Karen shares her experiences as an art teacher how disability support services have helped people with mental illnesses and learning disabilities.

1. port prep.com http://portprep.com/wp/2013/09/disability-support-services-in-college/
Karen Kesteloot September 7, 2013
What it Means To Have Disability Support Services in College
If you have just registered as an art student this f all at college or university, please take the initiative to
register at your school’s disability support services. Most colleges and university have supports f or students
with special needs. If you are just selecting a school now f or next year research the supports the school
of f ers.
Disability support services can provide you with a classroom helper to take notes f or you or carry items too
large and dif f icult f or you. Many provide counselling support and can put you in contact with a network of
personal care workers, local doctors and tutors. They document your case so that the prof essors in your
program know what needs you have or if something should happen you have the credibility of having reported
your concerns in advance.
No matter what the concern might be with your health whether physical, mental, or a learning disability; it is wise
to register with the support of f ice right at the beginning of the academic year.
My experiences with mental illnesses as an art teacher
When I was teaching a Sheridan College, one of Canada’s top arts colleges, I witnessed several students
experience challenges with the prof essors in their programs if they waited to report their health and learning
issues until a problem arose late in the term. If you have a signif icant and legitimate problem and you wait to
report it, you risk having it look like an excuse f or needing an extension rather than it being a legitimate reason.
By being proactive and registering your health concerns at the beginning of the academic year you are
protecting your interests and leaving a verif iable trail.
The most important benef it of registering with the disability support of f ice is that you can have at your
disposal all the supports the of f ice can provide f or you.
As a college instructor I of ten worked within the health concerns of

2. A nameless sadness… Art journal page about
post-partum depression. (Photo credit:
Joyelle Brandt)
Image created using Quozio.
As a college instructor I of ten worked within the health concerns of
my students. I was dismayed that not all of my colleagues
understood the needs of the students with mental health concerns
as well as I did. I was at the time experiencing Post-Partum
Depression and Anxiety Disorder so I knew how to recognize some
of the symptoms and could understand what it f elt like to be under
pressure with this sort of condition present. I was able to explain
the validity of extensions and sof ter deadlines f or those students
with these concerns to the other prof essors who hadn’t had any
experience with anxiety disorders.
I explained that people with lower serotonin levels find it harder to
concentrate when under pressure. Release the pressure and most
people have little to no problem to f unction at a high level. So we
extended sof t deadlines when required. Those students who
needed that appreciated it and did not misuse it.
I noticed that there were several students who came to me with
issues late in the term, usually during mid-terms when the pressure built up asking f or help and revealing their
problems. Many of these students were not aware of the support that was available to them within the college.
I of ten showed them where to go and helped them get started with f inding the support they needed. Students
whom I helped stopped me in the hall later saying how much it helped them and reported doing so much better
af ter they got the help they needed.
Don’t ignore your disability!
I am
guessing
that
students
hope that
they will be
okay and
want to
wait and
see how
they f air
bef ore
reporting
their health
concerns,
particularly
when they
are related
to mental
health
issues. I
suspect it
could be a
matter of
pride and wanting to not “make excuses” or perhaps the stigma that unf ortunately is still attached to both

3. Student Support Services (Photo credit: IOE
London)
mental illnesses and learning disabilities keeps students f rom reporting it until they absolutely have to.
I can tell you this, I too never inf ormed my employer of my illness f or f ear that they would not understand and
not renew my contract. So I understand students’ concerns around this.
But all I can tell you are the students that did conf ide in me and went to get the help they needed did f air better
in college than those who did not.
It is in the student’s best interest to inf orm their instructors as to any health concerns that might exist. We as
instructors need to know what the students need if something should happen in class, whether it be to
administer an Epi-pen or know how to handle a f ull-f ledged panic attack. I f ar pref er being prepared in advance
so I can be there to help the students properly than be shocked and surprised and at a loss f or what to do.
When I was inf ormed of particular needs of students I did what I could to accommodate them or have a
support worker there to assist.
What you should do with your disabilities when going to college soon
So if you are just embarking on your college education this f all,
please go talk to your professors soon and register at the
disability or health office.
If you are a high school student with health concerns, I would
advise you to make researching the supports that the college has
part of your search criteria. A mother and her son that received
coaching f rom me at PortPrep reported that one of the colleges
they had been enrolled in did not have a supportive disability of f ice
and it was a humiliating experience f or that student. The next
college they chose had a better support system but unf ortunately
it put a strong distrust into that student.
Read our post “What Art Students with Disabilities Think of Art Colleges in Canada ” to read what mother Bonnie
thought of the art colleges in Canada for her son MArk, who is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
I think the problem with labels and stigmas is so well explained by our previous guest blogger, Elaine Asplind
Russell, in an email correspondence with me:
I think if the students can only recognize that there is help out there for them if they can only seek it
out to help them to succeed! It is a difficult thing to accept the “labels” which society wants us to..as
well we must prove to them that we are “ably disabled” rather than “DISabled.”
This concept of “disability” irritates me so much as I have been f ighting the stigma f or YEARS to prove that I
am competent and can be a contributing member to society in general
(You can also read an article Elaine wrote f or us about overcoming disabilities as an artist by clicking here.)
I wonder if it actually can at time add to the creative power of the expression of artists and our ability to
empathize and be sensitive to the conditions of humanity. I think it did and does f or me at any rate.
Conclusion
I want all of the students reading this that might have any kind of health concern that to f eel empowered to

4. f ollow your goals and believe in your abilities. I have seen countless students prevail who have had challenges.
I remember one very challenged young student who had to get around in a motorized wheel chair, came back to
college af ter a brain aneurism and could hardly hold a pencil due to the malf ormation of her hands and arms
made some of the most impactf ul and intensely meaningf ul artworks I can remember seeing as a college
instructor. So be brave like her and go af ter your dreams. She was so happy to be creating and to have
instructors who helped her to be able to.
I want the same f or you.