Accommodations

As someone who has both a physical and a mental disability, I have mixed feelings about accepting accommodations. Even though I wasn’t diagnosed with bipolar disorder in my younger years there were probably some signs that were missed along the way early on.

I feel that if I would’ve taken accommodations during my earlier years my learning may have been stifled as I probably would have been put in a special education class even though I was more than capable to learn in regular classrooms. I believe that special education has its purpose and is helpful for kids that really struggle through the learning process. If it gives them extra help and guidance that they couldn’t get in the regular classroom than I think that is a good thing.

I just think that if someone can learn at a normal level and they are put there the child may be slowed down and not able to make progress that they otherwise could have in the regular classroom setting. So I think in this case it could be detrimental to give special accommodations. If I would not have been able to learn in a regular classroom I may not be where I am today.

Again, I think for true disabilities it is essential that kids get the extra focus and care that they need in order to catch up to everyone else and get the education that is essential to lead a fruitful life.

For my physical disability, I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis when I was age nine and it limited my ability to participate in a normal way in gymnastics and swimming and although I tried harder than most people, I still came up short in certain activities. Swimming was incredibly difficult for me. I was ok with most of the gym activities.

I was not a strong swimmer and because of that I did not want to try to get better because I was in a lot of pain as I swam. I always hung out in the shallow end of the pool and was coached to improve at swimming but my heart wasn’t in it. My gym instructor reached out to my mom and asked her why I was having such a hard time with swimming instruction. She let him know my diagnosis and everything changed for me.

I did what I could and maybe less than that even because of the accommodation but the bottom line was that I needed it and enabled…

Visit