Accommodations at university?

A few of my experiences, good and bad, which may inspire some useful adaptations:

I didn't get diagnosed until aged 30 so went through my undergrad at uni not knowing why I found it so miserable. Fortunately, we didn't have 'seminars' and 'tutorials' like most unis, rather 'supervisions' which were 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 and suited me fine. Would it be possible for this student to have smaller group or private contact time in some cases, perhaps for the most important elements of the course? (I know every lecturer thinks their course is the most important, but there will be a few key learning points in each module that perhaps could be addressed, maybe monthly on a 1-to-1 basis, and allow the rest of the filler material to be more reading-based, assuming the student is happy accessing the library and/or online journals etc.?)

By the time I did my MSc. as a mature student, I had my diagnosis and made the uni aware of that and my other health conditions, which had also been diagnosed by that time (CFS, endometriosis). Consequently, I did get more support when needed, but, as you say, you do need to know what to ask for. For example, early in the first term, some of the lecturers went on strike over pensions and were yelling, blowing whistles and waving flags and banners on campus, and I had a complete meltdown. Spent ten minutes locked in a toilet, shaking and crying, then ran over to the Disability Services' office with my fingers in my ears where they found me somewhere dark and quiet to calm down. After that, I went home and stayed in bed with my curtains shut for 3 days, completely wiped out by it, and asked Disability Services to contact my tutor so I was left in peace and offered help to catch up on the stuff I had missed if I needed (I didn't). Everyone was very nice about it.

By the final term I was feeling pretty burned out, but we'd been told that for every lecture or seminar we missed for any given module, we would be docked 10% from our final assessment for that module (which in itself I found incredibly patronising; I was a paying customer—not to mention a grown adult—and felt it was my decision to attend or not, not theirs, per my undergrad experience). Anyway, I basically wrote to each of my lecturers and said, "While I appreciate the pedagogic value of lively debate and discussion on this topic [not really, but you have to throw them a bone], I have limited energy. I can either use this to get myself to campus and sit through your lectures and seminars, or I can use it to write your assignment, but I can't do both. You choose." To which they all oh-so predictably replied, "Well, you need to complete the assignment to pass the course and this will determine your final grade too; you must do the assignment." Like shooting fish in a barrel... All the lecture and seminar materials were on the VLE (Blackboard) by that stage anyway so I was hardly missing out on anything of value to me as I gain very little from in-person contact, but I do understand that the teaching and learning culture at campus-based universities is centred on face-time rather than reading for your degree (like my undergrad was) so I can see why the online course option is likely to be a non-starter. Plus, a lot of lecturers at campus unis studied at campus unis themselves so they are unlikely to know any better. (Miaow. PC-version: "...so they are unlikely to know any differently.")

Speaking of face-time, could the student use FaceTime or Skype etc., to be included in the group sessions remotely? Just a thought. The tech exists, so why not use it if they would feel comfortable doing so?

Anyway, I hope some of that helps a little.

A few of my experiences, good and bad, which may inspire some useful adaptations:

I didn't get diagnosed until aged 30 so went through my undergrad at uni not knowing why I found it so miserable. Fortunately, we didn't have 'seminars' and 'tutorials' like most unis, rather 'supervisions' which were 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 and suited me fine. Would it be possible for this student to have smaller group or private contact time in some cases, perhaps for the most important elements of the course? (I know every lecturer thinks their course is the most important, but there will be a few key learning points in each module that perhaps could be addressed, maybe monthly on a 1-to-1 basis, and allow the rest of the filler material to be more reading-based, assuming the student is happy accessing the library and/or online journals etc.?)

By the time I did my MSc. as a mature student, I had my diagnosis and made the uni aware of that and my other health conditions, which had also been diagnosed by that time (CFS, endometriosis). Consequently, I did get more support when needed, but, as you say, you do need to know what to ask for. For example, early in the first term, some of the lecturers went on strike over pensions and were yelling, blowing whistles and waving flags and banners on campus, and I had a complete meltdown. Spent ten minutes locked in a toilet, shaking and crying, then ran over to the Disability Services' office with my fingers in my ears where they found me somewhere dark and quiet to calm down. After that, I went home and stayed in bed with my curtains shut for 3 days, completely wiped out by it, and asked Disability Services to contact my tutor so I was left in peace and offered help to catch up on the stuff I had missed if I needed (I didn't). Everyone was very nice about it.

By the final term I was feeling pretty burned out, but we'd been told that for every lecture or seminar we missed for any given module, we would be docked 10% from our final assessment for that module (which in itself I found incredibly patronising; I was a paying customer—not to mention a grown adult—and felt it was my decision to attend or not, not theirs, per my undergrad experience). Anyway, I basically wrote to each of my lecturers and said, "While I appreciate the pedagogic value of lively debate and discussion on this topic [not really, but you have to throw them a bone], I have limited energy. I can either use this to get myself to campus and sit through your lectures and seminars, or I can use it to write your assignment, but I can't do both. You choose." To which they all oh-so predictably replied, "Well, you need to complete the assignment to pass the course and this will determine your final grade too; you must do the assignment." Like shooting fish in a barrel... All the lecture and seminar materials were on the VLE (Blackboard) by that stage anyway so I was hardly missing out on anything of value to me as I gain very little from in-person contact, but I do understand that the teaching and learning culture at campus-based universities is centred on face-time rather than reading for your degree (like my undergrad was) so I can see why the online course option is likely to be a non-starter. Plus, a lot of lecturers at campus unis studied at campus unis themselves so they are unlikely to know any better. (Miaow. PC-version: "...so they are unlikely to know any differently.")

Speaking of face-time, could the student use FaceTime or Skype etc., to be included in the group sessions remotely? Just a thought. The tech exists, so why not use it if they would feel comfortable doing so?

Anyway, I hope some of that helps a little.

Thanks Nessie.  Food for thought.  We need to pare it down to what is needed and, hopefully with the help of the disability staff, come up with a plan. 

Because of the way things have fallen (late diagnosis plus previous problems on the course) the student is now quite distressed , resentful and angry about life, which spills over into the way this is now approached.  Previously things were ignored, unidentified and/or unsupported and the strong expectation is that only minimal help will be offered on the back of the actual diagnosis.  There is a feeling of, well, it'll be futile anyway because it always has been.  In the face of this, I am hoping for a pleasant surprise and that diagnosis will have made a real difference.   

i like what you wrote to the lecturers.  It sums it up very well and the system of docking marks seems unfair to any ND students (or indeed any student going through difficulties).  

i'm not sure whether the university will use the technology to do remote work but, if they're gong to make statements about inclusion then they certainly ought to.

(Plus sadly the toilet scenario sounds all too familiar.  In some study and working environments, it has represented my only safe retreat).