<p>I am in 7th grade, and am what many people would consider "Disabled". I can't talk because my mouth is semi-paralyzed. I can't say one word, and i communciate primarily by sign language and writing. However, I can hear perfectly, I go to a regular school, I have all As on my report card, and I have no other probelms with my body. Since boarding schools are looking for "diversity", would I be considered "diverse"? I know there is a non-discrimation thing against rejecting someone on the baisis or race or disabilty, or something. What do you people think?</p>
<p>Yes, you would be considered diverse. I'm sure many boarding schools would like to have someone with a disability who was able to succeed extremely well in life regardless. If you look through past posts (I'll try to find a link) there was someone whose sister has Tourette Syndrome and she will be attending an elite boarding school next fall.</p>
<p>EDIT: Here's the link - <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=323986&page=2&highlight=Tourette%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=323986&page=2&highlight=Tourette</a></p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>great! thank you so much. i have a love/ hate relationship with my so called "disablity". I love it because it made me the way i am, more moviated to succeed, but i hate it because its so darn frusatating! at camp i communiated for 2 weeks completely though writing! i will check out that link, thanks.</p>
<p>btw olivia, thank you for the link- i read it all, very inspiring.</p>
<p>Wow, that must be so cool to know sign language. When I was little I could do my ABCs in sign language but never the whole thing. :) I did go to a mass once and there was a sign language person there to translate, and I learned a few words just by watching! </p>
<p>Where are you thinking of applying next year?</p>
<p>i took a pratice SSAT, so i feel pretty good about my scores- i know these are pretty pretigous, but im thinking taft, chaote, miss porter's, st. paul's, st. george's. but nothing is certain! yeah, sign language is pretty cool. i have of the talent of being able to sign along with music! (even rap)</p>
<p>Miss Porter's is a girl's school so that's very different from the other ones you mentioned.</p>
<p>SGS (St. George's) is good if you want to be by the sea near a very idyllic town with good nightlife (nice for teenagers, entertaining but not too much - I go there every summer). But both SGS and Deerfield give you singles your first year, so if you want a roommate, that might be a problem. That's why I didn't apply to Deerfield. What were your scores on the practice SSAT?</p>
<p>i got a 93% on the pratice SSAT, which is not bad. I am considering both all girls and co-ed schools... there are so many choices! i didn't know that about deerfield, but i do want a room mate. what schools did you apply too, and do you recommend them? exeter sounds excellent, but really, really demanding (as does andover). also, i don't know how i would particate in the harkness disscussions.</p>
<p>Liza,</p>
<p>Some thoughts on your situation...</p>
<p>I'm not sure if your communications challenge qualifies as a diversity point in the way most BSs look at it. However, your persistence in overcoming this speech issue (especially the camp) gives you piles of positives that many other students can't match. Boarding schools are looking for reasons to accept kids from that pile of high stats applications. You may have a very good reason.</p>
<p>On the business side of things with BS... You will want to contact schools in advance of applying and let them know of your situation and needs. I am assuming here (from your camp story) that you will need a sign language trained translator (if your instructors are not trained) present in each of your classes in order for you to get the maximum benefit. While (because they are not publically funded) they are not required to provide that benefit under the "normal" tuition charge. They may require you to pay for "additional support" to accomplish this. I would believe that all of them would be happy to have someone of your determination as a role model for the value of perserverance, but will need to do some advance prep work (perhaps hire someone or rejuggle their existing staffing). They should be able to tell you how they have accommodated students needing ASL translators in the past.</p>
<p>I know there is computer software that will audibilize written words. Perhaps that would be a suitable substitue for staff assistance with ASL translation. Something that you may want to explore.</p>
<p>My wife works with autistic children (who have communications issues by nature). She's told me about some of them who only communicate by keyboard and I believe they use such software to voice their thoughts.</p>
<p>In any event, I wish you the best. You sound like you have the right attitude to take on boarding school.</p>
<p>BTW, my sister's name is Liza.</p>
<p>I agree with goaliedad, and also it will be important to mention this prior to the interviews so that they can be ready to interview you and take you on a tour.</p>
<p>I will, of course, mention my "disabilty" ahead of time. However, I'm not interested in an translator. I used to have one when i was little, but it didn't work out, because i didn't like to have an adult with me in all my classes. (As Greta Garbo put it "I vont to be alone"). However, I do have one of those computers that can talk for me... I have been considering that for boarding school use. I used to use it a lot in class, but it attracted way too much attention. I think my classmates were too immature to deal with it. Plus, it sounded sort of funny. But I'll consider this to use again in boarding school. </p>
<p>Goaliedad, I have only met two people in my life that were also named liza!</p>
<p>Good to hear you have the computer for communications. I don't think you will find that the same negative experience with your peers at a good boarding school. They tend to screen out the more immature in admissions.</p>
<p>In my sister's case Liza is a family name, but yeah, the name fell out of vogue a while ago. If it makes you feel better I have an even more unusual (also family - I'm a Jr.) name (sorry, I don't post it publically, though). I think unusual names are a great thing, though, so I don't use the common nickname for my given name.</p>
<p>I think your situation will work very well in a Harkness situation. Thinking before you speak is a valuable thing in an open discussion. Having to write it allows you a small amount of mental time to filter it before it becomes public - a slight advantage. I'm sure you will get plenty of opportunity to express your thoughts.</p>
<p>Ask Don Imus if he'd would have liked to have to look at his words on the screen before saying them. Perhaps it would have saved his career. Maybe not though as he is not exactly Larry King.</p>
<p>Ha! You are so right. Don Imus should have wrote everything down before saying it. </p>
<p>Liza's a great name, but i hate when people call me Lisa or Eliza, or god forbid, Elisa. I can't really tell them "Its Liza, you fool!". Maybe I should carry a tape recorder around me with a continuous loop of the Liza Minielli song' "Liza With a Z, not Lisa with a S".</p>
<p>I never thought of my situation being an advantage in a Harkness situation, but thinking it over, I think you're right. Hopefully, the students at whichever school I go to will understand my situation. Thank you so much for your help! Everyone.</p>
<p>One of the people you might want to connect with is an educational IT (information technology) expert. Perhaps you can even begin a discussion with a school that has a Harkness-style classroom and engage in a conversation with their IT manager. The purpose of this would be to brainstorm and explore ways for you to participate effectively that don't negatively impact the overall experience for these classes. Maybe there are hurdles that you'll need to overcome -- technologically speaking -- to make it possible for you to participate. And if you can arrive at a well thought out solution BEFORE you begin the interviewing process in earnest, it would serve you well so that you could make sure that the schools understand the full implications of what it will take to accommodate you and fulfill their mission as to all the students.</p>
<p>My concern is that your biggest enemy as an applicant might be "the path of least resistance." If you haven't put together a plan that shows how easy it will be to accommodate you -- and where a few things will need to be altered in a way that experts have a high confidence level in -- then there will be too many "unknowns" and other variables that, together, will amount to a great excuse to find another student -- perhaps one with a more familiar disability -- to fill the seat you're hoping to fill.</p>
<p>This will be a big challenge for you and require that you go an extra mile (or two or three), but while I'm sure these schools don't mind a challenge in terms of accommodating a disability, I'm afraid that they'll shy away from an unfamiliar challenge. </p>
<p>So, as is the case with any intellectual or ideological pioneer, your challenge (as I see it) is to develop a fully-developed "game plan" for your proposal and remove as many barriers and misgivings as possible before you walk into an interview. That alone, in its own way, will put you in an awesome class all by yourself and speak volumes as to how awesome it will be to have you part of the community.</p>
<p>The key, I think, is working on that plan -- preferably with a school that agrees to put you in touch with an IT pro (who understands or can collaborate with someone who understands Harkness). And if you find a school that assists you in that way, my money will be on you ultimately deciding that that school is the one that's right for you.</p>
<p>Great idea, D'y Maker. I will think about a plan for the boarding schools to be able to easily accomadate me. (I can see it now- "Just Add Water!"). I'm a very sociable person, my only barrier is finding a way to commuciate. I personally, did not know about the IT pro, but I will look into that. I will most certainly find a way to clear these barriers away... but how? I'm thinking that my computer that can talk for me could be an asset, but it sounds like- one of those aliens from those old B side science fiction movies. I know its not a big deal how it sounds, but nonetheless, its a bit embaressing. But I will use it if I can. What does anyone else think?</p>
<p>There's no better place than a good boarding school to develop social and communication skills. You'll love it.</p>
<p>Liza -Perhaps you should PM the person who wrote on this board about their sister w/ Tourette's. Different issue, of course, but perhaps they could share which schools seemed to be more open to accomodating a student with a disability. </p>
<p>Also, I wouldn't worry about your robotic sounding machine. It may be novel to others for the first week or two, but not after that.</p>