Support given at university for dyspraxics

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Samuel.eats.grass
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Support given at university for dyspraxics

Post by Samuel.eats.grass »

Hi, I'm in my third year of an Honours degree in English and Geography. I would like to get other people's experience of the supports (if any) available to dyspraxics at your university. This is for my own interest, not a research assignment, I am writing this out of frustration with my own university.

The supports available to me are as follows:
-A laptop
-10 minutes per hour in examinations.
-I'm meant to have a special chair for my exams because of back problems due to low muscle tone but it never happens.
-Special stickers for my exams to let the corrector know that I have a specific learning difficultly and to assess the content of my work rather than the mechanics of it.
-Separate center where I sit my exams by myself because me typing my exams up would be distracting for others and I wouldn't be able to concentrate with others anyway.
-I'm meant to have access to a personal tutor but this never happens, I have tried to contact the person in charge of this but they never get back to me.
-A dictaphone to record lectures which is good but some lecturers won't let me and I need my laptop to use it which is very heavy.
-Access to an Assistive Technology lab exclusively for people with specific learning difficulties (it's small and the opening hours are irregular and inadequate at times).

I am aware that these supports are far better than other people may have had but I still struggle with university even with these supports mainly because the personal tutor is a joke and I struggle with my mental health at times due to stress. I'm also trying to find out information about moving on to a master's degree and whether or not to disclose dyspraxia if I do become a secondary school teacher which I can't do because they won't reply. The Assistive Technology lab hours being irregular affects my mental health because I hate when things are disorderly, it sends me into a mini internal meltdown sometimes and I can't do my course work if it is closed. The disability support service seems to be totally overwhelmed at my college due to chronic under funding and bad management, e.g. if you do manage to get an appointment with one of the tutors you may be waiting hours still because they double book their appointments in case someone doesn't show up, and the tutors are also responsible for far too many things.

To sum up, what has your experience been of university especially in relation to supports available?
screengreen
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Re: Support given at university for dyspraxics

Post by screengreen »

Does your uni have a counseling service? I found that really helpful also I recently discovered through access to work their is a piece of kit which is very light that allows you to take notes and recOrd at the same time meaning if you can`t read your notes you canola whats being said when you wrote them .... hoping to get hold of one for my master's.
Moot
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Location: England

Re: Support given at university for dyspraxics

Post by Moot »

As support for diagnosing my dyspraxia I went for a talk to see what things would be useful. However, my course being a 'creative' one, some of the stuff issued wasn't really necessary. The mac was clearly a great addition. Dictaphone and various software were not so necessary with the nature of the course and the fact the lectures we did have were generally recorded anyway. Even so, wasn't much support after this. I messed up my final project where I would have actually needed some support, but alas...

Basically I got:
-Mac
-Dictaphone and various bits to go with it (thinking of selling it; feel so bad I haven't had to use it)
-A few computer programs like mind-mapping and ghostreader, etc. (that also didn't really use)
-Coloured bits of paper to put over white paper (can't say I went that far with that either)
-I think there was supposed to be some photocopying allowance of some sort but I wasn't really sure about it and so never did anything about it.

I think that was about the sum of it!
Hopefully not making too many moot points... heh... *ahem* :D
Willr0490
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Location: Shildon

Re: Support given at university for dyspraxics

Post by Willr0490 »

When I started my degree in September 2008, I got the following from January 2009 onwards:
1) A printer, Dictaphone and mind mapping software (though I never actually used the Dictaphone, or the planning software)
2) Extra time in examinations
3) The option to extend deadlines on my essays
4) A study skills tutor
5) A mentor.
This took a while to set up though as my initial diagnostic was rejected.
screengreen
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Re: Support given at university for dyspraxics

Post by screengreen »

Hi just remembered the kit is called a lightscribe!
screengreen
Power poster
Posts: 212
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2013 8:39 pm

Re: Support given at university for dyspraxics

Post by screengreen »

Hi just remembered the kit is called a lightscribe!
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