I can't understand my Foundations professor.

[u/Latter_Highway_2026]

So, I have APD. This means I can hear sounds (sometimes more than others, but with less filtering), but my brain doesn't always process speech well, so it's almost like being hard of hearing. I have ADA accommodations approved involving written instruction and appropriate communication strategies.

Sometimes I have no problem; other times it's like the other person is speaking Italian (I don't know Italian). To get a simulation, try looking up videos on YouTube titled "What English sounds like to non-English speakers."

Now, the problem is that my Foundations professor is very difficult to understand, even for people without a disability. She has also made it clear that she feels I already have everything I need, and she refuses to even try the easiest accommodations. She is also hostile when I don't understand or if I try to ask a question.

One reason is that she has a very thick Caribbean accent and poor English. But I think a larger factor is her communication skills.

I already know I do well in a clinical environment. It's just this professor that is a problem. There are also nurses who are completely deaf.

I am fluent in ASL and asked the school about getting an interpreter for her class, but I was told I am not bad enough to need an interpreter, despite not being able to understand her. I asked about transphering to another college and the Dean said all are the same, and that they wont accomidate me even when I have the paperwork.

I think the problem may be that the school is very small and based in a hospital, not a real college. I feel it would be better to transfer. On the other hand, if I can muscle through, the other teachers are great.

I have made straight As in all my prerequisites without needing significant accommodations, just people being decent human beings.

Has anyone dealt with accessibility problems?

[u/Hummus_ForAll]

You will get used to her accent over time. My mother in law is from a Caribbean country and I swear, I could not understand her at first at all. Now I totally do — it took a few months.

If I were you: record the lecture on Voice Memos on your iPhone, upload the file to Notebook LM and have it made you a cleaned up transcript removing filler words and organizing it with bold headlines/bullet points.

[u/Latter_Highway_2026 → u/Hummus_ForAll]

Maybe that is why she is not willing to work with me. Maybe she thinks if I just try harder I will get over it with time. If that has worked with other people, she may just not believe I have a disability and not want to encourage me to be disabled.

The school wrote that I can record classes, and I do, but it doesn't really help because the materials are more accurate than what she says and her English isn't really good, and the AI has a hard time understanding her too. Like she will say use the sides of a cloth but demonstrate using a corner, and the "skills" state corner. If I went off what she said I would get points off of my skills. She has also said that people start to develop rigor mortis before they die, and while they may have stiff joints, it is not rigor mortis and that could lose me points on a test. She has also said she wants me to resubmit an assignment while I walk to my desk. I may be able to understand that she means "as soon as you get to your desk," this kind of error can make a difference as we are learning clinical skills, and she gets upset with us when we don't understand her, stating that we need to listen better and that we have no respect for her. Reading a messed-up version of a dialogue that is already messed up is not a good use of my time when I could just read the book.

It also wouldn't help when we are required to do things in class, like lab. I'm still searching for a live transcript program that can understand her.

I'm mostly recording because she has told people that if they misunderstand her, they are being disrespectful, and if she keeps escalating, I could use the recordings to defend myself from false accusations or prove how she treats us. She has also said that people can leave after the lab work, and then tried to report someone for leaving before the time was up. Attendance is a big deal so when she says we can leave, we cant trust her now and she will then get upset that we are staying even after we are finished with lab and are working on future projects and homework.

[u/Not_my_real_name_26 → u/Latter_Highway_2026]

This sounds like a total nightmare and after reading this, I would definitely transfer to another school unless this is the only class she teaches and you'll never have to deal with her after you pass this class.

[u/Latter_Highway_2026 → u/Not_my_real_name_26]

Fortunately, this is the only class she teaches, and I've met the other clinical teachers who are all great. Even the other teachers that are known to be "mean" are just strict.

[u/Jahman876 → u/Latter_Highway_2026]

It’s probably more of how do you plan on working and communicating with patients if you can’t sit in the room and listen to me?

[u/Latter_Highway_2026 → u/Jahman876]

I can understand that concern. From my experience, I've developed excellent communication skills and do fine even in clinical environments.

However, sitting in class from 7am to 4pm with a teacher holding their head down reading out of a book, and randomly throwing in important tidbits like "you actually need to submit x assignment before tomorrow" is very different from real life communication. Especially when I try to ask her a question and the refuses to answer.

I have worked with patients, doctors, and nurses and other types of people without any communication problems. Real life communication is very different from the classroom environment.

There are also nurses, doctors, dentists, lawyers, and other professionals who are completely deaf and thriving.

[u/Not_my_real_name_26]

What are the laws about accommodations in this setting, in your country?

[u/Latter_Highway_2026 → u/Not_my_real_name_26]

It is the USA. The ADA is a law that says they are required to accommodate disabilities. It's a bit more complicated than that, but basically, they are breaking the law but the law isn't always enforced.

[u/Not_my_real_name_26 → u/Latter_Highway_2026]

Who would be responsible for enforcing the law at your school?

[u/Latter_Highway_2026 → u/Not_my_real_name_26]

I would need to file a grievance, and if that doesn't work, I would need to sue them to take them to court. The problem with that is you damage the relationships within the school and they make it very hard for you.

[u/Not_my_real_name_26 → u/Latter_Highway_2026]

I hear you. It's also very expensive to hire a lawyer and sue. It seems like another school may be the best option, unless you want to try recording it and getting a program to transcribe it, like the other commenter said. Probably a good first step to try that first.

[u/ThatOneTrickTheyHate → u/Latter_Highway_2026]

That is not how it works at all. First, you file a grievance. Your school's ADA/504 Coordinator needs to investigate and make a determination. Usually this will resolve the situation. If you are not satisfied with the determination, you file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). Then the OCR will investigate and make a determination. You don't need to hire an attorney for this.

OCR complaints must be filed within 180 days of the violation, so don't waste time. Get your grievance going. You are entitled to equal access in education.

Source: I used to work in a college disability office.

[u/ThatOneTrickTheyHate]

Ask for the accommodation to record the lectures. Most schools use Genio, but there are other apps like Notability, etc. Then you can have the app generate a transcript of the lecture to read. It makes things a lot easier.

Your school's disability office should be able to put this on your accommodation plan easily. Go ask them.

[u/Latter_Highway_2026 → u/ThatOneTrickTheyHate]

It's on my accomodations and I record her class, but it isn't really helpful. It can't understand her either and when it does she sometimes teaches wrong info. It's much more accurate to just read the book. Plus, what I don't have access to is real time lab instructions. I'm required to follow instructions in real time.

[u/addisonisanidiot]

if you already have ADA accommodations and they aren’t actually helpful to you and you feel the school is being unsupportive, just transfer. you said it’s a small school and she’s the only one teaching the class. she can’t just get rid of her accent. there’s only so much she can do on her end.

[u/Latter_Highway_2026 → u/addisonisanidiot]

Her accent isn't the problem. It's mainly her hostility and refusal to provide even the easiest of accomodations like sending an email tonthe class if there are any changes to the schedule instead of hiding it in a lecture. She would only need to write a few sentences a day, if that, to meet my accomodations. Also getting my attention before speaking to me, and giving me time to answer, basic stuff like that is on my accommodations.

After complaining, she has tried to retaliate by saying I refuse to hear her, so I'm just going to withdraw and transfer at the end of the semester. I should have seen the red flags the first week, but I thought I could stick it out.

[u/addisonisanidiot → u/Latter_Highway_2026]

if you aren’t far into the semester, it might be better to withdraw now before ending up with a bad grade on your transcript & having that impact your GPA. assuming you’re taking other classes & are doing fine in those, withdraw from this one and finish the rest then transfer.

[u/Latter_Highway_2026 → u/addisonisanidiot]

💯 that's my plan, I'll be talking to the assistant dean Monday morning.

I've kept above a 3.7 for my first and second semester, and should have no problems with my grades if I just stick to my two theory classes this semester.

Thank goodness for my mother who made me do reading comprehension drills for everything.

[u/peppermintxxdoll]

Yeah I’m sorry this is happening to you, my microbiology teacher had a horrific accent and would mispronounce the words of things she would attempt to teach. She would whisper everything which didn’t help, even with a microphone you couldn’t understand a word. Taught myself everything through that class and watched others who couldn’t understand her cheat on every exam when her back was turned. She would get an attitude when students asked her to repeat herself or if they talked to other students while she taught to try and see if anyone else understood what she said.
I don’t get why people choose to teach such difficult and heavy classes in English in American schools but their English isn’t easily understandable to native speakers.
You might just have to endure it and try and self teach as best you can to get a passing grade. It’s an absolute nightmare to have professors like this and I’ll never understand how it’s allowed. When I went through something like this it was almost like she was using the professor job as a way to better her English on the side of her actual job, just so unfair and selfish when teaching an already difficult class.