Not a very descriptive title. Could it have anything to do with diabetes? Um, kinfof.
Caleb got on the bus for his first day of 10th grade this morning. My diabetes preparation for this day was little more than, “do you have what you need?” I don’t really remember his answer. Eek.
I have sitting next to me completed, signed medical forms. I did call in a couple of renewed prescriptions (epi-pen and glucagon) which I still have to pick up. A week ago, I reminded Caleb to email his new teachers to introduce himself and explain he may need to eat something or check his phone during class and why. Yeah – that’s about it.
Preparation for school used to be weeks of advanced planning and creating charts and cheat sheets and of course the in-depth 504 plan. We met with or at least spoke to anyone with whom he came in touch. I made sure the bus was routed to minimize his time on it. It was comprehensive, exhausting, necessary and kept him safe at school.
Things are just more rote with a nearly-16-year-old. I do virtually nothing for Caleb’s care. He hasn’t needed assistance from anyone in school for years now. It’s just not as complex as it once was. But there are ducks we need to get in a row.
Today is a short day – a day added to the calendar because there were too many cancelations last year after the May 15th storm. School “really” starts on Tuesday. By then I’ll have the forms, meds and supplies in place for drop-off to the nurse’s office. I’ll be a little more specific with Caleb about what he’s packing in his PDM case. I will have pushed him to set up a 504 meeting for the year and confirm that he has heard back from each of his teachers. I’ll also help him get the ball rolling to ensure he has the accommodations he needs for the SAT in October. We’ll get it together.
My daughter was homeschooled throughout high school, so I sort of skipped this step. I have to admit, I don’t feel like I missed out. School & 504s & trying to get everyone on board was a chore. I don’t think I realized how much work it really was in the younger grades until she started college. She set up meetings with student services, got her needed accommodations, & was good to go. It felt…odd…to sit on the sidelines. Sadly, the algebra prof is a dmom, & my daughter has already had issues with her over d stuff.
I was diagnosed in 1962 at 10yo. Things were different then, but my T1 was just taken in stride. It was assumed I would take care of myself. Only the school nurse had anything special and it was OJ.
My mom fought for my independence and I will be forever grateful.
In this case, yes. She has strict rules about no food or drink in class. Anything d related must be taken care of outside the classroom. Dex alerted but my daughter didn’t want to miss what they were working on in class, so she discreetly popped a tab. After class the prof told her she’d kick her out of class if she caught her eating in class again. She could clearly see what my daughter was doing. My daughter sits right in the front. Not what I expected at all from a d mom. It’s not like she broke out a snack & juice box & disrupted class. It was a tab for crying out loud.
I would go see the teacher and explain that it is much better for your daughter to take a tablet to correct a low rather than miss something she was interested in and possibly something important. Yes, I too would think a D-mum would know better.
Wow!! I’m astounded. That’s just horrible. I’m so sorry.
There are rights for college students. I think 504 would apply if the college gets federal funding. Not sure how many colleges are in that situation. I think I just read somewhere the protections in higher education. I didn’t pay much attention bc I assumed it wouldn’t be a big deal at that level! Was I wrong!!
Thanks for the comment @Tony24. Since the prof told my daughter that her own daughter was dxd T1 at age 6, she was familiar enough with the Dexcom to ask my daughter to make sure the alerts were set to vibrate, & she knew the t:slim can be prone to occlusion errors I seriously doubt she’s being untruthful.
My daughter is 2 weeks into a new year at a new college. She’s also 20 yrs old. At this point, it’s totally her boat & her choice about whether or not to rock it. I have as much faith in her ability to handle the situation as I do in her ability to handle her T1, which is quite a lot. After all, I taught her to stand on her own. When she feels the need I have no doubt she’ll make a stand.
@T1Forever there’s no principal at her college & generally speaking, the dean usually refers issues like this to student services. If my daughter feels the need, I’m sure she’ll bring it to the attention of the proper dept head.
From past experience with our local public schools, reporting to the principal & school board didn’t have much effect. What did work was filling a complaint with the OCR & appearing with our attorney.
You should contact your college’s disability services office.
We will do this [when my T1 is a matriculating student at the University]. I will do this jointly with my T1 unless I am specifically told to go home.
Some teachers are reasonable human beings. Some are not. Just not worth the hassle to deal with each and every teacher and worry about how they will react. The best approach is to follow the process of the University which most likely starts with the disability services office.
I checked our University Policy specifically and this is the start of the process for them.
I am on campus frequently for various reasons. Parents are an extremely common sight particularly with students starting out.
I understand and of course it’s up to her to determine the best course of action. I’m sure there is much more to consider than the few points you’ve shared. My impulse is to stick up for our kids at any cost! But she’s in college and really not so much a kid anymore!
I’m sure she’ll figure out the best way to navigate! I’m sorry she has to deal with it though.
4.11 Should my parents request modifications on my behalf? You should speak with your parents about what role they will play now that you are assuming more responsibility for your diabetes care, as well as becoming more independent in all areas of your life. To the greatest extent possible, you, rather than your parents, should take the lead in communicating with your college. In fact, many college officials would prefer to deal with the student rather than parents, and may even be hostile to requests made by the parent rather than the student.
@Lorraine you posted an excellent link. My daughter downloaded it some time ago. It’s a great resource for any college student with a recognized disability. She was the one to initiate contact with student services, both at her current college & the one she attended previously. It’s her choice to deal with these things alone, although she knows I’m a phone call & a little more than 2 hours away if she needs me.
I have 2 other daughters in their 30s. (The oldest is actually a few weeks shy of 38. OMG that isn’t possible! ) Letting them spread their wings was hard, but nothing like this time around. She’s my baby & as we all know too well, T1 magnifies everything. I know I’ve done my best at teaching her to survive the world. The rest is now up to her, whether I like it or not. She called tonight to get my opinion on some basal changes & to let me know she has a conference with the prof tomorrow afternoon. And in a wise (IMO) move, she stopped by for a visit with student services to alert them to the issue & the conference. I think she’s on the right track.
I think it might be a little embarrassing for mom to show up at college to discuss curriculum, grades or diabetes care. After this post, I started to get things ready for SAT accommodations and 504 plans. I gathered some info, but then gave it to Caleb and told him to coordinate it. He already has a response back about SAT. He’s so much better at this than me anyway!
) Letting them spread their wings was hard, but nothing like this time around. She’s my baby & as we all know too well, T1 magnifies everything. I know I’ve done my best at teaching her to survive the world. The rest is now up to her, whether I like it or not. She called tonight to get my opinion on some basal changes & to let me know she has a conference with the prof tomorrow afternoon. And in a wise (IMO) move, she stopped by for a visit with student services to alert them to the issue & the conference. I think she’s on the right track.