This is coming off of a bad experience on Italki.
I have special needs (not ADHD or dyslexia) and as a result, among other areas, I struggle academically. Especially as it pertains to language learning.
I often would go on Italki and only "window shop" because I could never find a tutor that seemed like they would be of the right disposition to accommodate my special needs. Also I never got the impression they could relate to my reason for learning (I need to for neurological reasons).
Until one day where I found a tutor who specifically said "please tell me about any disabilities or concerns", "I am interested in teaching students from different backgrounds" etc on their profile.
We had a short DM chat, and then when I mentioned my disability (I said I had very low instant access memory), I was ghosted.
I'm wondering how my experience could differ on the platform SuikaTalk.
Unlike Italki, they have a search tag specifically for disabilities, and they claim to vet Tutors more. They even plan in the future to expand training relating to disabilities on their platform.
My concern is that I feel like the tutors on there might just be compelled to add the "disability" tag, just to expand their potential client base, without really being at all prepared for, or intending to do, what that might entail. Which could result in the same experience, or worse.
It seems to also be a very new platform, so I can't find any reviews for it. Many of the tutors don't have reviews on the platform. None of the "disability" ones at least. They seem to have a very small online presence.
They are also asking for donations for the training (free webinars for instructors), but it's not exactly super transparent about all the financial details of that.
Does anyone have any experiences they can share about the platform, or any first hand experience with the tutors there?
Thank you.
by KEVERD