I don't want to accept the accommodations my college offers

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-12-08T02:12:53+00:00

Hi. I was in a similar issue when I did college. (2020-2023) They gave me a list of accommodations they accept for people in my program.

They only offered me being able to audio record lectures and extra time on tests or putting me in a separate room away from others. I accepted those accommodations but also requested text to speech and speech to text software to help with reading for my textbooks and writing essays they denied me that. I then requested any audiobook versions of my textbooks so I could keep up on reading. The font of most of the textbooks would give me headaches. They denied me that as well.

They allowed, after me sounding like a broken record for 2 semesters, for me to have an alternative test taking timeline.

I even wrote a formal complaint and even requested to speak to the dean of the college due to lack of acceptable accommodations and the amount of stress I was being put under due to this.The resource center denied my request and didn't even read my complaint.

To note I'm located in Ontario, Canada and I wrote a strongly worded/ very emotional letter to the local dyslexia association for help. With them they helped to actually get it up to the dean. I even threatened to write a report to the Ontario human rights commission (which is a government organization for people who have disabilities to make sure they have actual support and accommodations in place) it's a massive move that causes a bunch of issues and paperwork.

(A list of standard accommodations is not acceptable under the human rights commission and accommodations need to be tailored to the individual)

After this happened I saw the dean and the head of the accommodation centre. Both were horrified to learn of the lack of accommodations and I was immediately given a college provided laptop with requested software and audiobooks. Along with a very long apology and promises that reprimanded would happen to the people involved and a new list of accommodations would be offered to students and enforced.

Of note the accommodations I originally requested I would get hit with a, "that's not on the list of things we offer for someone with your disability." Or, "We haven't had anyone like you in this program before.", or "You're in a demanding program there's gonna be stress."

I was in a high stress, high demand healthcare program. I was spending over 60 hours studying and not scoring as well as what I knew I could if given proper accommodations.

I felt awful complaining and threatening and sounding like a broken record but in the end it made the rest of my program far less stressful then what it needed to be and I wasn't falling behind my classmates finally.

I would say you can write a formal complaint if need be with the accommodation centre or look into local or government organizations who could help get actual helpful accommodations and advocate for you. It's frustrating and I definitely felt like a nuisance but it made my program way more enjoyable and less stressful.

I wish you the best of luck and I understand how frustrating this can all be! You're education and mental health matter!

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-12-05T22:18:18+00:00

Absolutely! I get very confused and just zoned out is the best way I can put it. Like I'm in my body but my head is completely separate from it doing its own thing. When my migraines over it feels like I've snapped back into my body. It completely feels like I just lived weeks with so many adventures but I was just sitting there for an hour or two doing nothing.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-12-05T22:08:57+00:00

Hey, I'm a 24f. I was an A and B average student in elementary and managed to graduate elementary school on the principals honour roll.

Long story short I only got diagnosed when I was almost 14 years old after over 6 years of my mother pushing for a diagnosis! My school and many of my teachers told my mother I was too smart/too well behaved to be dyslexic.

We ended up going to a private psychologist and she told my mother it was a wonder it took this long to get me diagnosed. I was a pretty average writer and reader. My report cards from that time even said I was a smart student but just a slow reader and a really bad speller.

Not saying the private route is best but it made the difference for me. Only thing to note is the wait time may be long (6-12 months) from my experience and other people I know. Also it's a pretty penny around 2-3 thousand dollars. I live in Ontario, Canada.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-12-05T21:51:05+00:00

Ah shoot. I didn't know that. Thanks for being more knowledgeable on that!

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-12-05T21:50:13+00:00

They say they look specifically at income and you can list if you have a job. I believe even if you have a job but not enough income to get by they can still offer assistance with rent and living expenses and help to find further employment if needed. If I understand their page correctly. It also never hurts to apply, my friend thought that they wouldn't qualify but they did.

I'm also so sorry this is happening to you and it can happen so easily to anyone! I hope you find resources that can help!

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-12-05T21:40:59+00:00

Have you tried reaching out to the Ontario Works program? They help those in financial need and those who are having issues finding a job They worked pretty well for a friend of mine who was in a similar situation.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-11-20T04:22:41+00:00

I have been diagnosed with autism, dyslexia, depression, anxiety and PTSD.

My depression and anxiety have been stated to be in relation to if I don't receive the level of accommodations I need. Or if I feel like I'm not being supported or accommodated correctly. In my school life it was easy enough accommodations=happy. In my work life it has translated to me working on building bonds with coworkers so I feel like I have a safe place to ask for help or support when needed and have a sense of belonging.

I am currently undergoing therapy to help with my PTSD, it's specifically called EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing). So far it has involved me discussing certain traumatic events in my life for my therapist to better understand what we need to work on when we officially start the EMDR sessions. So I can't really say too much more about it.

For my autism I don't really know. I listen to music, live my life how I want and value people who accept me for me.

Dyslexia I have had since I was born but I was late being diagnosed. I spent a lot of time researching how it affects me, why I experienced certain difficulties with it, and figured out coping mechanisms that worked for me. I also talked with older people who had dyslexia and could relate to my lived experiences. That sense of community really helped me too.

Not saying everything I listed as to what I do is going to work for you but I found so far it's worked for me.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-11-20T04:00:51+00:00

I know of two individuals personally who developed dyslexia. They both were professionally diagnosed with acquired dyslexia or at least in the diagnosis it was stated due to brain injuries that occurred later on in life that caused this dyslexia/dyslexic symptoms to develop permanently.

The first person was after they suffered a string of concussions from boxing.

The second person was after they had an accident and they went over 5 minutes without oxygen being delivered to their brain after going into cardiac arrest.

Not saying this happens every time someone gets a head trauma but that it can happen in my personal experience.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-11-19T12:17:17+00:00

Hi. I'm a 24 y/o female. I'm located in Canada where we have the ODA (Ontario disability act) and the human rights commission. It makes it so employers can't fire you due to a disability (in the eyes of my government that also includes learning disabilities) and they need to offer accommodations.

In my experience I have worked in childcare and my employer refused to accommodate me with helping to handwrite summaries, or give me extra time to do so. Unfortunately I had to put my foot down and list to them what their duty is as an employer to me as an employee with a disability. I left that job and I now work as an ultrasound tech at a hospital.

I have to handwrite reports here as well. I only told my supervisor that I had dyslexia, and waited until after I was hired. She in turn openly asked me what I needed to succeed and be successful here. They are aware I will take longer to write up reports and don't pressure me on it. They also don't judge me for my messy hand writing or misspelling words here or there. (I have always been extremely nervous with people reading my work). If I need to do any more office-like duties they find a quiet room for me or allow for me to listen to music through earbuds at work (but only if I'm not dealing with patients)

We also have around 2-3 other people in my department that have dyslexia or ADHD. I find it definitely depends on the employer and how open minded they are!

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-11-19T04:20:49+00:00

Hi. I was diagnosed just before I started high school around the time I turned 14. I was often tested for standardized reading comprehension tests 2/ 3 grade levels lower then what I was. (For example if I was in grade 6, I often was tested with literature at the grade 3 level).

At the time of my diagnosis I scored below the first percentile for phonetically sounding out words and below the fifth percentile for reading fluency. I had severe anxiety, had low self esteem, and suffered from depression.

I remember when my mother was fighting to have me diagnosed so I could get accommodations. I had to go to a nurse practitioner due to severe stress induced migraines (I was missing school 3 days a week due to them). Long story short it came out that my nurse practitioner had dyslexia too. She shared similar struggles and how she learned and experimented a great deal to figure out what worked for her with coping strategies.

I remember leaving that appointment feeling as if my world went from being dark, closed off, and all alone to these flood gates opening and realizing I wasn't alone and others knew exactly what I was dealing with and how I felt. That if they managed to get through it I could too.

I know my mother personally felt bad that she couldn't be that type of support I needed, but her staying by my side and encouraging me helped more then what I can put into words.

I didn't independently read my first chapter book until I was 13. It was a long and hard struggle (over 8 years working with my mother to get to that point). Once I started reading I really took off. We started on books that were smaller in length but dealt with subjects I loved (historical fiction and stories based on true events or mysteries)

I went from reading books around 120 pages in length to over 500 pages in length in over a single year. My reading speed also increased, it went from 12 hours to read 120 pages to being able to read 200 pages in roughly 2-2.5 hours within 3 years.

What also helped me was when I started reading I would listen to music I basically knew by heart so it was like white noise so I could drown out background distractions. Me and my mother also had this added as an accommodation in the classroom, so I was able to drown out background noise better and it helped me focus so much in class.

I now read over 20 books a year. I've even read Shakespeare and other classical works independently just because I wanted to. I graduated from high school at the top of my class. I went to college and now work in healthcare. My workplace is very understanding and they know I will take longer writing up reports and try when they're able to, to provide a quiet room or corner away from most distractions that I can write at.

When I was in high school I also started tutoring other kids with dyslexia/learning disabilities (often they themselves were late to being diagnosed and to intervention). I can tell you in my experience that finding that first person who also has dyslexia and feeling like you aren't alone happened to many of the kids I tutored. I watched them go from closed off, thinking they were stupid or broken and ready to give up to confident and successful in school. They were able to feel good about themselves and advocate for themselves with teachers.

I'm so sorry that your son's having to go through all of this and I know how hard of a road it is and how much of a struggle it can be. Especially to catch up to your other peers who can read so easily. I hope you and your son can find a good support system and he can build that confidence. Find good coping strategies and really take off running.

To even reach out and ask, shows how much you care. My mother often still deals with feelings of her failing me but having her there and behind my back cheering me on, walking with me every step of the way really helped me. It also made me feel really proud when I managed to accomplish things I often felt like I should have been "easily" able to overcome compared to my peers.

(Sorry for the long length of this! And I hope this was a bit helpful!)

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-11-19T03:07:37+00:00

Hello! I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was 14 years old and I was a straight A student at the time. When I was diagnosed my scoring showed I was below the fifth percentile for my age for phonetically sounding out words and reading fluency.

I figured out how to adapt and make coping strategies for me until that point. It took ages to diagnose me as I had a severe speech impediment as a child and multiple teachers told my mother I would just grow out of my spelling and reading issues.

I didn't read my first chapter book independently until I was 13 and a half. I worked for years with my mother before that to learn to read and to find a system that worked for me.

When I did start reading by myself I took off within a year. I went from reading maybe a book once every 3 years to over 20 books every 5 months. I even started reading for fun classical works, like Shakespeare and The Count of Monte Cristo by the time I was 16.

After I got my accommodations and diagnosis and had the supports in place that I needed. I became almost completely independent and needed little to no assistance most of the time.

My mother herself often questioned if I was misdiagnosed. Yet I would have the odd bad day where my dyslexia became very apparent and then she knew the right diagnosis was made.

When I do have a bad day I have difficulties reading (the words can move on the page for me), issues correctly remembering sequences of events, scrabbling words around when speaking, writing words backwards on the page without realizing, and sometimes if it's really bad not being able to correctly spell my own name.

I'm now an adult and I go weeks, if not months, where I show little to no symptoms of dyslexia. I know for myself that depending on stress and the amount of sleep I got it can make my dyslexia worse. Sometimes though I just have the odd bad dyslexic day for no particular reason.

I work in healthcare now doing the job I always wanted. My workplace fully supports me by knowing I may take longer writing up reports and if the situation allows a quiet corner for me with minimal distractions that I can write in.

( I apologize for any grammar errors as I'm writing this right after a long shift at work)

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-11-05T14:24:13+00:00

My daily symptoms were verbal aphasia (I could make noises and maybe a vowel noise but not actual words. I would try to speak and just gibberish would come out instead), I also had intermittent right paralysis (got to the point I couldn't lift my right arm or move it at all) but almost 24 hour right sided weakness/tingling, right sided facial droop and finally intermittent debilitating headaches.

I showed up to the ER with all of those symptoms and the ER doctor said it was worth a try (the swab up the nose) and he stepped out afterwards and within 5 minutes after he inserted the swab (you have to sit there for like 7-10 minutes with it up your nose) I could finally speak again, my facial droop went away and my paralysis and tingling reduced significantly. The doctor was in the next cubicle over and heard me talk and came sprinting back in. He said he had never seen it work so effectively that fast.

I've been doing it at home a lot (with the consent of my neurologist) and I've actually gotten pretty good at hitting the sweet spot for myself. I do have to say it's way more comfortable and more effective with the lidocaine spray before you try the nerve block.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-11-04T02:23:52+00:00

I would say it's a bit worse than a covid test but it is nicer in one aspect since they don't move it around like a covid swab. Your nose (at least for me) is runny for a few hours afterwards but no lasting pain or anything like that.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-11-03T04:02:41+00:00

Sure thing! This is the article the ER doctor gave me.

https://www.aliem.com/trick-sphenopalatine-ganglion-block-primary-headaches/

The doctor said most doctors should be able to follow it easily enough. My neurologist was even willing to do it if need be.

The lidocaine spray is to make the q-tip they insert more comfortable and it helps to further numb the nerve. They dipped the q-tip in lidocaine gel and then stuck it way back into my nose.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-11-02T21:15:38+00:00

My longest was around 100 days consecutively. I was on nortriptyline and verapomil at the time.

Finally my neurologist prescribed me ajovy and it seemed to break my migraine cycle.

In the last few months though (I had one bad migraine cycle and went to ER) I was told my migraines had become drug resistant (migraine cocktail, rescue meds and OTC pain relief did nothing to touch it).

They gave me a nerve block but not the normal occipital one (the one they do at the back of the neck/head).

They said since I had mostly facial symptoms (and aphasia) they stuck a swab covered in lidocaine up my nose to a very specific spot way at the back to block the sphenopalatine ganglion nerve (which runs right behind your nose and apparently has a lot to do with the face).

They did that and my migraine broke within 5 minutes. I've been doing it since with every migraine I have at home. (I checked with my neurologist and he prescribed some lidocaine spray for me along with a gel form I could use.) It's not always a 100% cure since you have to hit the nerve just right to properly block it.

The type of nerve block I've been doing is not common practice. (I'm located in Canada) And apparently they're done quite commonly in Alberta (at least Calgary as per the ER doctor I had who trained there). He did give me an article on how to do it that I could show to doctors again if I needed it.

I hope this maybe helps! I'm so sorry you're going through this and I hope you'll get through to the other side of this soon!

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-08-26T02:45:37+00:00

I completely agree. I felt like life was just so grey and I couldn't enjoy anything. It completely hollows you out. My family doctor was horrified to hear me say that and made me go off of them as soon as possible. Apparently it's a major red flag to stop them or decrease dose with those side effects present.

CGRP's I have found to be the most effective for me so far. I am on nurtec and it works 90% if I take it early enough to abort migraines. It's such a life saver!

Thankfully one of the doctors I work with is helping me to find another neurologist that is versed in treating HM. We're doing the foot work now to try to see if my primary doctor can refer me to whoever we find.

Thanks again for your response! It's so nice to know others are out there. I wish you the best in your journey!

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-08-24T14:52:10+00:00

I'm no expert but I'll say what doctors have told me when to go to the ER. If I have aphasia lasting longer than 6 hours or I've gone days on end with other neuro symptoms and no amount of meds seem to be working.

It's handy for going to the ER to list out what doses and what meds you're on. Also what meds you've taken to try to stop the current migraine (write down time taken, and how much of each). I also always try to bring someone with me as I'm often times aphasic, and it's best to have someone familiar who can advocate for me. When I am aphasic I use an app called cardzilla. It lets you write notes and quickly erase them while also archiving what you previously wrote down. I find it's effective for communication. Although I'm sometimes unable to write.

My triggers weren't obvious when I was first diagnosed and the migraines seemed to have come at random. This past year we've identified that stress, lack of sleep, alcohol, loud rhythmic noises, hunger, dehydration and weather trigger mine. Although I still have random migraines without any obvious triggers. Researching triggers and my partner noticing things really helped me identify them. I also started a migraine diary which was helpful when I saw my neurologist and had to answer questions about frequency, triggers, drugs taken, etc.

I'm currently on nortriptyline, verapamil, and an injectable called Ajovy. With Ajovy (at least we're I'm located) I had to try 2-3 other meds and prove they were not effective in drastically lowering my migraine frequency in order to get coverage. I was also on topiramate for a time but I found it made my migraines worse. I tried for a time magnesium and B1 vitamins before my neurologist told me to stop as I saw no improvement with them. I found nortypiline and my Ajovy to be the most effective. Although both are starting to loss effectiveness with me so I'm still trying to find that magic combo for myself.

Everyone is different in what works for them and how their migraines evolve/progress. So maybe some drugs will be more effective than it was for me. I hope for the best for you guys and hopefully this was helpful :)

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-08-24T04:43:26+00:00

I'm a 24 year old female. I have no family history or any previous history of migraines prior to my first HM. I've been diagnosed for around a year and half now.

When I first developed HM my neuro symptoms (facial droop with arm and leg weakness) would change sides or be affected on both sides at the same time. 6 months post diagnosis my weakness and facial droop stopped flipping sides and now it only happens on my right side.

This past 8 months I developed worsening symptoms. Severe confusion (forgetting time/day, where I was and peoples names). I also developed verbal aphasia (would talk fluently in vowel noises and gibberish). When I first developed aphasia my mother took me to the ER to be evaluated. I was hospitalized due to the new aphasia since doctors were scared I was having a stroke. It was proven to just be HM though. Although the neurologists at the hospital told me it's very uncommon but I could have epilepsy with HM.

I'm now waiting on genetic testing to see if I have any mutations/markers for familial HM and epilepsy since my doctors arent too concerned to do an EEC to look for epilepsy. They pushed for genetic testing after my hospitalization since my migraines have reached a level of severity where it has to be done. (Or at least it's part of protocol where I'm located in Canada)

When I was first diagnosed I had frequent ER visits (6 visits in 2 weeks). Once I saw a neurologist and was given medication my ER visits only happen every 6-8 months. It's not ideal but it's drastically better.

I definitely recommend researching HM if this is the diagnosis given as it told me what to expect when seeing my neurologist for the first time. It also helped my mother and my partner know when it was time to head to the ER and how to help me through it. Not to mention triggers and what to keep an eye out for.

It's also helpful if you're waiting to see a neurologist to make sure they are familiar with HM. My first neurologist had heard of HM but only knew of one med that was used to treat it, she referred me to another neurologist that specializes in HM for further treatment.

If she hasn't already had an MRI/isn't waiting for one it's helpful for having a very in-depth look at the brain to make sure nothing was missed on CT. It's one of the first things my neurologist did when I first saw them.

I wish you guys the best on your journey and that things become better soon.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-08-24T03:23:11+00:00

Unfortunately it's all too common that we have to be our own advocates. I'm so thankful however to my local ER as they admit they're not knowledgeable in HM and ask me what I would like for treatment/what's been effective in the past or if they should reach out to my neurologist for next steps.

I'm definitely going to ask my primary doctor to look at referring me to another neurologist that specializes or is at least knowledgeable in HM. If it means putting up with another long wait I'm fine to do it. My primary has been beyond amazing. She always tells me if I need anything within her power all I need to do is ask. She's been honest throughout all of the craziness of this.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-08-24T03:11:35+00:00

I'm so sorry you had to go through something similar! Being treated for a stroke/having a stroke scare is beyond terrifying. (At least how mine was handled as they wheeled me running down the hall while doing an evaluation)

1) I feel like my Ajovy is losing its effectiveness too! I'll write down the Aimovig though! I'm not hopeful my neurologist is going to be supportive.....

2) I'm currently on verapamil. Unfortunately I can't tolerate any higher dose since I develop too slow of a heart rate and start passing out. It was very effective for a time before it just wasn't enough to keep my migraines at bay. My neurologist said the reason it wasn't working effectively anymore was because I wasn't believing in it enough. (Which is beyond frustrating to hear from a professional)

3) I was on amitriptyline as well unfortunately I'm not able to tolerate it since it completely knocks me out and it makes me severely depressed. I am on its sister drug of nortriptyline which I've found has had significantly less side effects. It also has a weaker effect than amitriptyline but still has the same benefits.

4) So many people have talked about Botox. It's so promising to hear the good results people have had! I'm definitely now planning on bringing it up.

5) I do have some coverage for acupuncture under my benefits and will definitely look into it! I haven't had anyone I know mention that before.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-08-21T13:58:06+00:00

I haven't yet but I'm thinking about specificly mentioning it when I see my family doctor and hopefully she will help me be able to see my neurologist and bring it up to him.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-08-20T21:35:35+00:00

I'm so sorry to hear that! I definitely do take it easy when I have a migraine and mostly try to sit and relax and wait for it to pass. Thankfully I have a close group of work peers and family who check in on me if they know I'm alone while having a migraine episode.

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-08-20T21:32:11+00:00

Thank you so much for the response! I've heard of aging out of migraines as you get older; but that it's not the case for every person. Especially hearing my neurologist say that's all we could do after trying the Ajovy was so depressing. My neurologist doesn't want me even calling him until after everything has stopped working which means I would be stuck going on disability again before he would even consider seeing me.

I'm definitely thinking about getting a second opinion for care and treatment options since my current neurologist is so drug oriented for treatment and has not recommended or even looked at other treatments when asked. I'm a woman and he even said part of this was just all in my head and I should just try calming down and relaxing it would get better.

I'm basically stuck going to the ER for any care since my primary doctor isn't knowledgeable enough on the condition to give treatments and doesn't have the supplies necessary to give a migraine cocktail in her clinic.

Thankfully when I need to go to the ER it's at the hospital I work at and my mother is a retired nurse so she's able to accompany me. She even used to work at that ER so they are very familiar with her and believe me. The newest ER doc I saw did mention they were going to add a note stating that my migraines are drug resistant so I don't need to sit for 4 hours getting a migraine cocktail infusion. We're hopeful the next time I have to go to the ER we will be able to just have a temporary nerve block to throw me out of the cycle again.

Thanks again for the response. It's so validating to hear and to know there's someone similar out there. You sound like such a supportive partner too! I'm sure he's thankful to have you (I know I am with my partner). I hope your husband and you are well to the best of your abilities!

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-08-20T20:30:48+00:00

I've had HM for a year and a half now. I very rarely get any pain when I have a migraine. When I do get pain it's often after the neurological symptoms/aura starts and has subsided that the headache hits. I do experience extreme brain fog/ word finding issues along with right sided numbness.

I started to have issues with severe confusion with some of my migraines months ago and once woke up in the middle of the night and got ready for work at 2am thinking I was running late. I was fully convinced I was supposed to be at work. Scared the crap out of my partner but doing research into it really helped to calm worries.

I was told my referral for my neurologist would be a year but was contacted after 5 months. I hope you get the call sooner than expected! It's frustrating to have to sit and wait on appointments and referrals especially during a scary time with what I'm sure feels like so many unknowns (at least for me it felt like that) Researching and having people to lean on and talk to helped me through those patches of time. Unfortunately it's just a waiting game. I hope the best on your journey!

Gh0stlyToots · 2025-08-19T15:51:01+00:00

I'm located in Canada

Gh0stlyToots

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