Campus Disability Office Won't Cooperate

Parent Cafe
1

I apologize for the length of this, but our back-story is needed to get the full picture…

My daughter recently transferred from UCSC to another UC. While at UCSC she was assisted through the campus disability office, and with documentation, received a single room because she has ADD and anxiety. They were very cooperative in not only accommodating her, but being concerned about her as well. I miss them right now!

Once my daughter was accepted into the other UC, we immediately began corresponding with their disability office and had all of her documentation forwarded to them. The director told us, based on the docs she had, that she would only approve her for a double. The only way they would reconsider her needs for a single was if we got “updated” documentation. Stupid, if you think about it, cause ADHD and anxiety aren’t like a cold; they don’t come and go with changing wind storms. You have it forever! And we had to get this documentation in the next 6 weeks.

At the time my daughter was in the throws of getting ready for finals and 400 miles away from me. I had no way to get her to a new doctor to get more documentation. I personally was going through losing my house and was trying to get packed up for a move while suffering from autoimmune disease. I tried to explain this to the director, but because she has the sensitivity of an ice cube, she merely suggested I hurry up and meet the deadline.

Well, needless to say, once we got moved, and got my daughted picked up from UCSC, we missed the deadline. My daughter was pretty okay with being in a double, but we still hoped to somehow arrange a single for her -if not this year then next year. It took me 4 weeks to find a psych. who was accepting her insurance AND new patients. We saw him several times over the next couple of weeks and he ran multiple tests. He ended diagnosing her with ADHD, social anxiety and non-verbal learning disorder (which has many similiar traits to Asperger’s), and strongly recommended my daughter be placed in a single as commotion greatly upsets her to the point where she can’t function. He couldn’t have made it more clear…this kid needs her own space!

He sent over all his test findings and the campus’s paperwork for disabilities. A week later, my kid gets an email saying that, unless more info is provided demonstrating that her diagnosis affects her day-to-day life, then they won’t help her get a single room. Now, I realize that they don’t have enough rooms for everyone with ADHD, and they make that very clear on their disability page, however, this isn’t just ADHD, this is social anxiety and an Asperger’s-type diagnosis. She does well in school, but she really needs a quiet place to recover from her day. She needs to have control of her surroundings to feel in control of everything else. There are some days she does well, and then others, when the roommate is entertaining everyone on campus in their room, my daughter breaks down.

The UC system guidelines for mental disabilities states they will only accommodate those whose disability impairs their functioning on a daily basis. My daughter doesn’t fit into their mold: she can dress herself, and get to class by herself, and maintains a 3.88 GPA. On the surface she seems stellar, but one stressful day and she’s in a complete meltdown.

Any suggestions on how to handle this? I don’t know if I should hire an attorney, or if that would be fruitless because the UC system has a right to determine which kids fit into their required mold. Its all just so frustrating because my daughter has met kids on campus who live in singles just because “they like to be alone”. What about kids like mine that NEED to be alone? Why does the campus accommodate kids who like to be alone and not those who need to? I just don’t know what else to do. I can take her to more doctors to try and get more documentation, but because my daughter can dress herself, she may never fit into their mold. Do I push back, and if so, how?

Please don’t suggest off-campus living. Apartments in her town are very pricey and doing this option would still mean she would have to share a bedroom. She would also have to ride the bus back and forth to get to class…another stressor.

Thanks for listening! :slight_smile:

2

I’m sorry for your stress with this. Your daughter is the one who needs to do the advocating. She needs to make an appointment at the disability office ASAP and bring all of her documentation with her (even if she thinks they already have it…bring copies anyway). She can invite you to attend…but the school most likely will want to hear from her first and foremost. And truthfully, she needs to advocate for herself.

It sounds like you have the documentation now. But I do have a question. Your daughter has the ADHD plus anxiety. Why didn’t she have an ongoing relationship with a psychiatrist? Why did you need to find someone new?

I understand what you are saying about ADHD and anxiety being lifelong issues…but the school is viewing this in a functional way…and some students with these diagnoses actually don’t need lifelong accommodations…some do. And every school requires updated documentation of a disability to provide support services through their disability office. How old was the older evaluation material?

Anyway…back to your daughter. How is she managing with the double? Is she having issues or are you trying to be proactive? Your daughter needs to lay out her concerns with the disabilities folks, plus any issues she has encountered thus far this year that would not have been issues if she had a single.

Your daughter should also ask what other support services she can access through the disabilities office.

3

Unfortunately, the big publics come with big bureaucracies, and of those, none are bigger than on-campus housing.

You can appeal, but since timing is of the essence, I’d contact an attorney who deals with such things and has experience with UC.

Good luck.

4

I would let her try the double and she should keep in touch with the disabilities office since she’s registered with them (I presume). If I were you I’d also try to keep your anxiousness from her and perhaps let her navigate from here as Thumper suggests. If she’s prone to anxiety, then it won’t help her if you’re anxious, too.

5

As noted by thumper, a diagnosis may or may not be a disabling condition. It’s possible that your daughter’s doctor did not clearly present the case that the single room was a necessary accommodation (as opposed to an optimal condition). One possibility is for your daughter to sign a release and request the doc to speak to the disability office. Any questions could then be resolved about the severity of your daughter’s condition and the extent of accommodations required.

6

Oh My goodness…thank you everyone for responding! I’ll try and answer your questions…

@thumper1- The reason I had to find someone new for her is because in order to waive UC campus insurance, she had to assign a primary care physician near the UCSC campus through her dad’s insurance plan. She went to that office 3 times…all of which she saw someone different, they wrote her a script and she left in 10 minutes. They didn’t even ask for her history! They just asked what she wanted a script for! Her previous documentation was from her lifelong doctor written in the summer of 2013.

@ everyone else…I read the doctor’s report. It was 15 pages long and gave not only the 3 diagnosis from the tests, but showed the results from the test, too. It also gave a brief synopsis on how each condition affects my daughter and gives her anxiety that results in her need to have a space for her own.

Believe me, I am trying not to show any anxiety about this to my daughter, nor am I trying to get myself riled up, either. I have been put on bedrest being told if I don’t chill-out, I will have a heart attack. But my daughter calls me in complete tears and it takes me a long time to get her to calm down. The last call came this morning because her roommate got pissy with her last night because my daughter talks in her sleep. The roommmate said she has a right to a quiet room, and I get that, but if the school won’t stick my kid in her own room, how is it her fault her roommate can’t sleep?

Thanks everyone for chiming in…big hugs to all of you!

7

Why did she transfer? Is it possible that the first school would be the better choice? Any chance they would be be able to accommodate her for the term starting in January?

Your daughter needs to document issues that are a result of her disability…not typical roommate issues that all have.

8

Sorry for your problems.

I would have suggested dealing with this upfront before deciding to transfer, but it seems that the decision to transfer has been made.

In terms of documentation, my S went through college with learning disabilities and there is a defined limit on how long testing is “good for” (3 years or so - I forgot). Although I certainly understand that issues don’t disappear instantaneously, there is an expectation that a person’s condition might improve/be better managed over time. Our experience was once the college approved an accommodation our student was not required to provide additional documentation during his four years at the school.

If anything I’d try to focus on getting what you need to prove your case. Get testing that specifically points to her absolute necessity for privacy/quiet etc. A strong recommendation does not equal an absolute necessity.

You said your D was OK with a double. So why not let her try it. Another option might be to contact ResLife and see if there is a quiet dorm, a wellness dorm or another option that might suit her well.

9

@happy1

The OP has updated documentation…just. The concern is that the school says it does not justify a single room.

10

Is it possible for your daughter’s RA to get involved somehow? Since the RA is on the front lines so to speak, she may be able to help influence housing decisions and help advocate for your daughter.

11

The key is that the disability must impair her day-to-day function such that not remediating it would result her not being able to successfully function at school. Did her psychiatrist say in the letter what would happen if she didn’t get the single? He needs to write a letter that connects the dots for them; he needs to say that without a single room, your daughter is likely to fail her classes and why that is the case.

12

I too was wondering what instigated the transfer. It must be something that is more important than the accommodations if she left a well-functioning accommodation system. I agree that the student needs to be doing all the advocating on her own. She must be at least 19 or 20, right? Could it be possible that the disability office takes requests from parents less seriously than requests from students?

That said, do you think she’d be better off going back to her old college, if that’s possible?

13

Just sending you empathy and support. My son has similar diagnoses and I completely understand the need for quiet space, alone, to preserve optimal functioning in this type of situation. Based on our experience I think that most disabilities officers, upon reviewing the documentation from a medical professional that you describe, would approve the accomodation. At least that has been our experience.

To the posters saying the student needs to advocate for herself, that often is not realistic in the setting of disabling anxiety, especially when the disabilities office as described seems to function to throw up barriers to services rather than try to help students.

In OP’s shoes, I would not drop this on my child and expect her to handle it or just deal. The result is likely a student becoming increasingly distressed and/or dropping out. I would next figure out a way to get an audience with the dean of students, either by phone or in person, to discuss the situation. I am curious too OP. Why did your daughter transfer out of UCSC where she was doing well?

14

If there aren’t enough rooms for all who need singles, request a roommate who also requires peace and quiet and also was denied a medical request single. It won’t be a party room.

15

Different schools may have different policies and abilities to offer requested accommodations. That is why I suggest that families look into this and need with the disabilities office before deciding to attend any school. The diagnoses alone won’t justify the need for a private room. They need to clearly document the functional limitations caused by her diagnosed disabilities and how they prevent her from having equal access to her academic opportunities. The anxiety and NLD issues might better document the need for quiet space to manage her issues. ADHD alone won’t likely do it.

16

First, schools do have some latitude in determining reasonable accommodations. The first school determined a need for a private; the second did not.

Second, just because the clinician suggests something as an accommodation does not mean the recommendation has to be followed. In other words, your doctor can’t demand a school do anything. The disabilities office read the report and determined that the anxiety and ADHD did not constitute the need for a private. You’ve said yourself that some days your daughter is fine. It may be that, for whatever reason, to get a private, a student’s functioning must be affected every singe day. No extra cost privates due to disabilities do constitute a burden for a school, especially a large one where many may suffer from ADHD and social anxiety, so they determine at what point a student needs this.

I am sorry this is happening to you. If your daughter is not required to live on campus, have you looked into a small apartment, perhaps? Then, she can live as she chooses.

17

My sympathies. My guess is singles at this school are exceedingly rare, given that you said she was approved for a double, which leads me to believe triples are also in play. If this is the case, it’s possible the disabilities office is just excessively strict since they know there aren’t enough singles to accommodate students who need them. I’d have your daughter talk with her RA, RD or even someone higher like the Dean of Students. Unfortunately, I don’t know if there’s anything they can do right now, but maybe she can get on a list for a room change if a singles becomes available.

Lastly, this shows how important it is to contact schools in the application process to make sure accommodations can be made.

18

IMO, doctors/psychologists do a disservice to patients by diagnosing them with the little-known diagnosis of Non-Verbal learning Disorder. The doctors should just come clean and say the truth, namely that the person is on the autism spectrum.

So, we have here a student who is on the spectrum. First of all, all the rules about not helicoptering don’t apply for students on the spectrum. If you’ve got a disabled kid, rev up that helicopter!

Second, the well-meaning advice about checking with the disabilities office before applying doesn’t really work. Disabilities offices work with students, not applicants. They’ll say all the right words to applicants, and it’s only when the enrolled student walks in the office door that she finds out whether their actions match their rhetoric.

My advice is to keep pushing, and also to get the autism diagnosis. A disabilities office might understand autism better than NVLD. In my experience, autistic students do a lot better in singles than in doubles.

The person who did the original diagnosis might be able to “endorse” it, which to say, write a letter saying the original diagnosis and recommendations still apply. Most likely this would require an office visit but not an entire retest.

19

Not all students with NLD meet criteria for spectrum diagnoses, CF. Some theorize that NLD is the neurobehavioral framework of ASD, but while most with the old “Asperger’s” diagnosis had NLD, not all with NLD met criteria for Asperger’s. Biggest difference was in the area of socialization.

So apologies, CF, but while there are many overlaps, getting someone misclassified as having ASD if they do not, can cause more harm than good. Good diagnosticians can ferret out the difference.

20

Ack typo in #14 (darned autocorrect on phone). Students should MEET with the disabilities/access offices to see if they will likely be able to provide the requested/needed accommodations before deciding to attend any school.