For myself, after suffering a brain and spinal cord injury that left me, after four+ years of physical therapy, walking but still with a lot of invisible cognitive difficulties, just mentioning any sort of disability or problem was extremely embarrassing and heartbreaking. I appreciated the fact that the three professors I've dealt with so far have been discreet, upbeat and positive about my being in the class. It's important for teachers to realize that for many of us, we just want to get through school and have the same opportunity as everyone else to succeed - but we don't want to be a pain, get "special" attention or treatment beyond what's really essential. I'm very embarrassed about my brain injury's lingering effects, particularly because people can see nothing wrong, thanks to working hard in PT [physical therapy]. The last thing I want to hear is "Gee, that's weird, you look and sound fine." My shyness was my biggest obstacle and my extreme embarrassment about having to ask for special accommodations. Everyone was very nice and DISCREET - something I GREATLY appreciated. The most important thing to remember is that students with disabilities know they have a problem; most likely it's an embarrassing problem and they'd rather not have the class know, if they can help it. I don't mind discussing details about what happened to me in my case, but that's just me. I do have a problem with the fact that just because I'm not using a walker or slurring my speech or unable to write, that after all that I endured over the past 10 years after my accident, anyone would think that I was shamming or insinuate that - I worked so hard to recover well and save my dignity - to be questioned about the extent of my injuries is always a hot button - like asking a rape victim if she's sure it was really rape - that same sort of feeling will certainly come over someone if questioned about such a painful, awful subject as lingering ill effects of disease or injury.
    That's all - everyone I've dealt with has been very nice and discreet - so important.  I want to encourage people (professors) to be aware that living with disabilities is a lot more challenging than just trying to get through school - it wears a person out living with the ever-present symptoms of the disability. Mine are excruciating pain and embarrassing cognitive problems that can look like carelessness, clumsiness or plain stupidity. Daily, this is exhausting with normal daily issues piled on top of that. Add the worries about getting the right sort of help so you can just get through school and you have a very frazzled person asking for the professor's understanding.  It's important that they give it. 
    Outside people can't see how much it costs a person daily to discreetly cover their disability. Saving one's dignity as much as possible, at least for myself, was a BIG part of my recovery. My first time sitting up and getting out of bed alone, months after my accident, was when I just couldn't bear using a bedpan one more time. My sister flew in to help me because I left the hospital a few months early and was still in bad shape; I couldn't hand her another bedpan. I was determined to save myself the embarrassment, and forced myself to sit at an incline in bed and brave the horrible spinning vertigo for several minutes. And when that cleared enough, I stumbled to my wheelchair and sat down, dizzily, clumsily wheeling myself into the bathroom as my sister stood by watching me struggle. (I'd pushed her away and she knew how important this moment was.)  That was probably THE most important moment in my recovery. My point is that preserving one's dignity is much more important than anyone that hasn't personally experienced a profound disability can understand. It plays a major role in overcoming the physical and psychological aspects of sudden injury or illness; it forces the person with the disability to seize the opportunity to master it somewhat. Professors handling accommodations with encouraging good cheer and discretion, and as much empathy as possible, is critical to not discouraging a person from attending school or even showing up for life. The teachers do not realize how difficult it has been for these people to even get to where they are. It's a VERY big deal; trust me.

I think faculty should know specifics about disabilities. I guess not everyone wants to share, so it shouldn't be required that the student share. I think teachers should have a better idea of why giving extra time is a good thing. Before this year, I know tests had been extremely frustrating for me because I always had to turn them in before I was finished. I was not given the opportunity to show the teacher that I knew the material. I think it should be emphasized that just because a student is capable of getting pretty good grades without accommodations does not mean that they do not deserve accommodations. That is what I faced all through high school; I never got accommodations. My grades were still good, but I always knew that I could have done better with a little more time.  I could pull off some 100s without the extra time, but the stress I was under to finish the tests was unhealthy, I believe.  It is nice to finally be recognized as "smart" even though I am slow. Encourage teachers not to assume that, because students are doing well or not using all of the extended time they're entitled to, they should stop receiving accommodations. It is also helpful for people with ADHD if the teachers are willing to meet with them at the beginning of the semester and kind of give an idea of what to be paying attention for during the class. I've found that tape-recording my Bio class is extremely helpful. The only reason I do it is because my teacher mentioned at the beginning of the semester that we could tape her class. I have not asked other professors because I feel uncomfortable asking and I am afraid they might feel uncomfortable answering. 

I believe it would be helpful if professors gave students with disabilities a print-out of class lecture notes. This would be helpful because usually in class I am too busy taking notes and am unable to make sense of what I have written down. I have the option of tape-recording the lecture, but the recorded sound usually isn't clear. Also, I'm not sure whether this applies to my disorder or not, but I have a big problem with time. Because of my medicine and anxiety, I tend to not be able to leave my apartment until everything is set and placed exactly how I need it to be. For example, notes and other papers have to be organized and perfect before I leave. Thus, most of the time I arrive to class a few minutes late. I wish my professors would understand that my tardiness isn't intentional because I feel I really can't control this problem. I still am trying to manage my time more efficiently. It has been hard for me to realize how much more work and effort I need to stay at the same academic level as my peers.

The only time that I have ever felt odd talking about my accommodations is when asking for tutors in the subject they are teaching.  I have been told to come to the teacher if a question came up and wouldn't give me a tutor's name.  I'm a slow learner and know that if I really asked every question that I had, the teacher would get thoroughly irritated, especially when I ask the same question several times. Once, the teacher told me that she could help answer questions, but didn't seem happy about the idea.  I think that part of my LD is that I have to have something told to me several times in several different ways.  It takes my brain longer to process things, so I didn't even want to take her up on the offer. Since my freshman year I feel that negotiating accommodations with faculty has improved.  They are more willing to go out of their way and help us in any way they can.

Everyone of my professors were respectful and accommodating. But Prof. ____tended to ask me about my disability while we were in class, and asked me to stay after and things like that. So I didn't like the way he handled it as much as the other ones did.  I just felt like the rest of the class was mad at me and were mad that I was getting more time. It was almost embarrassing, and I didn't want to even ask for my accommodations. [...]It takes a lot for a student to come and talk to a professor in the first place about accommodations, and so they should respect that and not make it so public. At least that's the way I feel; I would just want it to be a little more confidential. 

The best thing that a teacher can do to help is have notes on-line for me to print out, or e-mail them to me.

Although, I still have a hard time with this, I wish faculty would be clear if they are truly open to the fact that I am different. If they aren't going to be helpful, I would like to know from the start where we stand. Therefore I can take the right action to make sure I can do well if I have to take the class.

The last thing people with disabilities want to do is draw attention to their shortcomings or focus on what they already know is a big problem for them. It's hard to put it into words but it's difficult to admit you need help and CANNOT get on without cooperation from someone else. Having anyone even look like they are or might withhold that help is terrifying and extremely frustrating to the person who is depending on that person's assistance. This is why it's important to acknowledge that discretion/positive attitude is a big part in communicating with the person with a disability so as to ENCOURAGE AND EMPOWER them, not weaken and tear them down. It's much easier to do the latter than anyone realizes. 

Definitely ask for specifics of a student's disability [editor's note: students are not required to disclose this, but if you'd like to know more, ask if they'd be willing to tell you more so you can be more helpful]

Be willing to adapt teaching styles to different students' needs

Understand that students probably know more about their disability than their professors do! (I've had teachers in the past try to tell me what is wrong with me when I ask for accommodations...) So far, I have not had any challenges when asking for accommodations.

Make sure you are aware what exactly a learning disability is.  I think a lot of faculty do not completely understand that it is a true disability, so just as a physically-handicapped person needs things such as special parking privileges, ramps, wheelchairs, etc, a student with a learning disability needs the proper accommodations, diagnosed and approved by professionals, of course.  I don't know exactly what actions need to be taken to eliminate the problem of faculty who really don't know completely or understand what a learning disability is, but some type of required seminar or speaker explaining it to them might help.  In my high school, we had a speaker come one day to speak specifically about learning disabilities. The talk only lasted about an hour, but I found it to be very interesting, enlightening, and educational. I think something like this would help a lot of teachers become more understanding of what a learning disability is and how certain accommodations help the students.

A good tip for the faculty would be for them to check up on the student every once in a while and see if every thing is going all right. This would be good especially if I or another student is hesitant about approaching a professor. Oftentimes students will talk about the struggles that they are having in a class if they are asked by the professor, but they will be more hesitant to do so if they are not asked.

There should be a choice for students whether to disclose details about their disability. But I think faculty should have a better understanding of the different types of disabilities in order to be able to distinguish them from one another. I think professors should convey openness, instead of making students feel like they are being judged. Professors should try to empathize with the fact that students are nervous disclosing this information, and it would help for professors' attitudes toward them to be as warm as possible as well as inviting. I think some professors have their own views on learning disabilities, their own interpretations about what they believe to be correct. They need a better understanding of what a learning disability entails and the signs of a student with a learning disability as well as the frustrations that some experience.

My teachers were all really understanding and helpful in scheduling test times. I thought if would be sort of hard to do or intimidating, but it wasn't at all and I got to know all my teachers better. The only thing that was hard though was not being able to ask the teacher questions during the test, if you're not in the classroom. Sometimes I have a lot of trouble understanding what the question is asking, so a few of my teachers ended up letting me take the test with them in their office which really helped and was so nice of them.

I know it can be hard for some students to talk about their learning disability, so it's helpful when professors are open and offer to help in any way they can. I have had some professors be short and cold, and it can make you feel uncomfortable. I also think it is nice when professors talk to you about other things after the initial letter-handing and disability discussion. It is a chance for us to get to know each other better and can also ease any tension.

Some of my professors did not meet with me, despite my request to meet with them to give them the [accommodation] letter. One professor said he did not need the letter, but I still was able to use my extra time. I had another teacher not want to meet with and had me put the letter in his mailbox. In one class, we were required to use a pen to write our lab tests. These involved a lot of math, and it was very hard for me to write in pen and make it legible. We were not allowed to use erasable pen. I think all professors should post their class notes on their websites. I think all faculty should have web pages, not just some. I found it confusing when teachers used blackboard, faculty page, and webmail.

I don't have a learning disability or anything like that, just my physical limitations - But, I think it would improve things for students with any type of disability if professors were just more aware that not all of their students are using the same 'playing field' (to use a well-known metaphor).  Also, personally, I am very uncomfortable asking my professors (or anyone else for that matter) for accommodations of any sort, and I think that they don't realize that, I don't want to be in this situation, I don't want to have to be asking for anything, and having to pull teeth to get any sort of accommodations just tends to make me bitter.  If they could be more flexible and understanding about things, it would make things a lot less tense.

I think it may be helpful for the professors to know that even an articulate person in class may be spending twice as long (sometimes more depending on the nature of the assignment-reading, writing) as other students on the same assignments. In my case the testing showed that I lost 30 points when performing against time therefore explaining my finding that my classmates spent considerably less time on assignments. My performance based on class participation would not show any of this and usually has been a surprise to teachers.
    Another point for sharing is that each of us has a favored learning style. In my case I excelled in visual learning. Now, most of assignments required that I perform in my most challenging areas, reading and writing. So, letting the prof. know my visual preference allowed them to help me and use visuals, charts, power point, and written summaries to help me process the great amount of info faster. Our professors are very open to helping, although unable to reduce the amount of reading or writing.

I think it would help a lot of students if professors were more visually oriented. Many of my professors lecture an entire class and do not even write on the board. I believe students really benefit from power point slides, where the class notes are shown while the prof. is speaking. Overhead transparencies and outlines are also always appreciated. Sometimes I think the professors are just being lazy and don't want to take the time to make power point slides, but the professors who do use them are more effective teachers and their students learn better. Organization is of course always a plus as well.

Speaking as someone with a learning disability, I have a suggestion that I would like brought to the attention of the faculty for consideration. It is extremely helpful to allow students to tape the lectures. Those with memory loss, ADD, or other forms of learning disabilities can benefit greatly. Not all students are able to take complete notes during class. Many instructors recommend that students sit down and fill-in their notes as soon after class as possible while the information is still relatively fresh. That is great advice but not an option for some who have problems recalling, grasping, or staying focused. The tape gives them an opportunity to listen again and again if necessary to repair notes, grasp complicated ideas, or hear something they missed due to ADD.