Clothing issues for classes/Am I being unfair

[Kevin L.]

That is pretty awful. Is there a higher authority you can complain to? Not listening to you clearly stating your own needs on account of them assuming you’re ‘having a meltdown’ is…. pretty discriminatory!

That said, there may be mileage in reminding them of that, in a friendly way. I don’t know how your in-person communication skills are, and whether you’d manage to pull that off, but you could also consider getting a trusted friend or relative to make that point for you if you don’t think you can.

Thank you very much.

I do have communication issues, which has created problems in my schooling, but I can't get anybody to believe and/or validate the consequences of my disabilities.

The only thing I can get anyone to see is that I want special priviliges so that I can have an unfair advantage.

 

[DK’s_Ghost]

Thank you very much.

I do have communication issues, which has created problems in my schooling, but I can't get anybody to believe and/or validate the consequences of my disabilities.

The only thing I can get anyone to see is that I want special priviliges so that I can have an unfair advantage.

It sounds like you need an advocate - ideally someone independent from the school you’re going to, or at least not part of the set who are supposed to be already helping you.

Are there any services of that kind near you? I’m unsure where you are.

That said, I can’t see why having no lab coat (or a different kind) is an ‘unfair advantage’ and them quibbling over it is quite ridiculous. They’re not supposed to decide whether you really need something; they’re supposed to work with you to provide what you already know you need.

People are annoying. Hum.

 

[DK’s_Ghost]

Another thought could be whether there are student union services, at your school, for disabled people.

In the UK, we have student-led support groups for things like that. They can be incredibly helpful - especially if all you need is for someone to understand what you have difficulty with and represent your interests to the college disability services (though, the fact that you need this at all is a testament to them failing at their jobs).

 

[Suzette]

Take the coat to seamstress and have the coat lined with a soft, breathable fabric like a linght weight flannel, cotton, or even silk if you can stand the texture. This may cost a bit but worth while. Be sure to have the neck band faced as well.

This does not address the sleeves, which can't be helped but at least gets you closer to comfortable.

Unfortaunately, this is one of those times when you might have to use other tactics to help you through. Mindfullness might help here. Remember, this is temporary and a means to an end.

 

[Kevin L.]

Thank you.

 

[Ettina]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I'll try to figure out something.

I have a problem with getting intensely angry and upset when I try to do certain kinds of schoolwork.

As an example, I have had problems in a chemistry lab class because the flourescent lights cause me problems when I try to view color changes in sediments and solutions.

The professor would read the color changes for another student because this student had some form of color blindness, yet he wouldn't read the color changes for me because of my sensory issue with autism and flourescent lights . . . and everyone wants to dismiss my anger at this situation as an "autistic emotional problem" or a "meltdown."

That's worse than the lab coat situation, imo. The lab coat could be a safety issue that they can't reasonably accommodate, but here, they're showing that they can accommodate your needs and choose not to. Flourescent lights are a very common accessibility issue, too - in addition to autism, they're also an issue for many people with migraines or photosensitive epilepsy.

 

[Kevin L.]

That's worse than the lab coat situation, imo. The lab coat could be a safety issue that they can't reasonably accommodate, but here, they're showing that they can accommodate your needs and choose not to. Flourescent lights are a very common accessibility issue, too - in addition to autism, they're also an issue for many people with migraines or photosensitive epilepsy.

Thank you. I appreciate the validation, because everyone has told me--my entire life--that it's all in my mind, and that it bothers me because I let it bother me. After all, the whole rest of the world learns how to cope, so I can . . . if I choose to.

"Because . . . if we make an exception for you, then we have to make an exception for everybody. Rules exist for a reason, and you spend more time trying to figure out why the rulesshouldn't apply to you rather than putting in the work--like everybody else in the world--to figure out how to function.

"If you put the same effort into functioning that you put into trying to prove how the rules don't apply to you . . . then you could be a renouned doctor, or working for NASA.

"You deserve to miss out on everything, because you refuse to fix your situation."