Teachers Should be Made to do Better

This is a group of four emails dating back to 2009. I don’t like the dating system used here, but it’s what came with the emails so I will leave it in place.

I want to make it clear that the teacher we talked about was never given any retraining or reprimand. She clearly misunderstood the nature of her obligations. She had never dealt with a student with a disability before and responded as if she thought I was malingering.  

Given the theater folk are in the art of telling lies her belief was understandable. However, nothing gave this teacher the right to be rude to me regarding my legally defined learning disability.

Teachers should be made to do better.

1/30/09

Dear Doctor (at the Disabled Students Services),

You have now received my first request for accommodations. I assure you that this was not my idea. There is a one Doctor(Theater History Professor) of the theatre arts department that has requested that I verify that I have a disability despite the fact that I have not asked her for accommodations. You may recall from our last meeting that I have had issues with theatre teachers in the past and their attitudes regarding my problem.  

All I require is that you inform her that I am indeed registered with DSS, and I will be out of your hair. I'm told that you will be very busy for the next few weeks, so I don't want to take up to much of your time, but I will meet with you if that is what will accomplish my needs. 

Thank you and best wishes   

Richard Leland Neal

2/2/09

Richard,

We only communicate with professors when one of our students requires some kind of reasonable accommodations for a course.  The only way a professor would know a student has a disability, other than a visible disability, is when the student discloses that information orally or by presenting documentation from our office. If you didn’t disclose that information, and from your comments I think you would choose not to disclose, then I would be concerned as to how the professor came to know. In any event, it is inappropriate for a professor to ask for documentation when no accommodations are requested. If she persists with this request I want you to have her contact me directly.

Doctor (at the Disable Students Services)

2/2/09

I did mention it, but I did not ask for accommodation however. Theater teachers have poor responses to students like myself, and I almost always mention it. You may recall that this is why I updated my registry. Even after I repeatedly stated that I had never asked for accommodation, and only have them at the discretion of the instructor's she insisted. I don't know if I will need anything for this class and it is likely that I will not, but if she gives me problems such as teachers have given me in the past I'd like to be able to say that I made things clear beforehand.    

2/3/09

Richard,

Please call me or schedule an appointment with me so we can discuss this.

Thanks

Doctor (at the Disable Students Services) 

ALD and other stuff

This is a letter sent by email to the department chair of the Theatre Arts department of my college. I recall that I received no reply. My success was never a goal of that department. They felt that the thousands of dollars I was paying wasn't reason enough for me to be looked after.

They were still willing to take my money, but at no point did they say that I didn’t belong or wasn’t good enough. The opportunities to practice my art simply never came my way.

By the time I dropped the Theatre major I had a good number of reasons to do so. I was angry and felt cheated. When I tried to talk to people within the department they treated me as if I was worthless and refused to hear a word I said.

You tell me, was it right for a state funded school to ignore this letter?

12^th of May 2008

Subject: ALD and other stuff

Dear (Department Chair),

At this point, I’m not opposed to doing anything light related. I have two years left at (State College), but as I will be taking advanced sound next spring my last year will likely have more to do with that side of design.

I’m still shaky on the Vector Works stuff, but I’m improving.

I have presently planned a 15 unit semester involving three days a week without (the 2 unit lab class) so I can take two sections of it, but I only need one more to put towards my degree. I’m always angry when there are units that I’m paying for and not taking, but the situation is what it is.

I’d also like to know who I should talk to about what the department is looking for in terms of plays. Like I said, one of my full-length plays is a 25 character monster and might suit the needs of the department once I clean it a bit. I had planned to write three full-length pieces of theatre in playwriting last semester and only failed to do so because I was refused in-class readings. I did turn in more than one hundred pages of never before viewed work. I know I can write to the needs of the department. I can’t promise that the plays will be good, and I know the likelihood of the school putting them on is still very small, but if I don’t try then I have no one to blame but myself.

“Nothing left but trying cept’in lying down and dying” Charles Dickens