Over at the Dyscalculia Forum, we got to talking about World Dyscalculia Day. World Dyscalculia Day, which falls on March 3rd (3/3, so we don’t get confused) has been a great thing — since 2008, people have made videos, written articles, created t-shirts, and gotten the word out to their local schools, districts, and universities about math disorder.
But what if we had more than just a day? Say, a whole month. We would have more flexibility for event planning. We’d have more time to get involved. Most of all, there would be more opportunities to get the word out about dyscalculia. To that end, I wrote this article launching Dyscalculia Awareness Month. I also made some t-shirts at Zazzle.
If you’d like to get involved, a great place to start is to at the Dyscalculia Forum’s “Spread The Word” page. The admins have posted two brochures that you can download. Print as many copies as you want; then drop them off at your school’s disability office, or your child’s school district office, or even your doctor’s office. Or, write a blog post, made a video for YouTube, put some t-shirts on CafePress or Zazzle.
Then, leave a comment below, or send me an e-mail, and I’ll backlink to your site here at AddaptAbilities.
In New York State it seems that an adult with dyscalculia is pretty much doomed; you don’t stand a chance of getting a college degree. Each person involved with the process of diagnosing and accommodating the student denies that it is his or her responsibility to develop the accommodations needed by the student to successfully complete even the most basic of college math classes.
I have experienced this scenario at The Sage Colleges. I went to VESID, a department within the New York State Department of Education that is meant to assist with the diagnosis of learning disabilities and the development of a plan of educational and employment action for the student. I was referred to a psychologist who diagnosed my learning disability. A copy of his report was forwarded to the head of the school’s department for students with disabilities. I then provided my math instructor with the appropriate letters and attempted to discuss what accommodations I felt would help me in the class. I was refused all but the most basic of accommodations.
The accommodations I was allowed were being able to have a calculator – which is not an accommodation because every student is allowed a calculator and being able to take tests in a separate, quiet room – which is also not an accommodation because classrooms are supposed to be quiet and without distractions during testing.
In my attempts to acquire accommodations that I believe to be reasonable based on research pertaining to other colleges’ and universities’ accommodations for students with dyscalculia I was told by the diagnosing psychologist that it was not his responsibility to recommend these accommodations, I was told by the head of the school’s Department for Students with Disabilities that it was not her responsibility to obtain accommodations, and I was told by my instructors that it was not their responsibility to develop and provide accommodations. Apparently, it is no one’s responsibility to assist me.
I have already re-registered for the math class I am currently enrolled in and failing for the fall term. I will give this one more try. Frankly, if appropriate action is not taken, I plan to sue the school for violating my rights under Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Comments?
I always wind up forgetting some major essential vacations and miss out on family programs and also particular activities in town. I would like a better way to consider exactly what day time a celebration is actually.