Making the transition from childhood to adulthood can be a daunting prospect, no matter the circumstances. It’s a time of new horizons – and for many, that also means the start of student life. 

By Lauren Hunter

As a disabled person, I knew I wanted to go to university, like many of my non-disabled peers. But while a lot of their concerns were based on cherry-picking an institution from the plethora of choice they would inevitably receive, I was more worried about (quite literally) getting through the door.

Having only ever experienced mainstream education, I was quite used to always being the single disabled pupil – a cult status, if you like, that had its pros and cons. By and large, I was never treated vastly differently to anyone else, but when it came to university applications, I felt I couldn’t voice my concerns simply because no-one would understand them. It left me feeling as though university was an insurmountable challenge and that perhaps, it just wasn’t going to be within my grasp. 

Almost four years on, and I’m glad to say that couldn’t have been further from the truth. In fact, I would go as far to say that going to university is the best thing I’ve ever done! Now that I’m in my final semester and looking forward to graduating in the summer with my degree in journalism and English, there’s so much I look back on and wish I could have told myself, but I hope I can pass on some advice to any future disabled students.

Support
I was lucky that, living in Glasgow, there are a number of great universities within a commutable distance, so I have been able to stay at home with the immediate support of my family when I need them. This setup works best for me but it’s not to say that living independently at university is an impossible task – far from it. You shouldn’t be put off considering such things just because there isn’t an obvious route to achieving them. Universities offer so much support that you may never otherwise know about; it’s a case of: ‘If you don’t ask, you don’t get’.

In the same vein, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to be my own advocate. Nobody knows my needs better than I do, and among the most liberating experiences is being able to express that for myself. Of course, I still lean on the support of those closest to me but realising that my own voice carries magnitude has been possibly more important to me than anything I get from lectures.

Aside from the workload, another obvious staple of student life is socialising, of which I have taken part in plenty. Naturally, at first, I was worried that I wouldn’t settle into a group or be able to go anywhere on a night out in my wheelchair, but thankfully neither of these things have been the case. I have made wonderfully inclusive friends who always look out for me, and we have shared some amazing times together. In a city packed with listed buildings, it admittedly isn’t always as easy as jumping into the first pub we see; however, there are many ways around and I can firmly say I have taken in many of the city’s (sometimes not-so) classiest joints.

Inclusion
Ultimately, I don’t feel much like a disabled student – just a student. That’s not because I’m ashamed of my disability or feel the need to mask it, but because it has been embraced at my university and everyone I have met, from lecturers to classmates have shown nothing but inclusion and acceptance towards me. 

I suppose my disabled identity has become less of a sticking point for me here because I no longer feel like the black sheep – there is a huge community of students with disabilities both similar and vastly different to mine, and I have made connections with a number of them based on the unique insights and advice we can offer each other. Student life has made me realise that being disabled is not something that will inhibit me, but rather, take me even further than the dreams I once thought I could never achieve. 

Lauren Hunter is a fourth-year journalism student at Strathclyde University, who writes about disability issues.