Anyone Experienced School-Related Discrimination due to SD?

I'll try to be brief (ha). Most who know me know that I had a very long-term career as a software development manager in big biz (got a pension from that..."pre-SD") and am now working on formal education in Real Estate to pass the Cal State RE Exam for a new career. I hear the CA test is extremely hard. I want to become a Real Estate Appraiser because they actually let old people work in that field and you don't have to talk much.

So, grab this. I was overtly discriminated against at school tonight...in the second class of my Real Estate program. I'd like to know if anyone else has ever gone through a similar situation.

I passed the RE Principles class last month with flying colors (the one you need to take in California prior to getting your license). Tonight, I showed up for the RE Appraisal class...next step...and it was a total disaster, SD-wise. The room was huge with 20 foot ceilings and seats for about 200. There were only about 30 people in the class and students were scattered throughout the large room. Very bad situation for a student with SD (high ceilings, huge room) as the room itself produces background noise because it's so large.

I always sit in the front so I can be heard. I did that tonight even though I was not in the center...I was way off to the side but it was the best I could do. Before the instructor broke mid-class, I raised my hand and suggested we all gather toward the middle of the room so that his hand-outs could be more efficiently distributed (I and others had already missed a couple of his hand-outs since the students were passing them all over the place...there was no "organized plan" due to people scattered everywhere) and so we could more easily engage in conversation. I did not mention my disability at that point.

The first disaster was that some woman from way across the room yelled at me and said "he's expecting more students so there's no reason for us to gather toward the middle." Actually, the place looked empty...with so few students in a large room. I tried to explain again that I had already missed two hand-outs (the way the occupied desks were configured) and I got no support from any student or the instructor.

When the instructor broke mid-class, I walked up to talk to him at the podium and showed him my employee-ID from the same company he works for. I told him I wasn't trying to be critical but that I had a similar academic background to his (group behavior/adult learning) and I thought it would be better for hand-outs and group-dynamics if he would gather people toward the middle of the huge, cavernous room, and "by the way, I am a disabled student with one vocal cord and I can't participate in a setting like this...with the high ceilings and people spread all over this huge room. Can't we get them to come toward the center of the room?" I was trying to work with him.

The man looked at me like I lived on another planet. He stared at me with no comment. At that point, he left the room. Then, another student (mature adult...about my age) who was sitting directly in front of the instructor started telling me that I obviously knew nothing about going to college these days because "that's just the way it is." He also said it was my fault if I missed a hand-out and I had to be responsible to ask for it from the instructor at the end of the class (like I really needed a "parent"...give me a break).

I tried to explain to him that I was registered at Diablo Valley College as a disabled student and only had one vocal cord so that affects my participation in class. He started preaching to me and would not listen to me or look me in the eye. Five minutes of preaching with no words in edge-wise from me and no eye-contact from him. I finally said to him..."you don't understand...I'm vocally-disabled and I am very experienced at going to this school and others and next week I'll come early to get your seat because I need to be in the front-row, right in front of the instructor in order to fully participate in the class." (The instructor had already told us he expected us to participate or our grade would be lowered). That guy said I would have to fight him for that seat because the earlier class would be out at 6:30pm and he would beat me to it.

At that point, I thought that dude needed a REAL education, since he hadn't listened to a word I said, so I pulled out my NSDA tri-fold card with my name on it and I explained my situation one more time and told him to read the card. I said, "Serious neurological vocal disorder. My asking for people to gather toward the middle is a reasonable request so that I can participate in the class. Plus, it makes sense for everyone." Then, I went back to sit in my seat.

The guy looked at my card for about a minute and then the instructor came back in. At that point, he went up to the instructor and handed my card to him and pointed to me. I thought..."Cool, maybe the weird guy listened and is now educating the instructor on my vocal disability and my valid reason to gather the class more closely together." Thirty seconds later, the instructor gave my card back to me. Huh?. I told him he should read it because it explained what I had asked for because of my disability. He forcefully shoved it back into my hand.

I sat there stunned for about a minute. The woman next to me made some nasty remarks about me not understanding the class material. (Hey, I got an "A" in the pre-req but, because of my request, I guess I don't get it!!!). At that point, and for the 75 minutes previous, there were slides of California Missions flashing on the screen above. Another "huh?" I love the Missions and have visited many of them; but, it was surreal. 90 minutes into the class (which would have gone on for 18 Mondays, 3 hours a night), I walked out. The omens were not good and I don't need that class to take the State RE exam.

I am going to file a formal complaint in the Disabled Student Center at DVC tomorrow. The scene tonight was completely ridiculous. I gave them EVERY chance, was not unreasonable in my suggestions and they ignored and mocked me. I'm not happy.

Has anyone else ever had a similar situation when trying to go to school to upgrade their skills due to their vocal disability??? Let me know, if so.

Even though I registered at this college as a disabled student, that doesn't seem to matter much (based on the "non-response" of students and the instructor on Monday). The guy sitting next to me in RE162 (Real Estate Appraisal) was in a wheel-chair and I'm sure he got alot more credence from the instructor as far as "being disabled." He can talk in a huge room. But, I can't. See my article in the latest NSDA newsletter. I sure found out in Los Angeles at the "Technology and Disability Conference" in March that people with SD are the "invisibly disabled." Because I'm not in a wheelchair, I (and others with SD) don't count in the disabled community. If you say you're disabled (one vocal cord, in my case), it doesn't seem to count for much as I can still see, hear and move. Right. But, sometimes, I can't talk and most people could care less about that.

I really appreciate what you are going through right now in getting support at your college and through vocational rehab in order to start a new career. Bet you could teach me alot about working with the school for disabled student services. I'll be asking you. Thanks so much for your supportive message.

See the end of my (too long) post that began this thread. (I don't blame you if you didn't make it to the bottom). Yes, I'm filing a formal complaint.

I am registered at the school as a disabled student and I have prepared a complaint letter to the school, as mentioned in my post. Two problems, however. I dashed out of that class on Monday night when I realized I couldn't change any of the circumstances and, on my way out, it was dark and I tripped and fell on my *butt* (best word I could come up with) and, guess what, appears I broke my tailbone as I have not been able to sit or move much since. I'm getting x-rayed tomorrow but I've been stuck at home since then...just laying around on ice packs.

The reason this is a problem is because I want to deliver this letter in person. Calling on the phone doesn't work because in the middle of the day (on the phone) I sound so good and no one believes I am vocally-disabled or that I have any problem. I usually have to show them my scar, explain what happens when you only have one cord, show them info on SD and be in a noisy setting before they believe me. It's just one of the "things" we all have to deal with due to having this "invisible disability."

I'll let you know what happens but it probably won't be until next week before I confront them. I'd just as soon let it settle for a week anyway as I don't want to be too hysterical when I go in there. (But maybe I should be???...when I get upset I go into involuntary breathing spasms due to my RLN surgery, can't talk at all and people think I'm dying from an asthma attack; maybe I should try that approach???).