Across California, tens of thousands of students with learning disabilities are pursuing higher education, but not all of them are getting the supports they need, and many must learn how to advocate for themselves.
When Tammy Carillo first enrolled in East Los Angeles College (ELAC), she didn’t know she had a learning disability, and she didn’t think she’d be able to attend college.
At Montebello Continuation School, most of the teachers “looked down on” her and her classmates, she said. “It felt like we were going to school and they expected us to fail.”
Carrillo grew up in poverty and watched her single mother struggle to make ends meet. By the time she enrolled at ELAC, she had witnessed two friends being murdered, leaving her traumatized. She was timid and unsure of what to major in. Students around her proudly proclaimed, “I’m going to major in nursing” or “I’m going to do business.” Carrillo was simply overwhelmed.
“It didn’t make sense to me,” she said. “So I thought, ‘It’s me who’s missing something. It’s me who’s not smart enough to be here.'”
She grew tired of trying aimlessly and quit.
Second attempt, this time with help
Fifteen years later, with three children, Carillo decided to re-enroll at ELAC.
But despite being very motivated, Carillo was scared and didn’t want to go back to school only to drop out again.
She wanted to earn more money to give her children a better life, to follow in the footsteps of her aunt, who had graduated from USC, and to honor her friends, all of whom, as teenagers, had been shot in a drive-by shooting – Carillo was the only one to survive.
“We were all kids and they never had the chance to have what I have,” she said.
But despite a lighter course load, she struggled again, especially in math.
She shared her experience with her mentor, who listened carefully and encouraged her to consider ELAC’s Diverseabilities Student Programs and Services (DSPS), which provides support for students with learning, physical and psychological disabilities.
After speaking with DSPS officials, Carrillo agreed to be tested for learning disabilities, but was initially hesitant.
“What does this mean?” she wondered. “Does this mean I can’t study properly? Can’t I graduate?”
After an evaluation, Carillo was diagnosed with a processing disorder, “which means it takes me a little longer to get to where I need to be,” she said.
Learning Disabilities in Community Colleges
ELAC provided her with a note-taker and a personal counselor. It also offered priority registration, extra time to finish her exam, and the option to test at another location with a proctor. When a note-taker wasn’t available, she used an electronic smartpen that pairs audio and handwritten notes so she could “listen later and redo whatever I missed.”
Her academic experience was transformed. “It was a whole different world for me,” she says. “I loved going to ELAC.”
She will graduate from ELAC in 2021 and then go on to earn a Bachelor’s in Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles. In the fall, she will begin a Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling. Her goal is to help students with disabilities of all kinds.
On graduation day, Carillo stood and took in it all. She was wearing her cap and gown, riding in a car with her mother and children. “It was a great sense of accomplishment because I know where I come from,” she said.
They say, “School isn’t for you”
Like Mr. Carrillo, Christopher Elquizabal attended further education school in Southern California. He was removed from home as a teenager. A counselor at school told him college wasn’t for him, and Mr. Elquizabal believed him.
“I never thought of myself as a good student,” he said. “I always struggled academically.”
El Quizábal’s counselor encouraged him to attend night school instead of college to get a certification, and soon after, he enrolled in a medical billing program.
But one of Elquizabal’s friends had pushy parents who pushed her to go to college. “I’m not going on my own,” she told Elquizabal. Next thing he knew, he was enrolled at Fullerton College.
He took courses in Chicano studies, African American studies, and social psychology and became fascinated. The university’s disability services department also diagnosed him with an auditory processing disorder and offered him support. Suddenly, school wasn’t so difficult.
After transferring to California State University, Long Beach, his teaching focus shifted to focusing on students with disabilities.
“I began to realize that black and brown students, particularly boys, tend to be funneled into special education programs and are more likely to be diagnosed with ’emotional disorders’ or at least qualify for services,” he said.
Elquizábal went on to Harvard University, where he earned a master’s degree studying the school-to-prison pipeline, and he recalled all the times he’d struggled in class to “shut up” and get recess or after school.
After receiving the support he needed, Christopher Elquizabal earned his doctorate in education from the University of Southern California.
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Courtesy of Christopher Elquizabal
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He also learned that “if you’re black or brown, you’re more likely to end up in special education, which leads to behavioral interventions, which leads to more time in prison.”
Elquizabal eventually earned his doctorate in education from the University of Southern California, where his doctoral dissertation focused on students with disabilities in higher education, and he currently serves as the dean of Student Accessibility and Wellness Services at Cerritos College.
He encourages prospective students with learning disabilities to visit campuses and ask about available services and programs, and he encourages campus leaders to recognize that “the disability community is one of the largest minority communities on campus.”
“We tend to compartmentalize students by identity,” he added, “but the reality is that some of our students are undocumented. Some of our students are LGBTQ. Some of our students are Black. Some of our students are foster parents. We have a whole range of people in our office.”
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Community college can be a gateway for students to continue their education or get a fresh start, and we want to ensure students and their advocates have the information they need to succeed in the California Community College system.
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