“See the person, not the wheelchair” is one of the quotes found on Anna’s Facebook page. She is on a lifelong quest to be considered normal since her earliest memories.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
At Anna’s insistence, her mother actually fought the school system and won. She got her daughter enrolled in a middle school in her own neighborhood rather than the only accessible school in the district. The neighborhood school was forced to install a ramp and accommodate Anna. Anna was able to have school friends in the neighborhood. Anna is not capable of writing and typing fast enough and used a portable word processor and prediction tool to help her get through school.
Anna's First Writing Tool
In college, the writing tool was not useable in class for taking notes. She also had to give up any personal assistance. She tried using a digital recorder to take notes but it wasn’t a great method for her.
In college, the writing tool was not useable in class for taking notes. She also had to give up any personal assistance. She tried using a digital recorder to take notes but it wasn’t a great method for her.
In recent years, the attitudes of faculty in higher education is changing. The number of law suits based on lack of compliance with ADA guidelines has increased significantly causing institutions to sit up and take notice. A new awareness has brought about policy changes which mandate that faculty accommodate students with disabilities to the best of their ability.
Dictation software proved to be the ideal tool for Anna and she spent endless hours in the Assistive Technology Lab writing papers and taking notes from her textbook assignments by dictating into a microphone connected to the computer.
Anna finds a way
Anna worked her way through college towards an accounting degree in spite of personal and financial challenges. She became a single mother of three children along the way and took on enormous responsibilities. She won the “Against All Odds” award given to her by the college president in her last year at school.
At one point the instructors did not believe she could get through one of her required courses…ten key. The accounting department refused to waive the required course and she simply could not meet the speed requirements to pass the class. Working with the Assistive Technologist at her school, she worked out a brand new method of using Dragon in conjunction with Excel to tabulate long lists of numbers and passed her final exam with a “B” grade.
Graduation
Although Anna graduated and has all the skills necessary to work in her field, she has not been successful at finding a job. She states that she has often made it to a second or third interview but when she mentions she will need dictation software, she is no longer considered as a candidate. Unfortunately, two years after graduation, Anna remains one of the many qualified yet unemployed people with disabilities.