College With Pots And Disability

[Gemma]

Hi everyone. I really meed your advice especially those of you who went to college with POTS.

I am planing on returning back to school this May and have some issue with school not wanting to accommodate me during clinical.

I was at the meeting yesterday with my program director, 2 clinical advisors and 2 people from disability office. Thanks God the people from disability office were there. Basically my program director and clinical advisors know that i have POTS, big mistake on my part for telling them, but at the time when I told them I was not aware that we have the right not to disclose our disability to school, only to disability department.

So the outcome is that they are fine accommodating me for the classroom part, but there is a problem for the clinical. I didn't ask much, only to be able to have some breaks when needed to sit down or lay down somewhere, also to be able to miss some days if needed when have a flare of symptoms. However, they keep on saying that they have no effect on clinical sites and it would be almost impossible to accommodate. Also, it looked like they wanted me to take another year off or even leave the program because of my condition. If disability personal would not be present I think they would do everything to push me into either leaving the program or taking another year off. When disability person asked why this things can not be accommodated, they say that not all Clinical Instructors will agree such a student, even though disability person said not to disclose to them my disability for privacy issues. Also, they kept on saying that during clinical students do not have even 5 minutes to sit down and sometimes go thru the day without even having lunch. I understand all that, but if I have this disability and ask for these small accommodations why cant it be accommodated.

My symptoms are more stable then before. I explained it to them and said that my doctor wants me to return to school, but this is not enough for them. They say that for patients safety they afraid I might faint or something. I explained to them that I never fainted and it was never my symptom. And that my symptoms are going away and now I just still have this fatigue. But it looks like they don't even want to here any of my explanation but just concentrate on my diagnose.

Now they coming up with some form that is made specially for me that my physician has to sing on that will included all the little details that I need to do at clinical and if I am able to do them. Without this form they don't want to let me return to school.

They mentioned that there is another person on the program who has POTS, but she took 2 years off and now she is coming back but her doctor cleared her to go back to school and she is not registering her disability.

I am so confused, I registered this condition with disability department in hope that maybe when needed I can get some accommodations, but it looks like I should have just not done it at all. Because now by registering it and disclosing it they discriminate against my disability and make it impossible for me to continue with school. Besides the hard school work I also have to deal with all that stuff for disability now. What is the point registering it.

Also, the disability person said that if they make me fill out that special essential function form then they have to make everyone in the class fill it out because they cant just make me do it because of the disability.

I don't know what to do. I am so frustrated now and just want to cry.

Please give me any advise you can.

Thank you.

[Gemma]

I also forgot to mention that they did mention that they had a pregnant women and an keen amputee go thru the clinical and even though they didn't have disability registered, they went to clinical and were somewhat accommodated. So I do not understand what is the problem with me. Especially it does say in the student handbook that all students have to be able to perform essential functions with or without reasonable accommodations during clinical. But they basically do not want to follow their own rules.

I really doubt that they pregnant woman had to stand for 8 hours straight without giving her an opportunity to sit down when needed, or be absent when needs or had to walk away when felt nauseous.

Please write anyone who had similar school experience.

Thanks all.