Disabled Students FAQ (Under Construction)

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mungukwachupi

I have "absence epilepsy", this means that I get small seizures in which very little of me is effected. Essentially, I black out mentally for anything between 1 or 2 seconds to half a minute. When this happens I lose track of conversation and often become disorientated. I am on medication for this but the attacks have not ceased completly. Should I inform the uni? Can I get anything so that if and when they do happen, it won't matter because there is some kind of record of the seminar/lecture/whatever? Does this entitle me to disability allowance? I have a million and one questions ARGH!

I suggest telling uni and asking for an appointment with your uni's disability support services. They will be able to give you more case specific advice regarding what help, if any, you are able to get. It might be something as simple as getting you a dictaphone so you can record lectures so you don't miss things.

Reply 41

Craghyrax

mungukwachupi

Does this entitle me to disability allowance?

Highly probable.

Reply 42

Ronove

mungukwachupi

OH MY GOD I could kiss you. I didn't know such a thing existed, I thought it was just me. OMG. And apparently there are ways to treat it too?! OMG OMG I might not have to lose loads of my time to this anymore... :eek2:

I can't ****ing believe it.
;happy2;

Reply 43

Craghyrax

Ronove

I can't ****ing believe it.
;happy2;

Someone needs to go for a diagnosis... :biggrin:

Reply 44

Ronove

OK so I'm not noticing myself having them anymore, mainly cos there's no-one usually around atm to stare at me when I come out of it. :rofl:

Or maybe I've grown out of it. Either way, I don't want to do anything about it unless it happens again and I can tell it's not just really intense daydreaming! So yeah, will update if it happens again. :p:

In June I was registered as partially sighted and have a few problems with both of my eyes. I'm trying to apply for DSA. What evidence do I need? I have something called a Certificate of Visual Impairment, but all that really has on it is some general information about me (Name, DOB, Address, etc) but doesn't have that much information about either of my diagnoses. (squint & Nystagmus )

I have something from the council that says what's wrong with me and what I need other people to do to me to help me. Other than that, I have nothing to say what exactly is wrong with me.

Reply 47

Craghyrax

Titch89

Read through the guide to the DSA which is in red at the top of this subforum. Find the 'bridging the gap' link, and read through the pdf carefully. It has a page describing what counts as evidence and what doesn't.

Reply 48

TSR Community Staff

As part of a general forum to wiki transference project on the site these FAQs have now been added to the wiki (you might notice the link to them in the 'useful resources section of each forum page).

I'm asking for a little help here though - this thread does seem to have more good stuff in it than in the first post - would someone up on this subject be able add in more sections to the wiki article?

If you need more help wiki with editing, ask in the About Wiki forum.

Also, you might be interested in the other wiki pages from this subforum. They can all be found here. Please feel free to add to and develop these pages and create more useful ones too. Hopefully at some point in the future the other pages will be added to the useful resources page. It would be helpful if you could also link to them from within the sticky threads the content was taken from :smile:

Thanks for your efforts in here to create this content and keep up the good work :smile:

Reply 49

Rhoadissimus

Hi, I have a quick question

I suffer from Raynaud's syndrome. I'm going to Uni in September but never mentioned this on my UCAS as, it didn't seem to warrant it. However, over the last couple of months, it's got really terrible and I'm constantly cold. When tis happens it really affects my concentration(too busy shivering! :wink:

)and I'm worried that the Uni I will hopefully be going too will have freezing rooms! Is there anything I can do about this?

Also, I've recently had a relapse and am suffering from severe depression(which has been diagnosed and I am having treatment for) and this has really affected the quality of my work as I can't concentrate and find things more difficult to understand. Basically, I'm really worried that I won't meet my offer(AAA! :eek:

)and will be furious with myself afterwards. Should I let the Uni know what's happening?

Thanks for any replies. :smile:

Reply 50

Paulwhy

Rhoadissimus

I suffer from Raynaud's syndrome. I'm going to Uni in September but never mentioned this on my UCAS as, it didn't seem to warrant it.

However, over the last couple of months, it's got really terrible and I'm constantly cold. When tis happens it really affects my concentration(too busy

shivering! :wink:

)and I'm worried that the Uni I will hopefully be going too will have freezing rooms! Is there anything I can do about this?

Firstly sorry to hear that your condition has got worse. Secondly it is your choice who and what you tell. Thirdly if you want help you do need to ask for it. Especially as you have big cold problem, getting into the best accommodation is going to be important. What I mean is that uni halls (at Warwick anyway) are like many public buildings and have a central thermostate and not one for each room. You only have control of the radiator temaptures when they are on and not whether they are on or off. I am not saying this to worry you just that if you are proactive you can get the disability officer to help you.

Rhoadissimus

Also, I've recently had a relapse and am suffering from severe depression(which has been diagnosed and I am having treatment for) and

this has really affected the quality of my work as I can't concentrate and find things more difficult to understand. Basically, I'm really worried that I

won't meet my offer(AAA! :eek:

)and will be furious with myself afterwards. Should I let the Uni know what's happening?

You may get some relief from the offer, especially if you are close to the grade. But don't hold your breath. Having said that just talking things through with the univeristy disability departmnet may help. That way you can just contend with the reality of the sitaution at your intended univeristy and then not need to worry about non-existant issues. (This is not a crictism of you just a statement on my own experiences!)

What is the worst that can happen? Do you have an insurance?

All The Best

Reply 51

Rhoadissimus

Yeah, I do have an insurance, but it's only one grade lower in one specific subject(Physics! Blergh!) So if I screw up anything else it will be an unexpected year out! Also, having suffered from depression last year, my firm knew about it and asked if I thought it would happen again(during an interview)and kind of hinted that the correct answer would be no. So I said no but now this has happened! So really, I'm just completely confused as to whether to ring them or not as it would be along the lines of "You know I said I had everything in hand and it wouldn't happen again? Turns out I'm wrong. Yay" Lol. Which I'm a bit scared of doing. I'm going to stop the unhelpful rambling now.

Thanks for your advice! :smile:

I think I will at least tell them about my Reynaud's.

Than

Reply 52

Paulwhy

Well now they have made the offer they can't take it away!

Firstly you need to think of the university as individuals and departments not as one super connected being. So communicating with the disability officer is just a start. i.e. they will not pass on your status unless you ask them to.

Secondly I hope you not too stressed by the heating issue. e.g. a good disability officer at the very least should be able to sort out some supplementary heaters. But the system does rely on you being active: you need to ask.

Thirdly glad you getting treatment for your depression. When I was depressed many years ago, I did not ask for help and this made matters much worse.

Fourthly be positive. However well the next few months go you will face future difficulties. But conversly however badly they go you will have future good times as well.

Fifthly thanks for the rep. :smile:

Reply 53

Rhoadissimus

Thanks for all the advice, it's been really helpful! I think I will ring the Uni and talk to them if my depression doesn't start to get any better over the next couple of weeks and will definitely ring them about the heating! :biggrin:

Thanks again :smile:

Reply 54

cloacal

ok i will probably get killed for what i about to say cause it will sound snobby etc...but i will explain the background and then state my problem and hope u all can be objective...

i was born with birth defects...i have a urinary tract diversion, a colostomy, low bone density, hormone imbalance, missing spinal vertabre, deformed spine base, deformed spinal cord causing nerve spazams, cramps and sometimes temporary lower body paralysis.

this means i a bit more vulnerable to infections and dehydration and have always been "sick." when i was 8 I spent nearly a full yr in hospital, i missed lots of school previous to this and when i returned to school i could barely read or write and was put in a special class and then was held back a year!!!...i still remember the absolute depression of losing all my friends and being the older person in the class, the dumb one. :mad:

my family moved to NI to be near family to make life easier but i refused to go to a special school and i spent the next 11 yrs of school fighting to prove i ain't stupid and i not useless because i disabled.. to be as "normal" as possible.

i had a wonderful class room assistant, and when i reached 2ndary school i reduced the hours of help i received. i still had ill health and missed school but i never let anyone know any details of my disability, i stayed after class and got any work missed from my very helpful teachers. I refused to ever depend on any friend for help. i got a part time job although my back pain meant i had to quit it last year and for the first time i took DLA benefit but although entitled i refused the higher rate, motability and incapacity. i did everything i could to fit in and to not stand out. i am not ashamed of my disability, but i believe it is no ones business... i take what extra help i need but refuse to stand out or make any more of a fuss than is necessary. after everything, i refused extra time in exams, i worked hard even when in hospital and was ecstatic to achieve 4 A levels all A grades! (two fingers to all who tried to shove me in special classes and called me thick cause i got held back :p:

)

going to study law at uni i want more independence. i had an assessment and have turned down an assistant however i will be getting a laptop, food allowance, specialized backpack, altered class timetable and location to make disabled toilets closer and my blocks of classes more spread out, specialized bed, en suite and ground floor room in halls.

sounds gr8 but when i had my assesment i made it clear i wanted to be treated as "normal" as possible, i have to have ground floor room because my back problems and my nerve damage can make stairs on a frequent basis a problem.
yet i received my halls info , it is ground floor but it is in a block of halls that is populated mainly(not all) by disabled students....i e-mailed to find out what the score was and it seems i will be sharing with 3 wheelchair users. i have nothing against anyone in a wheelchair, heck i had to use one in the past and have friend in wheel chairs but going to uni i want to keep my head down i want to be seen as just another person ....not the disabled girl who stays with the wheel chair users in the disabled block!! i love to go out, i love to have my friends over and this will just make it awkward as well as accentuating that i different to my friends.

i know this sounds snobby but i really just want to blend in, i worked so hard to conceal my disabilities and to blend in. i just want to be moved to a block in halls with other so called "normal" students but i don't know how to broach the subject with the uni and i feel lousy about asking to be moved over something that makes these ppl them as much as my disability makes me me.!!

i don't know what to do, should i complain or should i just accept it?

pls don't give me stick about wanting to move!

Reply 55

Ethereal

I would speak to the univeristy and voice your concerns. It may be that they have grouped you all in one block for fire evacuation purposes so don't be surprised or offended if you aren't moved. I'd certainly discuss it with them and see what they say.

You don't sound snobby.

Reply 56

Titch89

Does DSA pay for personal care? Also, if I do need personal care whilst at uni, how do I sort all this out?

Reply 57

Ethereal

Titch89

Does DSA pay for personal care? Also, if I do need personal care whilst at uni, how do I sort all this out?

Medical helper component? I think it may. If not then you will have to go through other benefits. You need to speak to your council and your disabled students department at uni.

Reply 58

Ice_Queen

Hehe back to the absence epilepsy thing, it's really hard to live with; I was told mine were especially frequent (unmedicated, I was having them once every ten minutes or so). People think it would be fairly easy as it's not a physical condition or visible, really. (Only my mom can tell I'm having them... and she can tell over the phone as well!)

I recieved quite a bit. I'm on lots of medication (lamotrigine at the moment, but they want to add Keppra because they haven't ceased entirely. I don't want it, but they're going to add it on to my lamotrigine rather than replacing it entirely... but that's rather irrelevant).

The DSA gave me a dictaphone and a note-taker. I also got a visual thesaurus piece of software; I'm thinking it'll be helpful when I hyave a seizure and just can't remember where I was going... Mindmapping software helps for the same reason.

I haven't had chance to see how effective they are, but I'm hoping they'll be ace. I can't concentrate for long periods of time, so often I only get the first half of the lecture, which is usually the easy stuff.

So yes, go and get a diagnosis, Craghyrax!!!!! It's better to be safe than sorry, and it won't hurt. You'll probably get an MRI and an EEG to check. I kept seizing while they were doing it, so they were very pleased with the results. I'm just that nice. Do tell your doctor to get a referral even if s/he is reluctant. I was diagnosed when I was 11, but then told I didn't have it at 16. I went back to the doctor at 18 saying "No, seriously, I still have it, I assure you.", and she just told me I was forgetful and dozy (idiot, how could she see my history and think that). I had to go to another doctor and beg for a referral!

It does affect your life; I was driving for six months before the second doctor! Now I can't, which is sad. There are ways around everything, but the help is out there. Once you're sorted, you can do what everyone else does!

I think I may have rambled a bit there, but hey. Better too much than too little? You don't have to read it!

Reply 59

Ethereal

Ice_Queen

It does affect your life; I was driving for six months before the second doctor! Now I can't, which is sad. There are ways around everything, but the help is out there. Once you're sorted, you can do what everyone else does!

Has anyone told you you're entitled to one of the free bus passes and also a disabled persons railcard because you've lost your licence by way of medical refusal?