Crohn’s Disease
College and IBD
December 2, 2021
in Crohn’s Disease
Who had had experience with getting extra time and accommodation during exams in college? Advice to fellow pts??
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1 - 7 of 7 Replies
Patient
First stop is to find the Student Disability Services (or equivalent at your school). Once you register there, they can help you create those accommodations based on your needs.
In my experience, it was pretty simple and they didn't ask a lot of intrusive questions. They asked me what kind of accommodations I'd need and then helped me create the documents to support those needs and shared how to present those to my professors.
I'm sure each school works differently, but that's def where I would start.
Like Jackie said, the first step is to go to the Student Disability office. They can provide a letter that details the kind of accommodations the student needs, which can then be given to professors.
For me personally, I learned that every semester, I needed to talk to each professor individually during the first week of classes, hand them a copy of the letter, and then explain the accommodations I needed. Sometimes I needed them, sometimes I didn't, but by having the conversation up front before I had a problem, my professors seemed more willing to work with me and help me out.
I think it's also worth noting that there are a lot of accommodations for college students beyond just getting extra time during exams. Another one I used was not being required to attend in-class sessions if I wasn't feeling well. I had a professor who took attendance every lecture that counted toward the final grade. He also recorded his lectures, though, so I worked out an arrangement with him such that if I demonstrated through my classwork that I had watched and understood the lectures, physical attendance wouldn't count against me. That was a huge help since I ended up quite sick that semester, but still received a good grade anyway!
I think that Jackie and Katelyn covered most of what I would bring up! My only additions are that I would start as early in the semester as you can. These offices are usually pretty small (but run by very passionate people) and their time slots fill up really quickly.
Talking to professors individually can be really helpful like Katelyn mentioned, but I would only do this after going to see your Student Disability Office first! They can facilitate these conversations bc they have been doing this for a long time.
Patient
Professors are humans too...I feel like approaching them on an individual basis is the best way to start. Even works for high school teachers.
Care Partner of Adult
As a professor myself, I thank you for acknowledging that. :-)
Patient
Ha! Had no idea, was just being honest (and not looking for brownie points, though they never hurt!)
Patient
This is true, but it doesn't cover you in the event that something goes wrong. I think, in these situations, it's not either/or, it's both/and.
Cover your bases -- go to the Disability Office, ask for what you need, advocate for yourself and approach your professors on an individual basis, if you're comfortable.
It's also okay if you're not comfortable having those conversations yet! I was diagnosed when I was 20, and it took me a while to find the right language to advocate for myself.