This past fall quarter (2012) was filled with many adventures and trials; there seemed to be so many twists and turns and sometimes I felt like I was approaching a dead end. However, with a ton of prayer, perseverance as well as a great deal of support from my parents, I survived this past challenging quarter.
To start off with, the Disability Resources for Students (DRS) at Western Washington University (WWU), has yet again let me down. I know I have talked about the DRS before, but until a resolution has come about, they are going to be able to find them selves a reoccurring topic here in my blog.
Fall quarter started out a little rocky as I did not receive my ebooks until three weeks into the quarter. I
e-mailed my counselor at the end of summer break asking her when I could come in and get my paper work, as well as explaining to her which textbooks I needed in an alternate text form. We sent a couple of e-mails back and forth and then in the middle of our conversation, I received a "bounce back" e-mail stating that my counselor would be out of the building. I went to the DRS office and asked when my counselor would be back so I was able to schedule an appointment with her for the following week. I received my paperwork to distribute to my professors and she told me that my books would be on their way. I waited until the end of that week (the second week of school), no books. I thought maybe because my counselor was out of the building, the right person did not get my book request until after a large number of other requests so, I waited through the weekend, no books! I finally decided to send another e-mail to my counselor (at the beginning of week three), asking her if she knew where my books were. The next day, I received an e-mail directly from the lady who gets the e-books (I finally knew who to directly send my book list to)! However, this changed at the end of the quarter; the DRS hired a new person just to distribute alternative texts). I did not, however, receive an e-mail from my counselor. In the e-mail from the lady who was distributing the alternative texts, I received one ebook as well as a request for me to come in and have her put the rest of my ebooks on my flash drive. So after almost three weeks of waiting, one more day did not do much more damage. Catching up on the readings was a strenuous task, as I had to read three weeks worth of text, as well as keep up with the new reading that kept coming; therefore, I do not feel as if I ever really "caught up".
Remember how I mentioned earlier that I received my paperwork for my professors on the fourth day of classes? Well, this was the third day that my Spanish 301 class met and in the Syllabus it clearly stated that my professor wanted to have documentation of any accommodations by the second day of class otherwise, he said he would not provide accommodations. I do not think a professor could actually get away with this, but to read this made me a little uneasy. I had to approach this professor and explain to him that even though I had tried to make an appointment before classes had began, that I was not able to get my accommodation paperwork until after our third meeting of class. Fortunately, he was okay with this.
I know this post may have been a little harsh, but it needs to be said. It has only been quite recently in history that people with disabilities have started going to college and breaking down the barriers and ignorance that we face every day; those of us who are disabled are no less important to society than an able-bodied person, and we should not be treated as so. I feel as if I am a pioneer, adventuring into an unknown world, making tracks behind me for others to follow. If someone does not stand up for what is right and break down the walls of ignorance and discrimination, then the attitude towards the disabled will not change for the better.
