Opinions of school/college/university support services? Do you think they failed you?

[Droopy]

What are your opinions of the available learning support services at your school/college/university?

Are they appropriate for your needs and do you receive the support you require? Are the support staff nice and not condescending? Do you think those services have failed you?

Share your thoughts, opinions and experiences in this thread.

 

[Occasional_Demon]

Re: Opinions of school/college/university support services? Do you think they failed

My university has been great to me regarding additional support. They gave me a lot of accommodations, like a smaller examination room, being able to ask library staff to scan and email me parts from articles and books if I can't make it on campus, extended book loans, etc. The staff in the course have been great too. I've missed several compulsory workshops and when I told them it was due to some conditions beyond my control, they were happy to not penalise me. I also received an extension to an assignment.

I've spoken to my disability support officer a few times and she's been very good with helping me. She's never been condescending and she understood where I was coming from when I said I was feeling somewhat isolated from other students.

 

[King_Oni]

Re: Opinions of school/college/university support services? Do you think they failed

When I was still attending university I felt it was a really bad situation actually.

I expressed my opinion on "my problem", but they told me "yeah so? do you honestly thing a company is willing to adapt a working enviroment around you?" It kinda burst the bubble of me pursuing any kind of education. Though I was already kinda biased towards the entire "I don't care for education, but they want me to". So I got that kind of treatment, which I can understand. But it made up for a bad counselor I guess. Also, i didn't have anything official and they weren't having that because they thought I could've just made it up to take advantage of it. As for getting it official, that's been 2 years ago and due to financial reasons I wasn't able to afford a specialist to see the entire deal until then. Being unemployed has it's benefits as opposed to still being in college/uni I guess.

I could also say "the courses I was taking weren't really my call"... in a way I kinda had to choose something and went for, what I thought was best for me to handle. But given some stuff is really, really compulsory and I did not have any understanding towards those things, it kinda fell in the water. I've told counselors in school that I'm like a clumsy construction worker. I understand the theory of it all, but do not ask me to build a house. And that applied to any college/uni I was in, ranging from the general Computer science thing, where teachers reprimanded me for elaborating too much on subjects, while I was asked to answer questions. Within my group of other students I messed up the theory of the professors that much where they just had to quit class because they got lost in their own matter due to me providing answers and thoughts, up to Journalism school where I could write good articles but did terrible in social stuff like "interviewing" and reading body language. Yet all in all, the "malfunctions" I had in said courses, might have happened in each course. Each course nowadays expects you to be a physically present, functioning, social human being... that kind of stuff doesn't really fly with me and an institute can't really justify giving you that kind of special treatment... those adapted things are really too far of a stretch to work with at a uni, and even when employed.

 

[BruceCM]

Re: Opinions of school/college/university support services? Do you think they failed

Well, I wasn't diagnosed until a few years ago, so far too late for school/ college/ university. Thus, no idea what, if any, support there would have been for me back then. If it's anything like the local AS 'support' group that I don't go to, that's no better than the counsellors, etc, I did see, anyway. Meaning, there's not really any better help, for me, specifically, for anything now. Yet the local AS group's been going awhile & a lot of it's members have been going to it for years, so I can't comment on how well it helps them, only point out they'd not keep going if they didn't think it was better than nothing, at least.

 

[Geordie]

Re: Opinions of school/college/university support services? Do you think they failed

I was given some extra time in the external university program I currently do. Other than that, so far, I am happy with the regular counselling service provided in school, which I use regularly.

 

[Droopy]

Re: Opinions of school/college/university support services? Do you think they failed

My university has been great to me regarding additional support. They gave me a lot of accommodations, like a smaller examination room, being able to ask library staff to scan and email me parts from articles and books if I can't make it on campus, extended book loans, etc. The staff in the course have been great too. I've missed several compulsory workshops and when I told them it was due to some conditions beyond my control, they were happy to not penalise me. I also received an extension to an assignment.

I've spoken to my disability support officer a few times and she's been very good with helping me. She's never been condescending and she understood where I was coming from when I said I was feeling somewhat isolated from other students.

It's good that you have had positive experiences with support services.

I expressed my opinion on "my problem", but they told me "yeah so? do you honestly thing a company is willing to adapt a working enviroment around you?"

Wow, that was harsh and rude of them to say that. They don't seem very supportive.

 

[King_Oni]

Re: Opinions of school/college/university support services? Do you think they failed

Wow, that was harsh and rude of them to say that. They don't seem very supportive.

well, without context, it is, but within context and within 'reality' it's really not that far fetched I think. The jobs I worked, I didn't notice any "special" places for people that are having a problem in some way. The will probably not even employ you on those terms, and in my opinion render your degree of any kind a bit more "moot" so to say. So in a way, my counselor was right. In class I pretty much kept the group back because I had my "own way" of working and that's the kind of stuff that does not fit rosters and planning of most institutes. They told me that if it were a "solo" deal, where I just had to study by myself and all, I might get some extra time (if proven I actually have disability), but given I was dependant on a group (or they were on me) and it was a mandatory part of the course (for 4 years non-stop), they kinda gave me the heads up stating that it was really a stretch for me to ask this. Imagine being in a group with 10 people and having to do the 40 hour a week study deal, which is divided on 10 people on your own. I can't justify a 400 hour workstress on a weekly basis, because the end result wasn't changed, just the fact that I did it on my own. I actually got grades on how I was in a team and got criticized by my group on my shortcomings, yet those aren't really things I can just "change", up to the point where they even stated "I think he needs a basic education in how to function as a social human being". So in fact, I'm not a pleasant person to be around with on that level.

It also comes to figure that while I did good in high school, where I did my own stuff (without others) and thus never got told "you can't do this on your own all the time" (and was rather encouraged because my solo efforts were much better than most group efforts in classes). Yet if you apply to university or college they expect that it's a given that you are an able and willing social human being. That's where it fails I guess... do not take that stuff for granted as an institute... yet if that's stuff we have to be reminded about when entering college, it's a mess, because applying for college or uni is difficult for a lot of people as is. And with employment rates and programs for anyone under 27 (at least in Holland) to actually go to school or get employed instead of giving them social security, it is kinda counter productive I guess. You're just putting more roadblocks where people might fail on the road, however the will fail within the first few months.. and in the end get blamed on something else like "he wasn't motivated". And if it seems that you are lacking somewhere they think a side course will solve it and it feels like they wont have any of the "well, it's not just a matter of motivation".

 

[Spinning Compass]

Re: Opinions of school/college/university support services? Do you think they failed

They didn't have any "support services" when I was trying to go to school, and as far as everyone around me was concerned, I was "cured" of whatever problems I had and was therefore "normal". So I can't say that the system failed me as someone on the spectrum. But I will say that the system did fail me big time, and I am still very bitter about that. From 3rd grade to about 6th grade I was micromanaged and set apart, then when it came to the real important stuff, I was left to flounder on my own. It was like my parents and teachers just washed their hands of me. I have never felt so alone as when I was in school.

Driving home tonight I heard an advertisement on the radio for a business school that promises so much for working people. We understand your needs and concerns. Come to us and we will help you with whatever it is that is holding you back from getting an education. Well, I put them to the test some years ago. I went in asking for a student loan. I have excellent credit. They said sure thing, you can get a loan. So I signed up for classes. I also went to them several times checking on the status of my loan and each tome they said, no problem, you've been approved. The very day class was to start, I was met at the classroom door by someone from their financial aid department. Your loan did not go through. What the F? Well, apparently I was a little too well off to qualify. (Loan, people, not grant, I was not aware that you had to be below a certain income to get it). I had "assets". What do you mean, "assets"? Again, this was never discussed with me that having too much would disqualify me. Now here's the punch line, are you ready for it. The "assets" that caused this fine institution to deny me a loan at the very last minute is one mobile home in a run-down trailer park. Oh For God's Sake! This was not something I had concealed from them, I had been entirely up front about what I had and what I did not have. But just because I owned a $17,000 2-bedroom trailer instead of renting an apartment, that was enough for them to say no. I told them all where they could stuff their financial aid and their school, and walked out.

 

[Aalo]

Re: Opinions of school/college/university support services? Do you think they failed

We don't really have any systems in here. "" Gladly counselling works well as it is, although that is not what I need help with.
It's up to any specific teacher if they're willing to do any flexible arrangements for a single student. Gladly there are many pupils living far away or having kids, and by demand of those people these exceptions are open for sure, and it's usually easy to get along with these people. Alone I won't always get anything if I won't get arguing, which is something I don't mind to do, I rather try to cope biting my teeth. Some courses I've cancelled hoping to be able to carry out later (yeah, right).
Engineering programs should have a lot of distance lectures via net meetings, which would suit me just fine, but for some reason we do not have those. Maybe it would be too much work for teachers, don't know. Maybe those will be more common after part of the staff will have to go as a result of ongoing employee negotiations. So I wait things to get better as teachers get more stressed under their workload? Sorry, but yes. Have to believe in something.

 

[Peter A.]

Re: Opinions of school/college/university support services? Do you think they failed

What are your opinions of the available learning support services at your school/college/university?

There are support services?!

 

[Cinnamon115]

The support systems at my college are helpful, but they only help with so much. They gave me a disability visa that allows me to take extra time on tests and paired me with an upperclassmen to "show me the ropes" of college, plus all students here get free conseling services. But that's it. I wish they had something to help with resident halls. I would love to have my own room, but they only allow it for 2nd semester and I have to pay $500. It's not like that just for me, that policy is for everyone. My school has a big problem of not having enough space in the dorms and I've heard people talk about how the school suddenly booted some upperclassmen out of the dorms, telling them that freshman and sophomores need to live on campus and to look for off campus housing. Apparently this happens to about a dozen people every year. I also wish there was some type of club here on campus for Aspie students, it would be nice to have a chance to talk face to face with another as pie student. I would start one myself, but I've got a crazy work load this semester.