College suggestions
Question:
Tony, I like your friends son have Tourette’s, but I also have OCD and ADHD. Unfortunately I am a mature male, I’m 47. I also have some emotional problems that I have to deal with. Last but not least, I also attend college. I am not going to sugar coat it for you. This is a very tough situation to be in. It is going to take a great amount of determination and persistance from your friends son to get through college. I, like him do not suffer from a lack of intelligence, my IQ is 132. The best advice I can give is to attend a community college at first. They usually have offices specifically setup to handle people with disabilities, and make no mistake about it. TS is considered a disability. They can help him to cope with the pressures of college life by making his professors aware of his special needs. Most of them will set up special testing procedures for him. If a community college is not within a reasonable distance you can contact the office for students with ADD. I don’t know of a major university without some type of office specifically set up to handle these type’s of problems. As a last resort you might contact the American’s with Disability’s Act service center. They have an 800 number. They are there to help people like your friends son and myself. They are also there to help if he has any problems with the faculty once he does get into school. He has a difficult road ahead of him. I know because I have already been where he is going. The absolute number one key to his success, and it is a hard one, is persistance. This will get him through bumps in the road that nothing else will. If he wants to contact me I will be glad to help him any way I can. Good Luck, Mark
Response:
i’d like to add my 2 cents about going to college. I am 27 and graduated from California State University Northridge 2 years ago. It took me 8 years to do it. I’ve also attended a local community college for a year to get some of the G.E. classes out of the way. I’ve found that the university had a lot more resources for people with disabilities. And at CSUN, Tourette is considered a disability. They bent over backwards to make sure that I am comfortable with the arrangements that I and the disability center agreed on. (ie my own special room to take tests so that I don’t have to worry about my tics. They also asked if I had ADD, and if I did they can give me extra time to take tests). TS/ADD wasn’t a new thing with them. They know about it, and had other students with it, and they can recommend special arrangements. The community college I went to did not offer anything in regards to my TS. I think the difference here is money. A 4 year university has a lot more money to provide services. Going through college wasn’t easy, but it is a good experience, and will help you pursue your career in the future. — Jerry H. Wang California State University Northridge School of Engineering and Computer Science Email: jerry.w…@csun.edu Web: http://www.csun.edu/~hbcsc274 AX.25: ke6uux @ wb6wfh.#soca.ca.usa.noam
Response:
Hi, folks! This one I just HAD to respond to: I wanteds to remind people that TS is a disability which is covered under the ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This means that universities and all schools MUST comply with the guidelines of the ADA, under the Public Accommodations section. Personally, I waged a Federal Lawsuit against Boston University i 1993 for violating the ADA because I have Tourette Syndrome. Unfortunately, we lost the case for reasons that are complicated, but the point is, once you make known to a school, employer, business, organization, etc. that you have TS, they are mandated by FEDERAL LAW to provide you with accommodations you need (such as access, untimed tests, special seating, etc…) and cannot deny these reassonable accomodations to you. So to the person whose son is attending school, I will say that he should find the road less travelled a lot easier than in years past. Schools and companies, etc…are much more aware of their obligations, and are aware of the litigious risk if they fail to comply. On a lighter note, I think you’ll find that people are much more aware of the braod scope of disabilities and DIFFERENCE in general thesedays, and being a hopelessly optimistic bleeding heart liberal, I believe that once people are educated about your son’s needs, most people really want to help foster his success in school and in life in general. As people with disabilities, differences, or their family and friends, it is incumbent upon US to educate and inform people wherever we go. Once we educate, people gain an understanding, and without that understanding, we cannot expect acceptance. My equation is : EDUCATION = UNCERSTANDING = ACCEPTANCE And ultimately, acceptance to me is the bottom line. I’ll get off my soapbox now! Good luck! Joanne , Mass Chapter Board Member/adult Coordinator, social worker, person w/ TS…..and, bleeding heart liberal!!
