Academic accommodations for mental disabilities

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Were you aware that most colleges are required to provide academic accommodations to folks with mental disabilities (as well as learning, sensory, and physical disabilities)? Asperger Syndrome may qualify as a mental disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 if the condition "substantially limits one or more major life activities." Such "major life activities" include caring for self, interacting with others, learning, concentrating. The documentation (letter from psychiatrist or psychologist or other doctor) should mention which life activity is limited and how so, and the letter should justify the need for particular accommodations. Any additional diagnoses should be included in the letter.

Common accommodations include extended test time (generally this is time and a half, but you should get your doctor/psychologist to recommend up to double time for exams!), take exams in a separate room with a proctor, and note-taking services. Extensions on assignments might also be warranted.

Most colleges have a Disabled Students Program within student services. I encourage interested students to check out this program on the school's website or contact the office of the Disabled Students Program to find out what type of documentation is required.

There is a university-for-aspies website actually, that discusses this. Tho I feel that I'd be better off without, personally.

Found the url btw: http://www.users.dircon.co.uk./~cns/index.html

I'm supported at college well,have LSAs,they bring me in a laptop where possible or let me use desktop computers if there in a room as my writing is often unreadable and I get easily frustrated with it,am allowed to go in a quiet room to do any exams(very rarely do exams luckily),extra time,and where possible-allow me to stay in the class room at break rather than having to go into the noisy caffeteria.

I receive accomodations with my university as needed. I don't always need extended time on a test, but sometimes with tests which have a lot of essay writing I end up needing more time for recopying my essay(s). I have options for other things if I ever need them in the future. So far I've only ever used extended time. My professors are also notified of my disability.

I also meet with the director of the Academic Resource Center (my campus' disabilities office) each week and update her on how I'm doing. We usually meet for about a half hour. She's quite nice and we usually end up talking about psychology after my brief update since she's one of the part-time psych professors, too.

I have accomodations too. I have extended time on tests. I only used it once so far. I used it in English when we had to write an in class essay for our final. I can also use a tape recorder for lectures, but most instructors at my college are fine with any students using them.

I never requested accomidations at college but that was because I really did not have enough information.

At ECC, I really never had a need for accomidations.The instructors and system in and of itself was accomidating.

At RIT, the only 2 accomidations I would have needed were to have a single room (dorm or apartment) rather than have to deal with roommates and assistance in getting an instructor to stop harrassing me when taking his classes (He was the only instructor teaching the class and it was required).

In any case, I probably would have gotten a diagnosis in college if I went directly to RIT through the New York State Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) rather than the route I did take. Oh well.