Guest Post: The Unwritten Dress Code For Service Dogs at Graduation

    Graduation season is again upon us, which means students across the US and Canada are donning their graduation regalia and marching across the stage. It is also the time of year local news agencies around the country start reporting on the adorable service dogs that are also prancing along the stage with their … Continue reading Guest Post: The Unwritten Dress Code For Service Dogs at Graduation

Choosing Not to Disclose a Diagnosis is Not Giving in to Shame

So in my last post, I talked about my friend Navi who successfully challenged the documentation requirements to acquire academic accommodations for Mental Health at York University. She won that fight and has been receiving some media interest as a result. In my last post I did two things. I clarified some of the common … Continue reading Choosing Not to Disclose a Diagnosis is Not Giving in to Shame

So You’ve Made Progress in Expanding Rights to Academic Accommodation…But Do You Really Deserve It?

It is the day of my final exam, I have figured out the location for my alternate exam space. I show up early and wait for my invigilator. It is 15 minutes before the exam. 45 minutes later, they have yet to arrive. 5 minutes after that, the invigilator finally shows up, they've forgotten to … Continue reading So You’ve Made Progress in Expanding Rights to Academic Accommodation…But Do You Really Deserve It?

When the Real Life Murder of a Disabled Child Was Used as a Moral Dilemma in a University Class

Being disabled in academia can be difficult. Not just in terms of access to physical and academic supports but also in terms of the disability is presented in academic discourse. The social environment of universities can be toxic for disabled students and academics. So much so that some people feel that they have to leave. … Continue reading When the Real Life Murder of a Disabled Child Was Used as a Moral Dilemma in a University Class

How Secret Limitations on Grants for Disabled Students Hurt Us

Being a student with disabilities can be a complicated and expensive endeavor. While university is a financial strain for most students, disabled students often have additional costs associated with either services or equipment that we require to succeed academically. The government does recognize this additional financial burden and has grants in place to offset them. … Continue reading How Secret Limitations on Grants for Disabled Students Hurt Us

How University Professors React to Requests for Disability Accommodations

Requiring accommodations in post-secondary education can be complicated to maneuver through. I have had experience with the bureaucracy of asking for accommodation at three separate universities and my experiences have been mixed at all of them. Most universities in my experience have similar policies around delivering accommodations to disabled students. The process goes like this. … Continue reading How University Professors React to Requests for Disability Accommodations

Why I am Trying to CrowdFund my PhD in Disability Studies

I was fortunate to be able to complete both my undergraduate and masters degrees with relatively little financial difficulty. Cumulatively, I accrued less than $5,000 in student debt. I was able to cover the rest by working and the odd scholarship and bursary. With this history in mind, I entered my gap year between my … Continue reading Why I am Trying to CrowdFund my PhD in Disability Studies