Complaint Review: Georgia State University - Atlanta Georgia

 Obviously you know nothing about this disorder. What do you mean "If I have dyscalculia, I should be able to handle these questions?” I have a very specific disability. My dyscalculia affects me only with abstract math concepts. If I can’t relate the math to something real, I don’t really understand it and I can’t remember how to deal with the same math problem the next day after I’ve been able to solve it.

I can’t just remember formulae and regurgitate them. My brain doesn’t work that way. If I don’t understand it, it is gone from my memory very quickly. I do well in math until I get to the point where I can no longer really understand the concept. I might work with a tutor on a few similar concepts one day, but later that day, I can’t tell what to do with each problem. If every problem on the test was exactly the same formula but with different whole numbers, I could do a slew of them in one day, but if the way the formula is written changes at all, I would be lost.

The next day, I would not be able to know how to handle a group of similar problems. I do well in every other subject BUT math and that is one of the markers of dyscalculia. Detractor fellow, you seem to be suggesting that I just do the like math or am just stubbornly insisting on a substitution without trying every other option. Why would you assume something like that? I thought I explained the situation in great detail.

 I have tried every offered accommodation but nothing can get me past abstract math problems. The professors were all very willing to let me take longer, go to a quiet place, use a calculator, etc. As I mentioned, the school never had tutors available for free, but I got their revommeded private tutors and paid them out of pocket. One professor was so great, she worked with me for hours after every class and it just didn’t work. She finally brought in a book about math disorders and gave it to me and said she thought I should get the substitution.

If I could do this any other way I would have done it. OCR says they caught GSU saying one thing, then contradicting it. They said I couldn’t get a substitution be at I needed to provide this or that document, but when I provided the documents, they still didn’t consider it. I’m very well versed in these laws, by necessity.

This is discrimination because the school did not consider my individual circumstances before deciding not to give me a substitution. They have a blanket policy never to provide them and they have, literally, never given a student a substitution in the history of the school. I found internal documents admitting that GSU has never given any student a substitution and listing exactly how many all the other schools in the University of Georgia System had given out.

There was a discussion about how many people would qualify IF they offered it as an option. My friend, that is discrimination. They offer substitution for foreign language disorders and require practically no documentation to get the substitution. Like I said, discrimination. I have consulted attorneys and we are waiting for the OCR to complete their investigation. Does that answer your questions? If you have any more skepticism to throw my way, feel free. I’m not an idiot and I would not throw around wild accusations.

 It does add up if you know the whole story. I will address a few of your questions at a time. I have dyscalculia. I have been tested by two different neuropsychologists and I have a diagnosis. I do have some anxiety at this point, but that isn’t the primary issue. I went to GSU on and off from 1984 until 2014. I took a few classes at a time for most of my time there.

A few years in, I was told that I couldn’t continue classes until I passed the math class. I had already gone to disability services several times and was told that they wouldn’t consider a substitution and even though they offered tutors, theoretically, in reality, they didn’t have any available to meet with me one on one.

I got their list of private tutors and used them any time I was trying to take a math course. I paid thousands out of pocket. At some point GSU let me come back and take other classes even though I didn’t have the math credit. I would try the class, flunk out or drop out to avoid failing, pass all my other classes, and then try to work up the courage to try it again.

By 2005 I had all the credits I needed to graduate..,other than the math degree. Every time I would go try to take the math class to get it over with, I would find they had changed the requirements for my degree and added something different...and I would have to take a few more classes that I never intended to take on top of the math class. I took accounting, computer info systems, and html. These have all been used at other schools to substitute.

This has nothing to do with Discrimination, but for the sake of this post let's say it does. Even with that you have some issues and contradictory statements.

You state that you have been trying to get a degree for the last 30 years, but have only had enough credits for the last 10 years to be able to graduate. Meaning that for the 20 years before that it was more than just this single math class that was keeping you from graduating, as you did not have enough credits through other requirements. So any claims that this was the only class and has been ongoing for longer than that are less than truthful.

Then you say you were diagnosed with "Dyscalculia". But all indications seem to be that if you do have Dyscalculia, you should not be able to handle other areas of math you say you can without an issue. So perhaps it is more of a case of "Math Anxiety"?

This would be very similar to Dyslexia, and people with Dyslexia do not just skip classes that would be an issue, they get assistance. Nothing in your entire post states you tried any "alternatives" the only thing you want is to be allowed to take a substitute class.

When a person has a disability there is only reasonable accommodations that need to be made. They don't have to do what ever you want if there are alternatives that would be appropriate. This could be things such as additional tutoring, different ways to take any tests, alternate grading, or providing other allowances for the work that do not involve skipping the class.  So when you have attempted these classes did you get or request tutoring in any form? Did they offer ANY that you refused?

Then when it comes to your complaint, what did the OCR say when you proved that the school was lying according to your documents?

You also claim this has costs you 10's of thousands of dollars of additional debt, just out of curiosity how many times have you taken this single class?

What were these 3 classes you took that you said should have been allowed as the alternate to this one class?

These people have caused irreparable damage to my life and someone needs to do something.

- Why haven't you contacted a Civil Rights attorney if you think it is discrimination?  Many of these types of attornies take cases like this without charge or for a very low fee.

So pardon the pun but something isn't "Adding Up" here.