Date	Place	Phone Number	Note Taking	Writing Assistance
August 8, 2010	University of Oregon	541-346-3226	volunteer	no mention
August 8, 2010	Harvard	617-496-8707	Yes	no mention
August 8, 2010	Stanford	650 723-1066	Yes	no accommodation
August 8, 2010	Princeton	609-258-8840	Yes	no accommodation
August 8, 2010	UCSC	831-459-2089	Yes	no accommodation

I e-mailed four of five of the above institutions, the exception being UCSC (I have direct experience with them). I looked at all their web-sites to see if my experience has been unique to the Monterey Bay Area of California. It is not. students who need writing assistance and who rely on the public system are guaranteed substandard education. The geographical location of the disabled student is irrelevant. Education lags behind the advances in Trauma Care. Rationales and excuses are used to justify not accommodating (serving) those of us fortunate enough to survive traumatic accidents.

Our society is losing a valuable resource – the mental capacities of those who want to contribute, but need accommodation for their disability. I have exceptional drive and intelligence, but if my disability is not accommodated, the outcome is mediocrity. I have had no experience with anyone helping me write homework or helping me create lab write-ups outside of lab. My disability, has never been accommodated.

Note-Takers are poorly compensated and are not accountable for their work. The Note-Taker has no incentive to do a good job. My experience with Note-Taking at UC Santa Cruz has been mostly positive to excellent, with one exception. Note-Takers, at that institution, tended to be the top students from their high schools and took pride in doing the best job they were cpable of.

However, with few exceptions, Note-Taking at Cabrillo College was usually average and sometimes worse than average. When I went there, I became accustomed to substandard notes, gently asking the Note-Taker to record all the stuff on the black boards and being told I was too demanding. I evenb had the Note-Taker quit in the middle of the semester (though they were still in the class), I was responsible for notes when they missed class etc.. I even had one guy quit, because the pay was so minimal. He was working outside of school to get by and really stressed by living expenses. He thought the pay of DSPS a joke.

I even had a note-taker who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). DSPS knew this, assigned him to me anyway. His notes were hard to read, chaotic and hard to follow. I find out at the end of the semester about his ADD diagnosis from DSPS.

In Biochemistry Lab, (at UC Santa Cruz) my first lab assistant was always making amazingly dumb mistakes, laughing stupidly (like he had smoked marijuana, I sometimes smelled it on him) each time he screwed up, had no lab skills that I was aware of and he even bragged about failing Organic Chemistry 8A. Jon was the only student that was willing to accept the meager pay that DSS offered and had the time available, so I was stuck with him. I almost dropped Biochemistry Lab because of his ineptness.

I had decided I was going to drop the class (after his latest screw-up), when L--- showed up, two weeks after the quarter had begun. She asked if I still needed a lab assistant? She was more interested in working with a disabled student (me) than the pay (minimum wage) or hours/week (9.5). I was able to focus on goals for the class instead of having to stop and teach her basic lab techniques. L--- was paid for 9.5 hours/week, but some weeks she was helping me by working over 17 hours. We ran 10 polyacrylamide gels to ascertain protein purity, while most groups ran two or three. There is no doubt in my mind, I would have dropped the class if L--- had not come along.

From my lab experiences with incompetant assistants, my one highly qualified assistant, my many interactions with mediocre and my interactions with excellent Note-Takers I have thought carefully about the qualifications for a Lab or Writing Assistant assist me. I do not take education lightly. I expect that my assistant will not either. They need to be commited to helping me:

The Assistant needs to be enrolled in the class or have taken it previously & passed with at least a "B" or demonstrate the necessary skills.

The Assistant needs to have the time to help with homework and/or the lab report. Not do the homework for the disabled student, but with the disabled student’s input.

The Assistant needs to desire to help a disabled student learn the class material.

The Assistant needs to be accountable for the work they do.

A student who needs note taking, very likely will need help writing the homework and/or lab and lab write-up. I think the reason I was not offered accommodation for my disability is that DSS, DSPS and DRC did not want to look as ineffectual, to me, as they really were, in recruiting help. Another possibility, though darker, is they might have assumed I was a lost cause (because of my voice) and, therefore, had no intention of wasting money by accommodating me. For example; on October 23 or 24, of 2009, I was told by the services coordinator of DSPS (Cabrillo College) that she had been aware that I needed writing assistance for years and she had consciously chosen to deny me accommodation for my disability.

I also draw on my experience from before I became disabled. When I was top student in Organic Chemistry 8B, I had never seen a disabled student. If I had, I would have been willing to help a fellow student if I had the time3.. Organic Chemistry 8B was a 10 week summer class. I had no other academic commitments so I had the time available to assist another student. If offered the job of writing or lab assistant, I would have been thankful for the opportunity to work with a peer, share ideas and not have to take out quite as large a student loan to pay for my living and class expenses.

During the school year, however, I would not be able to work with a disabled student because of the time involved. If I dropped a class, to take two classes, rather than three/quarter , I would have had the time to work with a disabled student. However, I would lose my financial aid eligibility and have to start paying back my loans while still in school. I would wind up putting in more time than before, risk losing my financial aid and have to worry about repaying my student loans – because I helped a disabled student. Given these financial constraints, it does not surprise me quality Lab Assistants are scarce to non-existent.

If my proposals are adopted, it is apparent that a new category of class will need to be made. The class title, followed with a hyphen and the term, “Writing Assistant”, or, “Lab Assistant” should suffice to let Financial Aid know what they were doing, and a final ”grade” (the end of term evaluation) as to how they did. For example, “BIOC 110 - Biochemistry Lab” could be renamed, “BIOC 110-LAB ASSISTANT”. This would enable the assistant to receive academic credit while helping a disabled student.

If the class is lecture only, the Writing Assistant would take notes and help the disabled student write the homework.

Writing Assistants need to receive feedback for their work. They cannot improve their services if they don’t know how they are doing. An evaluation at the midpoint of the quarter, or semester, would serve as a midterm. The final evaluation would serve as the final exam at the end of the quarter (or semester). A student assistant who did not follow-through with their commitment and did not have extenuating circumstances, would receive an “F”. Writing Assistants will necessarily take longer, to achieve their academic goals too and this must be taken into account (they will need Financial Aid longer then is normal).

The same three points will be true for Lab Assistants too. Some classes, Physics and Chemistry come to mind, have a lab that is part of the lecture. This will need to be taken into account too. In the interest of brevity, I mention them only. This would require Financial Aid and the Registrar and the Disabled Student organization to communicate with each other.

The present educational system for disabled students system is out-of-touch with reality. Americans are surviving accidents that used to kill them. All students deserve access to education. We need to start talking about ways to correct the present deficiencies in education for the survivors of traumatic accidents.

These changes will be costly, but what is the alternative? People getting an education knowing that others are being excluded? People terrified of phyical calamity or disease because society will not help them? Disabled people knowing their attempts to better themselves through higher education lead to destruction of friendships, social isolation (torture) and ultimely will fail? People that only care about their brothers and sisters as long as they aren't vulnerable and need help and understanding? Is that a society we want to live in?

It would refreshing to see disabled people being envied for their academic achievements, their incomes, their family life – not, as is currently, the case, we are resented for: close parking, disability payments, wide bathroom stalls etc..