We have to do better about suggesting a full range of options to student. Yes, they should know that a medical leave is possible, no they should not be told that option alone. We should count medical leave as a last option for our students. Here's why. 1/20 https://twitter.com/ezrawheels/status/1386763636576702464

So what to do if a student is struggling with a chronic illness or disability related issue? 1. Your class should be designed with flexibility in mind. Look to Universal Design for Learning standards for help in class and assignment planning/assessment models. 2/20

2. You should talk to your student about filing accommodations with student services. BUT accommodations aren't immediate, and their provisions aren't grandfathered in. YOU have the power to grant them on the spot until paperwork goes through. 3/20

And for many that looks like excused absences, flexible deadlines, and extensions on work. Yes I understand that this is harder is some disciplines than others. But we should all be able to think of alt assignments that don't depend on physically being in class. 4/20

3. You should let them know that they have the choice of accommodations, you should also tell them that they can see how well they do in the term and take an incomplete. Or as a last resort they can take a medical leave. 5/20

Medical leaves can be precarious situations. They should be reserved for those who decide for themselves, without coercion, that it's the best for their health journey. For some students a medical leave can be dangerous. 6/20

They might be able to get better care at the uni. When we force students to leave campus we do so without knowing their home situation, without knowing whether they'll experience food insecurity, without knowing if they'll be able to secure medical attention. 7/20

We should try our best to communicate all options to students. We should also check in frequently for updates. And we should let them know that it's ok to be struggling because medical issues and healthcare flares are very scary. 8/20

We need to show students that disabled people can thrive in this world. And we need to show students that we have the ability to extend compassion and understanding without shoving the responsibility of mentorship away from ourselves. 9/20

There are reasons why students who take medical leaves often don't return to school. And very few of those reasons have to do with actual health or ability. Many have to do with the fact that students now face stigma, discrimination, and access denial on campus. 10/20

We have to look at medical leaves as a last choice. And we have to do more to integrate those returning from leaves into our community. Whether they're on leave or not, these are still our students. We should not just cut contract and hope they eventually come back. 11/20

They should be able to dream of coming back to an accessible space. They should be able to imagine that they can handle their health care needs on campus without getting called lazy or any other offensive claims. And they should know that they have support. 12/20

I say this as someone who was asked multiple times if I wanted to take a leave. Often it led to increased anxiety and depression on top of my symptoms. I found out I was disabled in undergrad, went through brain surgery in the summer before grad school. 13/20

I performed best when profs offered me extensions, flexibility, and acknowledged my care and access needs for what they were. And I graduated undergrad in 4 years and grad school in 5.5. Having people who care makes a huge difference. 14/20

I was happiest when I felt that people saw me for who I was. I felt at home on campus when people legitimized my disability and chronic illness. When they asked about my care and access needs. And when they acknowledged that no, it wasn't too much to ask for flexibility. 15/20

Students have so long been guilted into feeling bad for asking for accommodations. Often they feel medical leave is the only choice. As a community we can do better. We don't need to burden them with guilt for having bodies. We have to normalize access and accessibility. 16/20

Without claiming that it's too much work, that it's too expensive, that it's too hard. Oh well. Inclusion comes at a cost. But it pales in comparison to the costs of discrimination that disabled and chronically ill students, staff, and faculty members live w/ all the time. 17/18

If you care about disability rights then you need to figure out how we can stay. How we can survive. How we can thrive. And that means updating assignments and syllabi and revisiting pedagogy and going through new trainings and learning from disabled people. 18/20

That's the work of being an educator. And if you're tt or tt-track and have resources then brushing up on disability inclusion needs to be high on the priority list. Disabled individuals in higher ed have been failed for too long. 19/20

Also if you're a disabled or chronically ill student, I hope you feel free to reach out to me any time. If I can help you secure access or accommodations or just tell you that you belong and you matter I'm here. 20/20 #AcademicChatter #DisabilityTwitter #NEISvoid #AcademicTwitter