Digital books that can read difficult words aloud, someone to take notes for you in class and extra time on tests: some students would consider these accommodations luxuries, but for MU sophomore Byron Carlisle, they are an absolute necessity.
In fourth grade, Carlisle was diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disability that affects his ability to read, and attention deficit disorder, a condition characterized by a short attention span and impulsivity.
As a child, Carlisle was often the last to finish tests and performed poorly in school compared to his peers.
"I was a lot slower in school than all the other kids," Carlisle said. "Spelling tests back in the fourth grade were pretty hard for me. I'd get something like a 20 out of 100."
His mother, Sandy Carlisle, described her son's story as a play in which Carlisle was placed on stage and asked to perform an unfamiliar script that all the other actors had rehearsed.
"I was so tuned into him and all the kids," she said. "I saw he wasn't processing in the same way as other kids."
He said he doesn't remember much about the assessment that led to his diagnosis.
"It was long," Carlisle said. "I think it was a lot of tests, not just one. I remember we had to keep going back."
Sandy Carlisle said things were rough for the family before Carlisle was diagnosed.
"It was almost a relief when we found out he had dyslexia and that there was a school where he could go where the teachers were specialists," she said.
After the diagnosis, Carlisle's parents decided that it would be in his best interest to leave his public school in the Dallas suburb of Frisco and attend Shelton School, a private school in Dallas with a curriculum designed for students with learning disabilities.
"I talk to my mom a lot about it, and she always says it was hard for her to try to convince me that it's not a bad thing to have dyslexia," Carlisle said. "It wasn't until around the time that I went to the private school that I realized that it's not something to be ashamed of."
The teaching style at Shelton School differed greatly from the public schools Carlisle had attended.
"You'd do alphabetic phonics, they teach you organization, they teach you how to read a passage and comprehend it. Just little things like that," Carlisle said.
He stayed at Shelton School until the ninth grade, when he returned to Frisco High School, his local public school. Carlisle's older brother and sister also attended the school.
"It was definitely a lot different," Carlisle said. "In Shelton School, we always had teachers making us get organized. When I went back in public schools, the teachers didn't really care if you were organized or not."
He said that even though he was enrolled in the disability services at his public high school, he received more one-on-one attention from teachers at Shelton.
Carlisle, a competitive swimmer, said he decided to attend MU based on its nursing school, the swim team and the services offered to students with disabilities.
The Office of Disability Services provides accommodations for 1,126 students with documented learning disabilities, Matthew Buckley said in an e-mail. Buckley is the coordinator of learning programs.
To be eligible for accommodations, the student must provide documentation, Buckley said. This process includes an interview, assessment of aptitude, a review of academic achievement and an assessment of information processing ability. The student must also be officially diagnosed with a learning disability.
Carlisle said he and his family spoke to disability services representatives at others schools, but he described them as less proactive.
"I wouldn't say that they weren't willing to help, because they were, obviously," Carlisle said. "It just seemed like Matt Buckley wanted to help us."
Carlisle, who is now studying to become a nurse, uses several of the services available to disabled students, including extended test-taking time and note-taking services. Carlisle says note taking is one of the hardest parts of his disorder.
"Note taking is pretty hard for me - trying to listen and write at the same time," he said.
But these services don't entirely compensate for his trouble concentrating.
"When I get home, it's kind of hard not to turn on the TV," Carlisle said. "I usually find myself going to the library to study."
He also said he has more trouble with tests in college than in high school, in part because of different policies. For example, Disability Services cannot omit answers to Carlisle's tests at MU, something that was permitted at his high school.
Sandy Carlisle said her son works hard to cope with his learning disorders.
"I think he has an incredible work ethic," she said. "He keeps a calendar, he knows exactly what's coming up and he over-plans."
Carlisle's difficulties also affect him outside of academics.
"The dyslexia affects me any time when I'm standing in line," he said. "I'm trying to go see a movie or something, and I'm trying to say the movie title and I mispronounce it. It definitely affects me daily."
Even so, people close to him say Carlisle rarely shows signs of his learning disability.
"I don't really see it," said Travis Floyd, Carlisle's friend and a co-captain of the MU men's swim team. "He does a really good job of handling himself. He's just a normal kid like everyone else."
Carlisle said people rarely harass or mock him for his disabilities.
"I thought they would, but going to Shelton School fifth grade through eighth grade, 95 percent of the kids there had dyslexia, so I just fit in," he said. "Most of my friends still kind of tease me, just joking around, but it's all fun."
Another benefit of enrollment in Disability Services' programs is that students can find some support and empathy with one another.
"There are others in classes who you see at Disability Services who you talk to before or after an exam or something like that," Carlisle said. "The people that are in the Disability Services, you learn to recognize the faces."
He said it's helpful to see others who are enrolled in Disability Services who are also in his classes. He said it's comforting to know he's not the only one enrolled in a difficult class.
Despite his busy schedule, Carlisle still finds time to be active on the swimming and diving team.
"He's a great swimmer," Floyd said. "He does a great job in the pool. He's a great contributor to the team, and that's all we can ask for."
Carlisle also said he volunteers for community service with the swim team.
"He's a very empathic and intuitive kid. Having dyslexia probably contributed to that," Sandy Carlisle said.
She said his family is proud of how well he's done, but they know that he will never be totally free of the problems caused by his learning disabilities.
"He's just done so well," she said, "but it's always going to be a struggle."
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