Student Experiences

Turning Disability into Destiny at Oxford

When I shared my excitement at being accepted in The Evidence Based Health Care Program at Oxford I got a mixed reception. Friends were concerned that my disability needs would be disregarded and that the old historic architecture Oxford is known for would not be user friendly. I promised to report back and here is my story.

A new university meant a new assessment for me. Oxford took charge and found me an excellent assessor, Amanda. She quickly and accurately determined what I would need to work through spinal impairment, sight, hearing and cognitive deficits. In every respect people at Oxford were kind, diligent and helpful. This enabled me to retain my dignity throughout the process which included an appeal. This was due to my needs requiring more extensive equipment than they were used to supplying.  Oxford persevered, encouraged me and arranged for interim help.  

By the time I arrived at Oxford the disabilities were virtually invisible to the outside world. I was to change all this when just before my second course I was run over. I arrived for class a week after surgery.  An accessible room, wheel chairs and ramps magically appeared. In each class an extra chair was found for my leg to rest on and my class notes were sent to my IPAD so there was no need to carry heavy binders.

All the buildings are not wholly accessible friendly but staff and students alike found innovative ways to meet these challenges. Magically extra chairs would appear so I could keep my leg up and on breaks classmates would come back with coffee and snacks. When we went out at night my new colleagues wheeled me where the taxi could not go. One morning I was late as I was so exhausted I went to be right after class and didn’t awaken until fifteen minutes before class in the morning. There was a gentle knock at my door. I opened it and it was the course leader, she was checking in to see if I was OK.  

The Director of the EBHC program Dr. Amanda Burls, phoned my dyslexia tutor in order to find ways to offer me the best chance to learn.  In all my graduate studies at other universities this did not happen.

At my first module we were encouraged to help a student who was too ill to be at class by sharing what we learned with him online. I signed on and shared with some of my classmates. This student became a very good friend and the process likely reinforced my own learning and enabled me to stop focusing on whether I fit in so I could make a place of learning for someone else.

I hope to find innovative ways graduates with disabilities can be funded even with academic limitations. There are ways to do almost anything when innovation, imagination and collaboration join hands.  I invite you to join me in this initiative.

I would encourage anyone regardless of a disability to apply to Oxford and not be put off. Studying at Oxford is a wonderful way to learn how to change your world and make a difference. You will meet people who will challenge your thinking and expand your horizons.  At Oxford you will not be treated like a disabled person but like a person with a disability. Be yourself and more, meet the challenge and determine your destiny.

I am a blind student, with a very small amount of light perception. I arrived at Oxford with my new guide dog, Olga, who lives with me at St John's. I chose to use a guide dog instead of a white stick as I find they are less alienating – at times, in fact, Olga's universal appeal can become a liability – (people rarely stop to pat and feed white sticks!).

I chose St John's for the course and for the sheer beauty of the place. I enjoyed my three day interview stay at the college, I was made very welcome by the students. I was delighted to receive an offer from the College and contacted them to discuss equipment and support needs. At this stage, my offer was conditional on 'A' level results, so I couldn't begin to order equipment until after August, which led to some delays, with some items not arriving until the fourth or fifth week of term.

The College IT Officer organised the purchases and the College funded the bulk of them. During my first year I applied for disabled student's allowance and bought more essential equipment, having visited various equipment fairs to find out what was on offer. It is important to access any and all grants that may be available to you.

My initial concerns on coming to Oxford were that people wouldn't understand the effects of blindness. Initially, there were some misunderstandings, but this was a learning curve for both sides. One instance of this was that in my first year I was encouraged to go into accommodation specifically designed for special needs students, which had great wheelchair access, a shower big enough for a barn dance but nowhere to store the vast quantity of Braille books which I was accumulating! I also felt rather isolated there as I was away from other first year students. In my second year I shared a house with friends, which was great. I then moved back into college, and have been here for two years, in a large room with space for dog and books.

In my first year I relied on other students for reader support, and this was difficult as they had their own commitments. In my second year my tutor arranged for a part time assistant to scan and braille texts for me. This helped, but the volume of texts was so great, that I was finding I could not get material processed fast enough. In addition, I had difficulties getting reading lists far enough in advance for me to get the books into Braille. The result was that I was advised to repeat the second year, in order to catch up on reading that I had missed. Unfortunately, however, some of the courses changed, so we were back to square one!

For the most part, I organised my own support, going to my tutor if I needed additional help. For example, I organised support in the libraries and made my own arrangements with staff about taking texts out for brailling. At that time I liaised directly with college and my department.

Laboratory Work has never been a problem as we always work in pairs, and I was used to this method of working from school. The lab technicians always treated me just like any other student, which was really good. For lectures I use my note-taking equipment, and only receive handouts on disk from a couple of lecturers. Using E-mail is a great way to keep in touch with lecturers and tutors.

My advice to other potential Oxford students would be to organise as much in the way of equipment and support beforehand – talk to other disabled students, currently at Oxford, and don't be put off by perceived disabilities. It's not possible to anticipate all the hassles, you just have to learn how to deal with them!

I have cerebral palsy. I have difficulties with balance and mobility which means I am slow moving from one place to another. I also have some stiffness in my left hand. I chose Oxford as it has a lovely reputation. I was advised to apply to Worcester by the head of my sixth form. This was because it had theology tutors on site and was close to the faculty. There were no problems organising my accommodation. Once I had been made an offer I contacted college and requested a ground floor room. Worcester was really helpful and in July I came for a visit and looked at several rooms before making my own choice. I was concerned about access issues but was reassured on my visits to Oxford generally and Worcester College in particular.

I received information about facilities for disabled students before coming to Oxford, including the Access Guide and Disability Statement. The college contacted me to discuss a visit and my needs. I had a meeting in college with the University Disability Co-ordinator and the Domestic Bursar and we discussed any adaptations I needed as well as any additional support. My room only needed a few alterations such as a seat in the shower and an additional step. I also needed a few adaptations around college such as a handrail in the student bar. This took a while to organise. College paid for and organised these adaptations. I applied for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) for IT equipment and this application was approved. Since I have been at Worcester I have also received a lot of peer support which has been great.

My advice to other students would be to make early contact with the college. Sort out your needs before arriving at college as it takes a while to organise. Visit early, at least a couple of visits, and meet the appropriate people. It is also good to visit at different times of the year as you will get a feel for the place. This was important for me as I needed to know the layout of the city and how easy/difficult it would be for me to get around in a variety of weathers!

I have dyslexia. I was first sent for testing at about the age of 12/13. This resulted in some extra English tuition outside school. It is difficult for me to assess how much my dyslexia was affecting my work, and I think it was more of a hindrance at primary school when I would make mistakes by miscopying numbers etc. By secondary school I was having additional tuition and I chose subjects which I enjoyed, which tended to be the sciences.

I mentioned my dyslexia when applying and knew that St John's had funding to assist students with special needs should I require it. I also chose St John's because it was close to my lecture halls. I didn't have any major concerns before coming to Oxford. I enjoyed physics and had not had difficulties with it at A Level, so did not anticipate difficulties with the course.

Although I mentioned my dyslexia when applying I didn't want to make too much of an issue of it as I was worried about it affecting my application. Once I had started at St John's, the college organised extra time in examinations but I didn't discuss any other type of support with them as I felt I was progressing okay. I did have some problems in the first year with keeping up with the work, but think this was because I took part in too many extra-curricular activities!

I first contacted the disabilities staff on the recommendation of my tutor to discuss whether dyslexia may have affected my performance in my Part 1A exams. I am now having some sessions with a specialist dyslexia tutor for assistance with ordering and structuring my work. My DSA is paying for the tuition. I came to university with a computer and a scanner and these have been very useful for my project and work in general. I work a lot faster on the computer, particularly as it has a 21" monitor which makes reading a lot easier and helps me to notice my mistakes a lot faster.

I would advise other students to contact the University before coming to find out about support and facilities available.

I have had a severe hearing loss since birth. Although largely deaf in both ears I do have some hearing that falls within the speech frequency which means I can make use of a hearing aid in my right ear. I communicate via a combination of lip reading and hearing. Group work and following conversations can be difficult, because of the background noise.

I didn't come for a visit at Oxford beforehand, but would recommend that other students do visit before applying. I chose Magdalen on the recommendation of my biology teacher. When I came for interview I could see it was in a good location for my course, as it is near the science park. I did some reading in preparation for the interview and this helped to show the extent of my interest and commitment. My preparation included contacting the BMA and finding out that there is a working party for disabled GPs and I also spoke to a deaf GP. This helped me to feel confident about answering potential questions relating to the impact of my disability on my course and future career as a GP.

The only adaptation I needed to my accommodation was the installation of a flashing alarm system. This took 8 weeks for the college to install. Now in my second year there has been no problem with setting up the alarm in my new room – it was in place at the beginning of term.

Before coming to Oxford my main concerns were settling in and making friends. I was concerned about my ability to communicate at parties with lots of background noise which makes it difficult for me to hear what is being said, and I didn't want to come across as quiet or shy. I was also aware that Oxford is a prestigious University and the medicine course is good, so had anxieties about whether I would be able to cope with the subject.

Prior to starting, my school contacted Magdalen direct to discuss my needs and a comprehensive needs report was sent to Magdalen by my school. I contacted the college and the University Disability Co-ordinator during freshers' week to discuss additional facilities and needs. Support organised for me by college included the fire alarms and procedures. In addition, a letter of needs was sent out to the department, college academics, the JCR, catering staff, porters and librarians. I was very happy to talk about my deafness and needs relating to it. I found it useful to have contact with the JCR president and I am now a member of the student equal opportunities committee.

I applied to my LEA for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) for a radio aid to use during lectures with micro link for use in small groups. Organising DSA took a long time and I had to borrow equipment until the funding came through to buy my own.

My advice to other students would be to sort out your DSA as soon as possible. Do make use of equipment to assist with hearing as it really does help to maintain your independence as well as making access to the curriculum a lot easier! It is also important to make early contact with the college regarding your needs. I would also advise researching the impact of your disability on the course and career. Don't let your disability put you off applying to Oxford. Be open and honest about your disability and the positive impact of disability, and complete the personal statement on the UCAS form.