"Disability"

My first week of school is now over. It was pretty stressful. I started all six of my classes and also started work on Friday. I decided I would make this post about something that also made my week more stressful.

At my university, I qualify for disability services. This is something that I struggled with all last semester. I did not want to be stuck with the label of "disabled" when I could still move around and was able to get just about everything I wanted done. My first major flare did not hit until last semester, and after that, I realized that I should have something in place in case I ever feel so sick again.

With my disability accomodations, I am eligible for leniency on absences, extra time on assignments and extra time on tests. I doubt I will need extra time on tests, but the disability office put that on there just in case. I have to get all my professors and discussion leaders to sign a paper saying they understand I have a disabilty, although they do not know what it is, and will give me these accomodations.

Having these services is something that I do not want. I hated asking my professors and tried to hide the sheet so that none of the other students would see it. I guess I'm afraid of being stigmatized. But, at the same time, I realize that this is something I need. Even now, I am up at 7:20 in the morning because my joints ache from running around so much this week.

Can anyone else relate to not wanting a label?