The 504 Plan- good idea or not? (Read if you can)

[The Ill One 0]

Okay so due to a rather currrent situation (and being diagnosed with minor OCD, temper, and manic depression) my parents and therapist thought that going onto the 504 plan is a good idea. If you don't know exactly what it is, I didn't know 'til a bit ago either, it's a federal law that says any child with a "disability that can distract or harm their learning environment and experience" can have accomodations for a level playing field. So a kid with severe ADD could turn in late homework assignments without the usual penalties. Or one example (that's so Disney-esque I couldn't help but to smirk) a kid didn't do his homework in Keyboarding class but on every test he aced. So the teacher was going to give him a low D for it but then the plan they made earlier said homework can be excused, yadda yadda yadda, turns out his kid runs at least four fortune city websites and designs them (uses dad's name).

 

It's not meant to be abused or used to make high school easier, and I can see how my situations could make the next year difficult to get through. Not in an emo child rant (a lot of this is my own fault) but I have three dying relatives, friend got arrested recently, I might -finally- go on probation for fighting (took them long enough but whatever), but honestly... life is alright. I try to just roll with the hits, so I can still enjoy my life. Not dwell on it and drag me down. But recently I went to the mental ward for a break down and that's when this idea was first introduced. I just don't want to seem like a kid who's all fine and just using it to breeze through high school when other kids have problems too.

 

Schools generally try to avoid this, they lose federal money for it, and they also have a strict (hell bound to it by law) plan to follow that makes the seem more important. I personally think I need it but I don't want to face prejudice the second I get to the school because of it (if a reputation, that's different, I've been retarded in some of my decisions- but not for a clinical illness, you know?). Also it's jumping through a lot of hoops but my parents are willing.

 

This was more of a vent but if had any experience or advice or some cheesy cliche, I'd appreicate it a lot.

[Guest T®ITEC]

Go manic depression, whoo~

 

Eh, I say go for it, but I'm not someone that anyone should ever listen to.

[Guest cobainwasmurdered]

Go for it. I had very simalier problems in school.

[Mole 0]

I say go for it, especially if it will help you out.

 

My LD is that my hand writes faster than my brain, so I don't do very well with tests or essays on paper.

 

In 9th grade for Honors Earth Science, I took my tests with the rest of the class. Then after school, I would go see the teacher and she would go over the test with me and ask me the questions again, but this time oral.

 

I used to take advantage of this because she would only ask me the questions I got wrong. So when I gave an answer, I would see what her face looked like and if it was a pleasent one I would continue, but if not I would change it.

 

I still got a C, but that is because I HATE science with a passion. That and I never studied.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I'm guessing that not studying was your actual Learning Disability.

 

If you're satisfied with being lazy and making excuses for yourself, I say go on the plan.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

If you actually need this then go for it but if this is just a way to excuse your own lazy behavior then don't abuse a program.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

He doesn't need it. He can post here to some degree of sensibility, he can do homework.

[Ripper 0]

Life doesn't come with a 504 plan. I say no and learn to deal or live a life of no job and eating vienna sausages morning noon and night because that is all you can afford.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

For once I'm going to bite my lip and leave a thread without saying something offensive...

[Ripper 0]

For once I'm going to bite my lip and leave a thread without saying something offensive...

Goddamn hippie.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I'm manic depressive too (Bipolar Disorder I, biatch~!) and spent the good part of 10th grade in mental hospitals myself, and in my school district they didn't have a 504 plan, but they had I guess something similar to it called SED (Severely Emotionally Disturbed) where you go to a single, smaller size class with other kids who are having trouble attending regular class with other kids because of emotional problems or social disorders or both. That allowed me to have 82 absences my junior year and around 100+ my senior year, because I was extremly antisocial and had a difficult time concentrating on school because of the social pressure myself.

 

However, keep this in mind.. While it helped me to get through high school, the program isn't necessarily designed for you to be on it forever, and I assume it's the same with the 504 plan since it's just something, I guess sort of a mental rehabilitation to get you back on track with school and work and thus life, so you should take advantage of the accomodation provided while at the same time not become dependent on it since like Ripper said there is no 504 plan for work or life.

 

For me though, it really consisted that I don't like to have a set routine, and I did a week or two weeks's worth of work in a day or two, and I didn't like to deal with people. But I'm in college now and I have to deal with so-called 'regular ed' now to be able to achieve something in life, so take all that into consideration.

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

I've never heard of a better "cure" for this problem other than the one I went through.

 

Complete failure at a major endeavor (living out and going to college). Nothing chases the insanity blues away like a good hitch on the streets with no food. When you're lucky to get one package of Ramen a day, you instinctively start to get it figured out.

 

Best of luck if this works for you and you can be all productive and shit. Don't expect your whole life to be on this plan.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

For once I'm going to bite my lip and leave a thread without saying something offensive...

Goddamn hippie.

I had a friend that had something wrong with him -- we just thought he was dumb. Anyway, whenever it was time to take a test he'd get to go to some room for kids like him and basically get to look up answers in text books. It was called the "resource room," but we always dubbed it the "retard room."

 

Also, when I worked at this one arcade, this mallrat caused a scene and I kicked him out. His mom came in and said he had ADD. I said I don't C-A-R-E and he was banished for a month.

 

Happy now?...

[Ripper 0]

*is happy now*

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Considering that I graduated high school with honors, and I was either liquor buzzed, stoned, or on friggin' LSD every single day of the last three years of it, I don't see how anyone can't at least pass. I'm not that exceptional, either.

 

Try dealing with the social pressure of watching everyone around you take on the characteristics of puppets, with fine lines denoting the wooden hinges on their mouth, and peaks in their clothing seemingly attached to wires too fine to see. All this during AP chemistry when you're supposed to be titrating something and monitoring the temperature of an exothermic reaction.

 

It's called nerves. Deal with 'em.

[DerangedHermit 0]

Considering that I graduated high school with honors, and I was either liquor buzzed, stoned, or on friggin' LSD every single day of the last three years of it, I don't see how anyone can't at least pass. I'm not that exceptional, either.

 

Try dealing with the social pressure of watching everyone around you take on the characteristics of puppets, with fine lines denoting the wooden hinges on their mouth, and peaks in their clothing seemingly attached to wires too fine to see. All this during AP chemistry when you're supposed to be titrating something and monitoring the temperature of an exothermic reaction.

 

It's called nerves. Deal with 'em.

Thank YOU.

 

/w00t, titration!

//wait a minute, that's not w00t

///AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH

.5/now on 504

/just kidding

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Yeah, see, I never did any dumb crap like that.

[The Ill One 0]

I don't intend to coast through life hoping to have the "504 Plan" to back me up 'cause I'm all "scared" and can't handle life on my own. Man no offense and each to his own- but it wasn't my idea, my school and therapist recommended it. Not that means it justifies it, but that there's enough concern to seriously consider the idea. There's no intentions of me abusing this system, alright? To be blunt I don't give a shit if AoO was stoned or trippin'- man there's a huge difference between choosing to get stoned and getting sent to a mental hospital. I'm not using this as an excuse, I don't need an excuse, because it's not an excuse. It's a reason, I have a 134 IQ (not fab but alright and yes it was a legit test, not an on-line) so it's not like I'm a r-e-t-a-r-d. M'kay? Of course I can post here to "some sensiblity" I actually have a decent idea of how to spell and handle grammar to the point where it's tolerable (for you guys, I'm considered "gifted" there). So it's not me using it as a crutch if it sounds like it, and those points were to point out I can pass, it's my condition that's holding me back. Not a lack of work ethic or anything. Not to be a fucker to you guys or anything but I didn't post here for a lecture that I can't really say I give a flying fuck about if you passed through it or whatever. That's fine and dandy for you, I don't need your success stories shoved down my throat in the manner of "you're a pussy, work hard." I don't intend to end up with no job, the plan was supposed to go for one year or semester, tops. After that little tirade-

 

Anyway after mauling over some of the thoughts, no selling the posts to be honest 'til I made a decision, and I won't be going through with it. Instead the teachers, principal, my parents, and I will have a meeting on the first week of school to make slight changes in case of something serious enough happening to warrant the excused assignment or whatever.

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

In your first post you basically welcome comparative stories...and then you tell us to fuck off when we don't all tell you to go get em tiger?

 

Fuck you.

 

I, for one, gave you an honest warning about getting this deal and coasting through life looking for ways to keep it going. That's not an assumption that you're going to try to jack off while you get help and programs that your need for is dubious at best.

 

You need to lower the shields and get fucking real. A quick look back over this thread shows me that nobody said anything questioning your intelligence. So why do we care that you have such a magnificent IQ? Then you go ahead and assume that you are smarter than all of us. Maybe I missed something there. I'm not gifted you know.

 

You posted this on a public message board. Not a blog that is only seem by your friends. A PUBLIC MESSAGE BOARD. Man, you seriously gotta get with it if you think it's all smiles and hugs and "Thanks For Sharing :) " around here.

 

For what it's worth, I had the exact same problems in high school as you seem to be having, along with the big beefy sexy better than everyone else here IQ. Your condition isn't holding you back, you are. I was flunking like hell, so I had a hard look at how I learn, then I stuck to that, regardless of what anyone said. After I figured this out, life got a whole lot fucking easier in school and I got out of that shit. Maybe you do need to hear some more success stories, so that you can maybe take something from them and then you can go ahead and go for it yourself.

 

Don't be a pussy, work fucking hard. figure the shit out. Don't be bent at everyone else if you don't like the feedback on it you got.

 

Good luck.

[The Ill One 0]

No man, I don't feel superior at all. I posted my IQ just to say that it's not like I'm stupid and that's why I'm flunking. Plus what was irking me wasn't a "Go get 'em tiger!" what irked me was AoO pointed out he was stoned all the time and passed. That's totally different than having depression, man. I didn't expect any real good response and I'm not saying any of this shit in a conscending way. It was dick of me to say "I'm gifted there" but what I meant was my teachers think I have a decent future, not that my teachers thought I was full of crap. Man I expected almost all negative feedback and I got what I expected and am glad for it.

 

Man I'm not going through with it, I'm going to a tutor to see how I learn most effectively. I'm glad to hear you got your shit together, Thumbtack. But don't call me a pussy because I'm considering a possiblity for my disorder. I intend to work hard man, I truly do.

 

 

Sorry to come off as such a dick.

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

You were called a pussy because up until your last post you were basically a walking vagina.

[The Ill One 0]

...Explains all the puss coming out of me.

[Art Sandusky 0]

If it wouldn't mean ruin for living a practical life afterward, I'd commit myself to an asylum.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Dude, when I was in first grade and my teacher said I had ADD and Hyperactivity, the only plan was a bottle of Ritalin.

 

Stupid kids have it easy now.

 

Teacher: Where's your homework?

Kid: I didn't do it...

Teacher: Why?

Kid: Im on the Plan!

 

Voiceover: The Plan..don't leave home for school without it!

 

Story update: I didn't actually take the Ritalin, as I had a doctor who was about the only doctor at the time (this was like late 80's or so) who felt that kids shouldn't be heavily medicated. So they sent me to a psychaiatrist who in turn said that I wasn't being challenged enough in school (I have no idea where that came from) so I went to a "gifted and talented" type school for grades 2-6.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

AoO pointed out he was stoned all the time and passed. That's totally different than having depression, man.

 

Not in my case, since I've been certifiably nuts since my early teens. Schizoid and Manic Depressive. It's a self imposed stigma. "There's something wrong with how I think." I wasn't equating drugs and mental illness, I was saying that it's possible to learn even when you're severely distracted.

 

For another cute "success story" I never took a single piece of medication perscribed to me. That stuff will mess you up worse than "real" drugs.

 

People always say 'Mind over matter' when the real trick is 'mind over mind.'

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Oh yeah, and I'm antisocial and have a family history of psychopaths.

[Guest T®ITEC]

AoO is my second cousin, I swear it.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Maybe by marriage. My extended family is enormous and I barely know any of them. The ones I do know are awful. Mad as hatters, and not in a way where I'm proud to share that genetic material.

[Ripper 0]

Man it really doesn't take much for people to get depressed these days.