#ADHD folks make a million connections where a non-ADHD person makes 4. Those connections may be good or bad or genius or ordinary. The connections may be many things.
The volume is overwhelming & sometimes we process them out loud. So yes, it may feel like we're telling you everything. Sorry?
On the plus side, we're communicating and I think that's a good thing. At least you know what we're thinking and don't have to guess...
Post inspired by convo with @ADHDandPhD and Dyi D. Huijg.
@BeAware Ugh, I'm so sorry. I would rather have friends communicate more so I know what they're thinking rather than friends who never express their ideas.
Dearest disabled undergraduate and graduate students,
If you experienced #discrimination based on your #disability last semester, I don't want to stress you but I do want to point out or remind you that you have the option of reporting to the US Office of Civil Rights. The caveat is you have to report within 90 days of the incident. There are MANY factors to consider when deciding to report. I just want to remind folks of the deadline since it's a busy time. More info: https://theadhdacademic.weebly.com/learning--adhd-blog-posts/if-youre-denied-your-rights
@BeamsAndBows Yes, it's not an easy process at all, which is why I recommend students think about the type of support they have, the amount of energy they have, and whether or not it is worth it.
Because my Dr's office has decided to start treating people who take stimulant medication for their #ADHD as criminals and / or addicts (requiring random drug tests + random pill counts) I have had to start to record video of opening the pharmacy packaging & counting my pills so that I can document it if the pharmacy has shorted me on a month I get randomly checked.
Fuck all this immoral, unkind, bullshit.
also, just added a pill counting tray to my amazon cart. >:/ grrrr
@masukomi Pill counts for #ADHD folks? I mean, that will theoretically work for those on predictable schedules, but what about the day I forget my extended release until it's too late in the morning to take it, so I take more short-acting over the course of the day? Not to mention the poor folks who forget they've taken a med and take a second one...Tell me your doctor's office knows nothing about ADHD without telling me your doctor's office knows nothing about ADHD. This is outlandish & cruel.
Here's a quick-ish post on how I'm approaching #AcWriMo this year (with some bonus nerdery about #Obsidian folded in).
It feels quite appropriate to share this as the dusk gathers on Halloween. After all, as @coachgowron might say, what could be more frightening than confronting self doubt & past failures?
@samhainnight Understanding the logic behind the steps definitely helps in some cases. I think sometimes time comes into play, trouble starting tasks again (if I try and break up steps over a few days), and motivation. I think I may (consciously or not) decide the list of steps is not worth it and my energy and focus diminishes to the point where the task is not going to happen.
For those who don't know, you can file an official complaint with the U.S. Office of Civil Rights if your university discriminates against you, and this includes disability discrimination. Will anything change? Honestly, probably not. Will the process take a long time? Most likely. Will there at least be some sort of record? Yes. This last part is why I even suggest the idea.
If you're faculty or staff experiencing disability discrimination at a US institution of #HigherEd, unfortunately I don't think there is anything equivalent. Graduate students can certainly submit complaints, but I believe that is as high as it goes.
P.S. If you know of something similar or if faculty can submit complaints to the Office of Civil Rights, please let me know! I would love to know. Unfortunately, my guess is that staff and faculty who experience academic #ableism are on their own.
For those on the neurodifferent.me server, please keep in mind that @squish is human. As far as I am aware, they are managing and running that server all on their own, and Squish is not paid, so please extend some grace. Thank them for their time and their effort. Tell Squish you appreciate all that they do.
@squish You are incredible but we all have our limits. Is there anything I can do? Please keep setting boundaries. I am happy to send the occasional reminders to folks to extend patience and grace and share their appreciation. That's easy to do, but if there's anything else, let me know. Hope you're able to get some rest.
@squish But people should still thank you for all of your hard work. Those who don't know you're doing this outside of your full time job, care taking responsibilities, and so forth, those folks might not realize it is really just you keeping everything running.
True but many still do or they don't understand the extent to which ADHD brains need help with focusing and executive function skills. For example a half page of text with instructions and numbered steps may seem accessible. ADHD students will be further helped by pulling the numbered steps out of the text and into a list.
@rspfau@absurdlyinsane@arinbasu1@academicchatter Barriers are obviously classroom dependent and dependent on the ADHD individual but in general any sort of strict attendance/late policy will be a barrier, bans on laptops or other strict requirements on how students listen during class (ADHDers focus better when we fidget), lectures in general aren't very ADHD-friendly, grading punctuation, spelling, and formatting (unless absolutely relevant to the course), inflexibility in general, etc.
Whether they're choosing how they learn the material or how they demonstrate that knowledge, UDL can go a long way in removing barriers for disabled students.
In the US, you can register for #disability accommodations at any time during your #education, but be aware that the process can take time and potentially involves additional doctor's appointments and hunting for records. If you're registering for the upcoming semester, you might want to start early.
If you're a student entering #HigherEd, you might not know that #ADHD and other invisible conditions or mental health issues can be considered disabilities. A decent chunk of students registered with the disability office have mental health disabilities like #depression, #anxiety, #schizophrenia, etc.
Unlike in grade school, it is your responsibility to reach out to the disability office and connect with them. They will not reach out to you.