Discrimination against learning disabilities

Nurses Disabilities

Published

I have struggled with a learning disability my whole life, but I never felt like any one thought less of me till nursing school. I did receive accommodation while in school and I had one instructor who I had to have the dean force her to comply with my accommodation. The instructor even asked me if I knew how to read! This was just the start..... I worked as a ER tech for 4 years while in college and the manager always promised me a job when I graduated, Long story short she retired before for I could apply and the job was given to two other new grads who never worked there. I was heart broken when I went in to talk to them about it they lied to me and denied hiring the two new grads. I later found out that they didn't want a nurse with an LD working there B/C they thought it was an insurance liability! ( Funny since I had a 3.9 GPA and never made a mistake when I worked there)

After working for a year I got my dream job in the ER! I was so excited and everyone I worked with praised me on how well I was doing and how it seemed like I had far more years of experience then I really did! My educator was not the most supportive and when I pulled her aside and told her about my LD and how I learn differently ( this is part of the ADA) she started treating me much differently. I even found out that she was asking people about me behind my back telling them that i had an LD! The next day I was pulled into my NM office with the educator and they fired me! They praised me on how good of a nurse I am but they said I needed more experience! I think they fired me b/c of my LD. What do you guys think? has anyone else faced this?

I did identity myself as a student with a disability. Also I do not pick my courses the school of nursing does that.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
I did identity myself as a student with a disability. Also I do not pick my courses the school of nursing does that.

Then perhaps you should have requested to not take two accelerated courses together as an accommodation. Again what accommodations/modifications did the office of student disabilities put in your learning plan?

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I get extra time on tests and low distraction environment

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
I get extra time on tests and low distraction environment

Did you receive those modifications? If so technically not discrimination.

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Accommodations only grant us equal access. They have to be considered reasonable, meaning it's unlikely they'd substantially alter the curriculum, drastically increase your professor's workload, or incur excessive costs to the institution. You don't want to hear this, but there's really an uphill battle to argue that having a course taught a different way (over a longer period of time) just for you is a reasonable accommodation if the university delivered the course that way to everyone.

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