#disability and education
This includes students who can’t write it all, students who can write but have difficulty writing neatly enough for others to read, students for whom handwriting is painful or fatiguing, and probably some other people as well. Remember that disability is almost never a binary thing; it’s totally valid to need help with tasks that involve handwriting even if you technically can write some.
These tips are aimed mainly at undergraduate students in the US, though high school students and graduate students may also find some of them useful, as may some people in other parts of the world.
These tips come primarily from my own experiences completing an undergraduate degree in math with a very limited ability to write. Remember that everyone’s body and experiences are different. You should consider these tips just as some suggestions or a starting place towards finding what works for you.
- Get registered with the disability services office on your campus. If you are struggling to write, then you have a disability. It doesn’t really matter what the underlying reason is, as long as you can get a doctor to write a letter for you stating your challenges and limitations.
- Depending on your school, disability services may be great or they may be useless. If they’re great, take advantage. If not, being registered with the office still give you official standing to go talk to your instructors about what you need.
- Talk to your professors/TAs/other instructors at the beginning of each semester. I’ve written a general guide on how to do this, an email template for a meeting request, and some thoughts on communicating chronic pain in particular. (Note: you don’t have to share the particulars of your disability if you don’t want to! I have generally been pretty open about mine, so that’s what I can give better advice about. But you should, of course, make your own decisions!)
- Stay in communication with your instructors throughout the semester. It’s always good practice to remind your instructors about your accommodations before any test/exam/field trip/other event where you need accommodations.
- And of course, ask for help in the course if you need it. Go to office hours. If your professor knows that you are an actual person, they are far more likely to be willing to work with you.
- Set boundaries. Especially if you have some ability to write, you may be tempted to try to do more writing than your body can handle. This might be because other people are pressuring you to be “normal,” because you are pressuring yourself to be “normal”, because it is a hassle to deal with getting appropriate accommodations in your classes, because you are embarrassed to ask for help, etc. For this reason, it is really important to know your own boundaries before you enter the classroom. For example:
- “I will sign documents, but that’s all the writing I’m going to do.”
- “I will handwrite things like homework, when I can set my own pace and use the right tools for me, but I will not try to handwrite anything in a classroom with time constraints.”
- “I will stop writing when the pain level in my hands reaches a 5 on a 10 point pain scale.”
- “I will complete multiple-choice tests and quizzes/exams requiring one or two word answers, but I won’t write anything longer than that.”
- Get your accommodations in order. Exactly what accommodations will work for each person is of course a very individual thing, but here are some that you might consider/discuss with your disability services counselor:
- a notetaker in your classes (usually just a peer who give you a copy of their notes after class),
- using assistive technology (some examples below) for in class assignments/quizzes/exams,
- working with a scribe for tests and exams,
- working with a scribe for handwritten homework,
- flexibility on assignment deadlines (when handwriting would be required in any part of the process of completing the assignment),
- extra time for quizzes and exams (either because your handwriting is slow or because you are using assistive technology that is slower than handwriting),
- unlimited untimed breaks during tests and exams (if you struggle with pain or fatigue, this gives you an opportunity to rest, stretch out your muscles, etc.).
- Consider assistive technology. These are tools that you can use in class, on your homework, and/or on tests and exams. The possibilities vary from low-tech and simple to more high-tech and expensive. If you have access, an occupational therapist or assistive technology specialist can help you find good options for you.
- Here are some things to consider to make any writing you choose to do easier:
- grips for your pencils/pens (therearelotsandlotsofthese, and you can even use hair curlers),
- a slant board to better position your paper,
- using a different writing instrument (soft leaded artists’ pencils, felt tip pens, markers, gel ballpoint pens have been helpful for me),
- using an electric eraser if you write in pencil and need to erase often,
- using some tool to keep your paper from sliding (e.g. a clipboard, slant board with a clip, Dycem on your desk underneath notebook/clipboard, using weights on your paper),
- writing on a chalkboard or whiteboard instead of paper,
- physical supports for your forearm (e.g. this, or diy something)
- a tool that helps hold the pencil/pen for you (e.g. thisorthisorthis).
- And some assistive technology to consider as a replacement for handwriting (used all the time or just sometimes depending on your needs):
- typing your work instead of writing by hand (perhaps with an ergonomic or otherwise alternative keyboard),
- speech to text software (Windows now includes this in the OS, so all you have to do is buy a headset),
- an eye gaze keyboard (this technology has come down and cost a lot in the past couple years, check out OptiKey if you are interested).
- If you get into a tough position where you aren’t sure how to complete an assignment with your disability-related limitations, ask for help! Generally speaking, it’s best to start with your professor or TA, though of course the disability services office may also be able to help. (The details will depend a lot on the people involved, so use your own best judgment.) Be clear when you’re talking to these people that you’re looking for help solving a problem, not asking to be excused from a course requirement.
- Sometimes the standard accommodations that your school is willing/able to provide won’t work for you. This could be because the accommodations are simply inadequate, because a particular course or field of study has challenges that the disability services office does not understand/did not anticipate, because you have many limitations due to multiple illnesses or disabilities, or for many other reasons. In this case, you have to get creative and enlist help from your allies. I can’t give you a formula for this, but I will share some of the more unusual accommodations that I have received at various times. Perhaps they will give you some ideas.
- For a few of my math courses, I obtained permission from the instructor to turn in a joint homework assignment with a peer. I think this request was approved largely because I had been a student in the math department for a few years, the professors knew both me and the other student, and we were both very strong students who had a genuine desire to learn the material.
- For many math courses, I completed my homework assignments by working the problems on my own (or with peers when allowed) and taking very succinct to notes for myself. I then had a scheduled time each week to meet with the professor and explain my solutions.
- I’ve taken lots and lots of oral exams, especially in math.
- I have submitted tape-recorded “essays” on exams in humanities courses.
- For short quizzes, I have met with the instructor or TA 10 minutes before the start of class to take the quiz orally.
I am reblogging this because I fixed some formatting and added a few more links to resources.
