Whitney's Story

My name is Whitney Randol. I attended a small private school from kindergarten to 12th grade that focused on individual students and how they develop over time. This may sound unfamiliar or foreign to some people, but it is where I come from. It’s part of who I am. It is something that has helped shape me into the person I am today.

Who am I?

I have dyslexia and have recently been diagnosed with ADHD. I was never on an IEP plan and only learned they existed after taking an education class in college. Thanks to my parents and supportive environment I was able to go through most of my K-12 education without much struggle. However, when I entered high school, academics became a bit more of a challenge. The workload increased and the amount of reading increased. Up until then, I had counted on my parents to read any book or article that was assigned. In high school I began using books on CD to help me get through all the reading requirements. Surprisingly enough I never had much of an issue having a learning disability because I either had one-on-one tutoring after school, or I was able to compensate. Furthermore, my peers never made fun of me for having a learning disability. I was able to go through my struggles quietly and unnoticed. In my junior year for high school, I began asking for help because academics became too tough to manage on my own. My high school set in place some accommodations for me that included a note taker, permission to use books on CD, and extended time on tests. The most valuable lesson I learned in high school was to begin asking for help, which gave me a jump start. My openness to asking and accepting help and the absence of adolescent teasing gave me the opportunity to understand my learning disability in an atmosphere of reduced anxiety.

Academic tools

I am currently in my third semester at Landmark College, a college that supports students who have a learning disability or ADHD. It is a place where I am developing my meta-cognitive awareness which teaches me how I learn best in an academic setting. Becoming more aware of how I learn helped me choose which strategies would complement my learning profile. Landmark has presented me with different strategies, using some assistive technologies such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Kurzweil, and Inspiration. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a program where you dictate what you want to say into a microphone that is attached to your computer. Kurzweil is a program that reads aloud text books, and it also allows me to write notes in the margin. Inspiration is a program that allows me to make maps of my ideas and can transfer them into an outline for papers. Each assistive technology has been extremely helpful in my success in academics.

Landmark has given me the chance to know how to ask for the type of help I need. In the past people had the intention to help me; however I had difficulty articulating my needs. Often times teachers would do the work for me, rather than helping me understand how to improve my work. The academic coaching services here at Landmark have also been one of the best things I have received. Coaching has given me a chance to get organized with my assignments and to set long and short-term goals. Coaching has also taught me to learn about my study habits and learn how to change them into set limits and times for myself so I don't wear myself out and am not able to finish my work. It has given me the chance to not overwork and complete my assignments in a reasonable amount of time.

I did experience difficulties and challenges having a learning disability in elementary school, high school and now even in college. I went through times where I wanted to give up on school and academics completely. It scared me because I have always been enthusiastic about learning. There have been times where I felt like homework was a chore, and I wasn't learning anything in school. It was all about getting the work done. My life was consumed by school and homework. I didn't allow myself any breathing room and I felt trapped. At Landmark, I learned that I am a verbal and auditory learner and that I am more successful if I talk through my ideas. Landmark has also taught me to pace myself and plan out my assignments. In addition it introduced me to different test taking strategies to reduce my test anxiety. The support that I have received at Landmark has helped me recognize when I need extra help with assignments. Throughout the challenges and triumphs of having a learning disability, Landmark College has given me learning tools so now I never have to just do work to get it done for the class.

My future plans after I leave Landmark

When I transfer from Landmark I am planning on moving on to a four-year college that has a nursing program. I am interested in going into the nursing field and being a labor and delivery nurse. I have always wanted to work with babies and mothers and entering into nursing will give me the opportunity to fulfill that interest of mine. I have many other interests that I wish to pursue such as outdoor education and photography I wish I could combine all three of my interests, but I think my goal right now is to go to nursing school. Landmark has opened the door for me to be able to enroll in nursing school. I am not sure where I would be academically without Landmark.