When I first found out I had ADD, I felt scared. I wasn’t scared of the disability itself but I was scared how my friends, family and teachers would react. I always knew there was something not clicking with how I learned versus how the average student learned. I was highly distractible and always very energized throughout my whole life. I could never sit or stand still for a long period of time. I always had to be moving and I got very anxious when I knew it was not acceptable to move around.
When I was diagnosed it was my junior year of high school. I had to apply for extra time at my school. The process was pretty simple: all I had to do was hand in the forms that proved I had ADD and then go before a committee of my current teachers, the principal and the head of the special education department. That was extremely daunting for me. I felt as though they did not believe me, like they were testing me.
Once the meeting started, they started to discuss the different options for accommodations and which would best fit my situation. They were extremely supportive and for the first time, I was able to finish tests and exams. I was able to take my exams in a quiet room without distractions.
Having ADD doesn’t diminish people’s abilities to do normal things. It just takes us longer to process certain things. But in no way does it keep us from performing to the best of our ability. Sometimes when I get extra time on an exam I get a look from someone in my class as though they think I am getting special treatment. That’s not the case at all and I wish people would understand that it just gives us the same tools the average student receives.
It allows us to be on the same playing field as everyone else. It doesn't mean we are at an advantage. I just hope that people see that it is not something to be ashamed of and that is not a way of favoring one student vs. another.
