The Medical Dorm

Having a service dog live in the dorm is something that has NEVER happened on our college campus before.  As one professor stated, Nemo is the “trailblazer,” but being the trailblazer can come at a cost. One cost is that almost everybody in the dorm is afraid to ask about the dog because they think it is a hostage situation and that I am hiding him from the RAs. If that were true I would be doing a TERRIBLE job. My door has a picture of the dog as well as a beware of my friendly dog sign. Similarly, the first thing I did when moving into the dorm was introduce the dog to both RA’s. He got his own name tag (Thanks RAs). Similarly, I take him to every class so every teacher (I have) also knows that he is on campus. Items you need to successfully keep a dog in your dorm room. A crate - Sometimes you just have to. For example, if I have to go to fieldwork, I need a place to leave him. Also, it gives him a place to call his own. Now, he doesn’t sleep in there, but...

First, we would like to apologize/acknowledge our absence over summer.  Simply put, our summers were full of hospitalizations, appointments, medication changes, vacations, and more.  Now, with colleges starting back up again I (Tremors) decided that it was time for another survival tip: how to survive the back to school rush. Back to school is something that everyone dreads in some way, shape, or form.  It means the end of the freedom of summer time, and back to the grind at school.  Which is frankly isn't something I look forward to since I really like relaxing over summer.  When you go back to school as a spoonie there is a lot that you have to do.  You need to make sure you have your housing set, that you have your accommodations in place, you need to talk to your professors, and you have to get your body use to a new schedule.  None of this is something that people truly enjoy doing. To survive back to school as a spoonie: 1.) Do not try to d...

College Survival Tip #2 There are things that professors do not always understand. I may look perfectly healthy, but I am not.  They cannot understand the countless appointments, days where you cannot get out of bed, the days the medications just do not work, etc.  The list is simply endless.  Because of that we have decided to write an open letter to all professors so they can better understand what we go through on a day to day basis. Dear Professor, I am one of your many students.  However, I am different than my peers.  I have a chronic illness and / or disability.  That means that I have limits, and I know them.  It means that I cannot always work at the pace that my peers do.  I go to more doctor appointments than you can imagine, I practically live in the hospital, and can singularly keep a pharmacy in business.  Please understand that I want more than anything to attend, and show up to your class.  However, that may no...

It is always hard to disclose your medical condition / disability.  You never want to be seen as less than, or unable to do what is asked of you.  You do not want to disappoint or let down those who count on you. There comes that time every semester where you have to talk to professors. This can be very scary.   While it may seem unnecessary at times, you never know what is going to happen in the future.  Is something going to go wrong in class?  Are you going to end up in the hospital?  The possibilities for this are sadly endless. Before talking to your professors make sure to talk to disability services. Often times they are going to be your biggest advocates. They are also somebody you can turn to in a time of crisis or if professors are less than understanding. Helping students get accommodations is what they do, there is not much you can say to surprise them.   Know that professors legally cannot ask you about you specific disability...