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Some students are hesitant to register with ODS because of fear that having a disability has a negative connotation.
For Jonathan Vongkorad, it took time but he has come to terms with a once debilitating learning disability that still makes reading in front of others uncomfortable. Growing up, he says he loved to learn but struggled with reading because of dyslexia. Even the first two years at UIS were a struggle, but he didn’t seek help.
“Eventually you just get so good at finding other ways around the problem that you never solve the actual problem,” he says. “It’s a problem that you can go about the right way. And I was going about it the wrong way.”
Instead of reading more and reading out loud, he tried to avoid it as much as possible, even though he says he likes reading.
“Nobody wants to be seen as disabled or different. Everybody wants to belong,” Vongkorad says. He thought, “I’ve been able to get to college…and I came to a point where I came to terms with myself and I was like, I can’t do this alone.”
When he registered with ODS, he found a supportive, stress-free and judgment-free environment where they accommodated his needs for classes, exams and homework. Staff at ODS formatted his textbooks to audio, which he says makes it easier to understand the textbook when he hears it, rather than just reading the material.
Vongkorad is also a first generation college graduate and the oldest son of Vietnamese and Laotian immigrants who came to the United States to flee the Vietnam War. His parents now work full time so that he and his two younger brothers can go to college.
He will find out in June whether he gets a graduate assistant position for the fall at UIS. He would like to pursue financial analysis or investment banking.
“It’s always been a fear of mine that I would be seen or labeled as dumb or stupid and nobody wants to hear those words,” he says. “And when you have a disability, you’re afraid that’s going to happen. And then I learned that I’m not the only one and I’m not dumb, I’m really smart.”
“For some of our students, it’s absolutely amazing that they’ve been able to get through all the classes they had to take and they’re graduating,” says Woods. “I don’t think it’s hit them how special it’s going to be for them to walk.”
Contact Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].
