March 2009

Living with a disability can be hard to do in a school setting, not only in social aspects, but also in the classroom. Growing up in the school system, I found many accommodations that served me well and passing on this information is what I am here to do.
Elementary School
It’s hard for me to think back all the way to when I was in elementary school, but I can recall a few things that served me well. I remember graph paper with relatively large grids being a necessity. When I would try out my skills at addition or subtraction, I would always get the wrong answer because I had a hard time lining up my numbers. When my teacher would pass out the problems that we had to do, she would give me graph paper instead of printer paper. I also had an aid who pretty much followed me everywhere, and everyday she would fill up my water bottle before I got there and put it on my desk. For some reason, after my surgery I have never been one to drink much. I used to go to the nurse all the time because of headaches, probably because I didn’t drink enough! Of course my aid did other things too, like work one on one with me in reading and stuff. I also used to ride the mini bus, which was important since I wasn’t well enough to walk myself home or go on the regular bus. I think it made me feel a little better too because I didn’t have to worry about a bus full of other kids and also I got to sit in an actual seat that had a seat belt and was easy to get into. I think that middle school was made easier by the fact that the teacher hung on to all of our papers and we didn’t need to carry books and stuff. This all changed in middle school though.
Middle School
When I got to middle school I had a lot of new things to contend with. I needed to carry binders, and I had a locker and an assignment book. It was at this time when my accommodations really became important. It was crucial that I had a locker that was located in a good spot - in terms of the need for it to be on the top row and on the correct side of the hallway. Due to my vision loss, it was important that I be able to see people when there was a big crowd. This is why, about a week before school started, I was able to go and pick my locker out first. I then marked it with my lock and I didn’t have to worry about my locker. Of course, I had to practice very hard in using a combination lock so I bought one many, many weeks in advance. It can be tough to hold a lock steady and spin the dial AND memorize the numbers. I practiced A LOT at home. It was also at this time (I think) when the policy was set in place that I would be told beforehand about fire drills, that way I could leave early with my aid. Not only do I absolutely hate loud noises, but I also didn’t get trampled by people who were racing to get out. Because we had to change classes, I was also allowed to use the elevator (which was a big deal because it could only be used if a person had the key). I became quite popular really, because every time I needed to go downstairs, at least a few people would be waiting to hitch a ride. When I was in sixth grade I discovered that having a big squishy grip around my pencil was rather helpful and that using a clipboard to keep my papers in place was a good idea. The clipboard was held in place by dycem I believe. When I was in seventh or eighth grade the school got me a one handed keyboard, and I just could not believe how much easier my computer class became. Even to this day I wish that I could have taken it with me because it was half the size of a regular keyboard and was completely flat. That is one of the best things that I have discovered. Man, how I miss that keyboard! I seem to have discovered a lot of great accommodations in middle school, because many of them transferred to my high school years. For example, when I would take tests I would not get good grades sometimes because I would not write all the information that was asked. This was because, only being able to use one hand, I would simply get tired from writing! This is why the use of a scribe became very important. Someone would be available when I had to take a test and I would dictate what I wanted to say. Also, because this took a bit longer, I was allotted extra time to take all of my tests. Even though I had a scribe, sometimes on quizzes I didn’t and I would sometimes skip a question because I did not see it! This was a problem, so (if the teacher saw that I missed a question) then they would ask me, and if I knew then - I knew, and if I didn’t - that’s why I skipped it! This policy was set in place to make sure that I did not get marked down because I didn’t see the question.
I hope that at least a few of my tricks you find useful! If there are specific things you would like to ask me feel free!