things getting worse for LD patients. As the world becomes more and more high tech LD for lack of a better term becomes all the more troublesome. For every “solution” tecnology creates it creates more problems.

I think I read somewhere that the prisons are full of LD patients so at this point I don’t see much hope.

I think real solutions are simpple and easy to employ but unfortunately too many people in the field actually believe they know what they are talking about and continue to spread misinformation in order justify what they do to earn a living.

LD is an impediment for which there is no practical help available. I am P-Ode because there are solutions available but the vultures and ignoramuses that work in this field have more interest in maintaining the status quo than actually providing real life solutions. Kinda makes me wish ther was hell.[/quote]

Joe,

You may want to go out and buy a helmut. We are not customers because the customer is always right and we are always wrong. Businesses go out of their way to please customers and meet their needs. Customers and clients are served. We are more like goods in that we are discounted.

Offended? Please!

If LD is indeed a brain dysfunction then we are patients because we are not functioning within normal parameters. So be offended by the truth and spew forth a little righteous indignation to camoflage your ignorance. I will continue to tell it like it is.

Interesting post POed.

I don’t think of myself as a patient as I do not have medical procedures done to me. Let me think about your defination (not functioning within normal parameters).

You said “I think real solutions are simpple and easy” and “there are solutions available.” That is an interesting thought—could you expand? What do you see as solutions.

Thanks,

[quote=”bgb”]Interesting post POed.

I don’t think of myself as a patient as I do not have medical procedures done to me. Let me think about your defination (not functioning within normal parameters).

You said “I think real solutions are simpple and easy” and “there are solutions available.” That is an interesting thought—could you expand? What do you see as solutions.

Thanks,[/quote]

The solutions that I speak of involve something that has yet been applied to LD patients. That solution would involve common sense and a pragmatic approach to helping people with this disorder pursue the American dream. For LDers the American dream is too often a nightmare.

Inspite of the lable we are still people with the same goals and desires as everyone else. However, our poorly functioning brains create impedements that make attaining our goals difficult and impossible.

As our way of life becomes more and more high tech our “disability” become more pernicious and troublesome.

Those of us with this diagnosis should be afforded special treatment simply because we have special needs.

When when most people think of disabilities they think of some poor slob in a wheel chair. Well, people in wheelchairs are far less disabled than we are because back 200,000 years ago some caveman invented the wheel therefore making people who don’t have the use of their legs far less disabled than us.

BGB, simply stated we should be given what we need. How tough is that?

This is a most amazing discussion.

First, what is “normal?”

Second, what is “dysfunction?”

These terms are quite relative.

However, there is a real cultural bias for whatever “normal” is and I’ve been thinking (and writing) about this for years. It facinates me.

Check this out and let me know what you think:

http://www.ldresources.com/articles/eugenics_ld.html

In short, there is real liability in categorizing the kinds of brain “differences” associated with LD with illness and that liability will come back to bite us in ways that most of us can’t imagine.

I think we are stuck with the lable. Unfortunately there are many ignoramouses with PhDs out there spreading all sorts of conjecture as fact as they speak out of their butts with great authority.

I would say normal is what ever the norm is and as it applies to LD I would think there is a psychometric norm that is somewhat reliable.

I would say if one’s brain is not reliable for the tasks at hand then it is dysfunctional.

I also think not disclosing our LD is foolish. We need to be able to say. “I am what I am” with no shame or fear. Until we do that we will be as guilty of the same fraud as our seemingly benign oppressors.

=========
“I would say if one’s brain is not reliable for the tasks at hand then it is dysfunctional.”
=========

So, would you say that everyone has a dysfunctional brain in one area or another?

Are there some brains that are fully functional in all areas?

Somehow I think that thinking about normal, functional, and reliability digs you into a hole that it’s hard to get out of.

=========
“Until we do that we will be as guilty of the same fraud as our seemingly benign oppressors.”
=========

Are you saying that you think there is organized oppression to folks who are LD?

If so, who are “they” anyway?

Teachers? What about teachers with learning disabilities (like me)?

I would think that the “oppressor” is a culture (that we are all part of) that is overly concerned with looking good but not being good. If that is the oppressor then I agree and “I have seen the enemy and it is us.” (Pogo)

[quote=”Richard”]=========
“I would say if one’s brain is not reliable for the tasks at hand then it is dysfunctional.”
=========

So, would you say that everyone has a dysfunctional brain in one area or another?

Are there some brains that are fully functional in all areas?

Somehow I think that thinking about normal, functional, and reliability digs you into a hole that it’s hard to get out of.

=========
“Until we do that we will be as guilty of the same fraud as our seemingly benign oppressors.”
=========

Are you saying that you think there is organized oppression to folks who are LD?

If so, who are “they” anyway?

Teachers? What about teachers with learning disabilities (like me)?

I would think that the “oppressor” is a culture (that we are all part of) that is overly concerned with looking good but not being good. If that is the oppressor then I agree and “I have seen the enemy and it is us.” (Pogo)[/quote]

I think things are almost always a matter of degrees. If we were to say that an IQ of 100-120 is the norm then we must agree that there are thoses of us who do not fall within that range. Simply putting it in terms of performance vs verbal more disparody will exist. If we break it down into smaller catagories there will be even for functional disparody.

Is there organized oppression against LD folks? The short answer is a resounding YES. I believe that alot of it is unwitting but I think also that it is the same oppression in part that opposes individuality and creativity. I also think this opresson is a mind set that we are all guilty of. I think above it all are people who are much deeper than me who are able to manipulate mind sets and social paradigms through an increasingly narrow-minded media that is now more than ever shaping our culture.

I think being LD make one more qualified to teach than anyone else. The downside is if ones LD is so severe and accomodation is not forthcoming these people are and will be S.O.L.

Richard and everyone else,

Richard, I am enjoying your posts on LDonline. I didn’t know it was the same Richard from LD resources until you posted a link to your story. I greatly loved your post on technology and I will respond when I get a chance.

To the issue - I wonder if the way we feel about labeling has to do with the types of LD we have or am I just doing some more stereotyping? Not to do a poor me routine, but I have NLD and unfortunately, the public is alot less familiar with it than Dyslexia. As a result, if I can’t do something that most people would consider to be no brainer tasks but is affected by my NLD such as photocopying, people are going to start giving me extremely negative labels that are worse than LD. Disclosing doesn’t guarantee that folks will be enlightened but they will know there is a reason for those difficulties.

Also, while I realize that people with Dyslexia have many other difficulties besides that particular issue, having NLD is a totally different ballgame, in my opinion. It is amazing how having visual spatial deficiencies affects so many areas.

I have very mixed emotions about how to solve the issue of labeling vs. not labeling. I agree with you that there is a definite danger in becoming our disorder and I worry that I do that myself. But I also agree with other person who posted (sorry I forgot your name as I was reading very fast) who seemed to suggest by actually embracing the labeling, that we give it less power. If I am misinterpreting, please correct me.

I think what also frustrates me about this whole issue is the positives of LD such as caring about doing a good job and honesty are not seen as a positive trait in this society. It seems the folks who know how to brownnose but are a bunch of idiots, hold onto their jobs the longest. Sorry, I don’t mean to be so negative but having the customer service experiences from h-ll will do that to you.

One book I intend to read since I also have ADHD is Sari Solden’s 2nd book on the topic. She talks about how you can truly go about accepting the label and I think it is applicable to any LD.

PT

LD is a wrong lable from a wrong dx. Think about it. Are we unable to learn? Learning is only part of the equation.

As it stands now we are stuck with psych-babble thsat is neither accurate, agreed upon or even fully understood by the stooges that came up with it. With that said , how does anyone here expect the lay person to accomodate our “disability” when we cannot accurately explain it because the explanation is wrong and complex? Because the so called experts are guessing at best they tend to offer wat too much misinformation in order to convince themselves they are correct and to mystify this disorder even further.

Let’s say I have arthritis. There are very complex ways of explaining this disease that if the lay person were to hear it the would be quite baffled. With LD eveyone is baffled but the disorder itself is not as baffling as the “experts” would like us to believe. Certainly the impaired brain functions that cause LD are extremely complex, the reality of how it effects it’s victims is less complex and the solutions for accomodation are even less complex. However, with common sense in short supply nowadays we are left with a quagmire of misunderstanding. I put the blame for all the confusion on those people who make a living “helping” LD patients.

I think the best thing to do now is when explaining your difficulties is to just tell people you have a gimpy brain and you may need help with some things. You’d be surprised how charitable most people can be.

Hello, all –

In my experience, employers have difficulty in negotiating with
LD employees for “reasonable accomodation”. Unfortunately,
sometimes the LD employee doesnt use a Professional VR
specialist to qualify which accomodation is best; and/or which
should be provided by the company and which should be provided
by the employee. Examples: If I like Medium Point and Flair pens, and the
company uses Fine Point to bring in my own.
Employers should __NOT__ find LD “objectionable”. It was “elders”,
parents and supervisors, who challenged me.
Unfortunately, my parents left most of my LD support to the schools
(and colleges) I attended. Tutoring for Cursive Writing my parents paid for. My dad taught me how to tie a neck-tie (windsor knot), only
knot I know ( wry grin ) ;-Z

Best regards,

/signed/ Joe Tag < [email protected] >

=============

Richard, I am enjoying your posts on LDonline. I didn’t know it was the same Richard from LD resources until you posted a link to your story. I greatly loved your post on technology and I will respond when I get a chance.

=============

Same one. Thanks.

This is a most interesting discussion board with such varied views it’s mind blowing.

I myself am disgraphic and have gone through quite a bit. I am so thankful for the computer.

I just lost my job this past summer, because I have not passed the praxis. I taught for three years and have taken the Praxis exams several times. I was asked to resign as a PE teacher last June, beacuse I have not passed the test.
So on another note I can not get accomitaions anymore, beacuse I have to be tested again for my Learning disability. As an adult you must be tested every three years. The test cost about 300.00 and your insurance does not pay for it unless you are ADHD. I have been tested over and over again since I was in grade school. I don’t know what I will di if I do not pass the test this time.
When I had to resign the people had no solition for me at all. They did not direct me to many help or toutoring sessions. I even spoke up about my learing Disibility. I am Dyslexic.
meko

Teachers- with LD can make a difference (meko)

[quote=”Anonymous”][quote=”Richard”]=========
“I would say if one’s brain is not reliable for the tasks at hand then it is dysfunctional.”
=========

So, would you say that everyone has a dysfunctional brain in one area or another?

Are there some brains that are fully functional in all areas?

Somehow I think that thinking about normal, functional, and reliability digs you into a hole that it’s hard to get out of.

=========
“Until we do that we will be as guilty of the same fraud as our seemingly benign oppressors.”
=========

Are you saying that you think there is organized oppression to folks who are LD?

If so, who are “they” anyway?

Teachers? What about teachers with learning disabilities (like me)?

I would think that the “oppressor” is a culture (that we are all part of) that is overly concerned with looking good but not being good. If that is the oppressor then I agree and “I have seen the enemy and it is us.” (Pogo)[/quote]

I think things are almost always a matter of degrees. If we were to say that an IQ of 100-120 is the norm then we must agree that there are thoses of us who do not fall within that range. Simply putting it in terms of performance vs verbal more disparody will exist. If we break it down into smaller catagories there will be even for functional disparody.

Is there organized oppression against LD folks? The short answer is a resounding YES. I believe that alot of it is unwitting but I think also that it is the same oppression in part that opposes individuality and creativity. I also think this opresson is a mind set that we are all guilty of. I think above it all are people who are much deeper than me who are able to manipulate mind sets and social paradigms through an increasingly narrow-minded media that is now more than ever shaping our culture.

I think being LD make one more qualified to teach than anyone else. The downside is if ones LD is so severe and accomodation is not forthcoming these people are and will be S.O.L.[/quote]

To the original question for this thread: At 37 yrs. old and several years after trying to get my B.S. degree from University of Florida w/ little success, I finally realized I wasn’t just a “person who wasn’t paying attention or applying” myself. I went for psychodiagnostic testing and found I had several disabilities. Bottom line: I went from a C-D student to an A student, but not w/out TERRIFIC accommodations. UF had and continues to have a FANTASTIC Office for Students w/ Disabilities. A qualified professional in LDs from the department looked over my reports and came up w/ a reasonable accommodation plan. I received extra testing time in a quite, private environment; a notetaker; permission to tape lectures; and copies of overheads used for lectures. They also read my books into a special recorder/player. It used to take me 5 1/2 hrs. on average to read a chapter of textbook material (i.e., history, etc.). With books on tape in conjuction w/ reading visually, the dual stimulation had me reading chapter in about 1 1/2 hrs. I also learned how to use the SQ3R method of studying (Survey, Question, Read, Write, Recite) at UF. It was overwhelming and exciting at the same time. UF gave me a letter to deliver to all my instructors, and if anyone gave me a hard time, the OFSw/D intervened on my behalf to work things out (some professors remained extremely stubborn and ignorant). UF handed out booklets to all their instructors on how to handle students w/ disabilities, where to refer them if they weren’t registered at the OFSw/D, and commonly requested reasonable accommodations. It was an awesome and inspiring experience. Unfortunately, I only had 3 classes left there, and never experienced the same level of expertise again. I have attended several vocational schools and, currently, a small proprietary college (they’re all about money and little about education). I live in Northern NJ (Bergen County) so there’s absolutely no lack of resources, and all the schools receive federal funding (making them subject to Section 504 of the ADA regulations). The local community college has a small office for students w/ disabilities, and they certainly try everything they can to help. I’m just beginning to work w/ them (I take classes there, too) but its a long wait for an orientation to get started using their technical adaptive equipment and, as is common, I’m falling behind in my reading. That’s the worst part of a small organization even though Bergen Community College is pretty big w/ a large percentage of students utilizing the Special Services office. However, I can’t even BEGIN to explain all the problems I’ve been having (but I’ll try) w/ Berkeley College, a small we-want-your-money-any-way-we-can-screw-you-out-of-it institution. Its my 2nd term and I STILL haven’t received the reasonable accommodations I requested that had been provided at UF and won’t cost Berkeley a dime. They’re simply IGNORANT, IGNORANT, IGNORANT. I’m gearing up to sue. Covert tape recording of conversations is legal in NJ, and I’m busy doing just that. As the school keeps denying my requests to meet my special needs (they believe it will give me a “competitive edge” over the other students instead of knowing it simply brings me up to a level of a competitive student), and I’m forced to withdraw because I can’t continue w/out accommodations (they’re refusing to refund my tuition even though they specifically stated they won’t meet my needs), I’m out of my mind with anger and frustration. But I’m working smartly. I’m biding my time, meeting w/ all the right people: the Dean (who says she only has to give me the accommodations SHE thinks I deserve, and won’t put in writing why she is denying my requests in entirety); the admission department (who told me they deter students w/ disabilities from coming to their college—they don’t have enough $$$ for an office to handle disabled students even though they receive federal funding—boy, did THAT rep put her foot in it); the Dean of Student Development (claims he can’t help me—even though its his job—and has passed me on to the VP of his dept. who’s away and out of the office for another several weeks), and my department chairperson (referred to him by the Dean, he said, “I don’t know WHY you’re talking to ME. I don’t know anything about disabilities!”). Then there’s the VP of Student Development’s admin assistant who was bitchy as hell, and asked me if I was receiving accommodations at work–a BLATANT violation. What I receive at work has NOTHING to do w/ what I qualify to receive at college, and its none of her business! DUMB, DUMB, DUMB! And they will pay for their ignorance and all the inconvenience and anxiety they’ve caused me to endure. I’ve already contacted an attorney, and I’m busy collecting all the necessary data, etc., to sue. If they think I’m a pain in the ass now, just wait until they learn about all the ADA violations they’ve been racking up. Its amazing how clueless they are. A couple of clicks on the Internet and they could find out what they responsible to offer. I’m trying to stay positive, and just got a wonderful new job, so I know I can get through this rough spot. Its a shame because there are no other Interior Design programs close by unless I travel into NYC (at $560/credit plus commuting expenses, supplies, etc.). I’m now paying $390/credit at Berkeley, and told the Dean she should be ashamed of herself for refusing to refund my tuition (not to mention a few other things I threw her way—professionally spoken, of course). That’s mild compared to what I hope I’m in a position to tell her when I get done nailing her ass to a tree. So, if you live in northern NJ and have an LD, DON’T GO TO BERKELEY COLLEGE!!! You’ve been advised (or warned—however you want to see it). So, its been UP and DOWN for my and my experiences. What else can you do but advocate for yourself? Now, at 48 yrs. old, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain! I love to learn, and will find somewhere else to acquire Interior Design knowledge. Stay positive and never give up!

…Monday, Feb. 16th, 2004; 8:22AM…

To: Sue in New Jersey, and everyone –-

Hi. <br>
Trade Schools – like Berkely College and DeVry University; who
“bought into” the college system, have trouble complying with the
ADA. When I went to Chubb Institute-Jersey City for IBM Operator
( Large Systems Operations / Minicomputer Operations / L.A.N. ),
they had problems to, supporting LD students. <br>

Sue, I was glad to hear about Bergen Community College.
You might want to see if they any courses in Fine Arts or Design
( like Kean U. has ) that might work for you, also. Just a thought.

I am 41, born September 1962. I have recently been re-tested for
LD, and I don’t have the results yet. Hopefully I will get results answers
by the end of the month.

Kean U. discovered I was not a student ( did not register for classes ).
Now, I am unemployed; collecting Govt. Money, and will be looking
for work more pro-actively. Typical Kean Standards: Termination
letter was dated 2/5/2004; end of weekly payroll is a Friday, and
the envelope was mailed 2/9/2004 from Kean University mailroom.
I have demanded to be paid for Monday and Tuesday.
<br> See : <br>
http://www.kean.edu/~cahss/indexb.html

<br> Here’s to us! Cheers! ;-) <br>

… Joe Tag,Jr. / [email protected] / “LD Online” or “NJ College” in
subject line /

The entire system that is supposed to help the disabled is a total cluster phuck.

Steal, cheat, sell drugs do waht ever it takes. They are the haves. We are the have nots. It’s up to them to fugure out how not to get scrooed by us.

I have heard stories like Sue from NJ too many times. I have also experienced it myself.

Stop playing by the rules. They don’t follow the rules. Why should we?