university problems?

[GlasweJen]

i'm not sure if this belongs on this forum as it is nowt to do with money (i came here originally to sort out my bank's "we'll slap £40 onto everything" policy.

So i'm having problems with my university, I have a disability, well medical condition that makes me pass out lots, i mean like all the time, and the school i'm in is fine with it, they change some stuff for me like not having to handle certain chemicals and the like but otherwise i'm treated as a normal student.

The exam board, which is nothing to do with the school itself takes all applications for exam allowances through either student support services (SSS) or by filling in an MC1 form outlining problems that could affect the exam or the learning around the exam. SSS know about my medical condition and i'm listed under the university as having multiple disabilities, so far i'm allowed extra reading time in the exam and they print a larger paper for me (because i'm dyslexic) but the exam invigilators have no idea that i'm quite likely to collapse on them. In first year I collapsed during an exam, the invigilator ignored me until my friend (a first aider) decided to make sure i was breathing ok, when someone from the exam board was called i was told that i couldn't leave the exam as i had not been in the room for a full hour and my paper would be void if i left the room. She then said that as it is a long term health problem i can't fill in an MC1 form for what happened. I assumed what she said was true and got on with things, and i passed the exam.

This year a girl on the same course as me sitting the same modules failed to turn up for an exam. She filled in an MC1 form and got a doctor to state that she was too ill to sit the exam after collapsing the night before. The exam board came back and said that it was a good enough reason to miss though they haven't decided what they will do with her.

I took this up with someone from the student advice service and she said that it didn't seem right, she reviewed the MC1 procedures with me and said that there was no rule about not submitting for a long term health condition and she knows that the universities rules on long term health problems "don't quite fit" with the disability discrimination act and they are under review right now but what am i supposed to do? I pass out before all of my exams, usually in the morning before, i've sat an exam with a head injury and, as mentioned above collapsed in an exam with no allowances made.
I'm under the care of the cardiology department in another city and my own doctor only knows the basics of my problem, not enough to give a detailed letter for every exam I sit (MC1 forms need supporting evidence from a doctor or other professional) and even if he did it costs to get a non-urgent letter from the doctor. There's no other professional who i know that can fill in this form and I don't understand how my allowances for dyslexia just happen but not for my heart problem. does anyone have any advice on what to do from here?

Thanks,

Jennifer

[Giveitback]

Jen I wish I knew how to help, but the only thing I can think of is that you see the welfare leader at the stuent association. I'm sure you can't be the only person ever to have had this kind of situation, and if they're NUS affiliated they might be able to help out.

Best wishes
GiB

[GlasweJen]

Originally Posted by Giveitback

Jen I wish I knew how to help, but the only thing I can think of is that you see the welfare leader at the stuent association. I'm sure you can't be the only person ever to have had this kind of situation, and if they're NUS affiliated they might be able to help out.

Best wishes
GiB

the student association say that i can file an official complaint but i'm not allowed to involve anyone who's not from the university if i go down that route and it all seems quite complicated just to get an apology, cos that's all i can get, no changes or anything to the procedures that got me here in the first place

[Giveitback]

erm, perhaps see what the NUS say then.. I'm not sure they're right

[Joa]

Jen; perservere with the student advice centre and also talk to your union's welfare officer. There is more here to gain then an apology. Your mitigating circumstances will have an affect on your grades if accepted. Make fuss about DDA- Universities rules are sbject to statute so they cannot discriminate against you. Exam Boards are influenced by your mit circs.
If you wish, PM me with your University's name or your contact details and I will try to help.
Your cardiologist should write a letter which needs to state how your conditions affects you. You (or your student adviser) need to write to him now, giving him specific phrases and examples- so he can virtualy copy and paste- if he agrees with the contents. Doctors are often overwhelmed by such requests so make it easy on him; tell him exactly what you need and why. If there is a charge for such letter, apply to Access to Learning Fund, which a welfare fund available for all home students who study 50% or more of a full time equivalent (or more then 25% if your disability prevents you from studying more). ALF provides non-repayable grants and disabled students are considered a priority. Ask your student adviser to coach you on the application process.
Good luck!

[GlasweJen]

I have got completely nowhere with this at all. I wrote a letter to the university but couldn't take it further as exam time hit again. This time round the invigilator didn't give me a large print paper even though I asked and then refused to even let me read off the larger paper . My Mit circs for this were deemed valid but not taken into consideration as I scored 46% and that coupled with my coursework (78%) was enough to pass me (70% exam to 30% coursework). My overall grade is barely a scrape above 50 and i've lodged an academic appeal. I've given up with the student advice service as they just tell me things I can find on the universities policy, I'm fighting this one alone.

[Joa]

Jenschnifer; can you PM me with the name of your uni?

[GlasweJen]

message sent

[GlasweJen]

Well got back the academic appeal for not getting a large print paper and it went well enough, they changed my mark of 41% to 62% based on how i'd done in other, similar subjects and my coursework so i've went from barely scraping to getting a merit overnight!

On the other side of things I'm not going to get anywhere so i've given up with it. I'll get SSS to review my profile for NCS and see if they can arrange flexible deadlines for this year as my condition has got worse and I'm on the list for a pacemaker.

[gamequeen88]

just go directly to the student uni... ...

just ask

they will give you nice answer i am sure

[GlasweJen]

our student union is practically non-existant, the president is a binge drinker who doesn't get up before 5pm most days and the whole thing is far too depressing without bringing them in. Student Support Services better work it out or i'll have them for disability discrimination, in this case favouring dyslexia over every other disability out there.