Accessibility in schools is still a big problem for kids with disabilities like ADHD.

Even when you know what you need and you have it in writing, a lot of teachers and other staff won’t want to comply.

Read on to see how this student got out of an inaccessible situation at her school.

Don’t think I’m fit for the class? Me too!

In homeroom on the first day of school she leveled with me saying that she also had ADHD and knew exactly how to help me, I was really excited about this as I desperately needed this help.

In this class she would read out in front of the class what work every student had that was overdue and would ask if you’ve handed it in.

In North America, these are called accommodations and schools legally have to follow them, if they’re documented properly.

Now I had these things called adaptations, these gave me special privileges in class to help with my learning.

For example I was given extra time to hand in assignments and extra time to work in tests.

First major red flag of this class was that she wouldn’t let me use headphones for work, something she had to do because it was apart of my adaptations.

That’s not how it works. Would you not let a blind student have a seeing eye dog with her unless all students got to bring their pets? No.

Her response to this was: “well if I let you have headphones then I have to let everyone have headphones.”

I asked her why that would be a bad thing, she didn’t really have an answer and just said it was the rule for a reason.

I’m sorry they had to worry about that.

I would just keep my headphones on in class until she would tell to take them off, some days she wouldn’t notice and some she would make a huge deal about them.

Once winter break was over and the semester changed she moved me closer to her desk so she could watch me and make sure I didn’t have headphones on.

A terrible day. Oh, goodness.

There was one day in May that was maybe the worst day of my life, my dad told me that he had to take my cat to the next city over to see if they could save his life, I had the biggest project of my ECE class and lesson plan due and me and best best friend at the time had a falling out.

This would impact anyone’s performance.

The next day I was working on the ECE project barely able to focus because of lack of sleep, the kid next to me chewing gum as loudly as he could, everything I had going on in my own life and this teacher reading off the classes assignments.

She gets to me and reads the long list of overdue assignments, I have this teacher essentially berating me in front of class for having all these things due and she asked me something but I was having a panic attack and didn’t hear anything she said to me.

Quick thinking!

She asked me to stay after class and said to me “you aren’t using your time in this class properly and I just think you aren’t meant to be in this class, I can only help those who want help.”

I was numb at this point and only responded with “I agree, can I use the washroom?”

She said yes and instead of going to the bathroom I went to the office and asked the vice principal if I could drop the class.

He pulls a little slip out and says that I need to write why I’m dropping the class and that I need to get both our signatures on the paper.

That sounds frustrating.

Before I left he asked why I wanted to drop that class like I hadn’t had multiple conversations with him and the principal about what was going on.

I still explained it to him was quickly as I could and then bolted by upstairs to my class to get her to sign.

It’s satisfying when you find out you aren’t alone and that the problem is over for your classmates.

I wasn’t the only kid that had a problem with her, the next year her replacement came to me in the library to ask about why I dropped her class.

I told her why she said that multiple kids had also complained about her and that she was gone before the year ended.

Let’s see what commenters said about this story.

It’s also legally required in Canada, but I don’t think teachers can get fired for it.

What I don’t understand is why a teacher with self-proclaimed ADHD would do this.

I hope she doesn’t get bullied. Kids should be allowed to keep their disability private from other kids.

For sure. It must be upsetting.

I wonder if the poster knows this.

Don’t refuse accessibility to students who ask for it.

I hope the poster doesn’t have to deal with this again.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.