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What impact did your disability have on your college/university experience both inside
and outside the classroom?
Inside the class room is definitely hard because I have definite shifts in mood. I've been
very stable for the last three years, so it's really more of a proactive approach that
I have to take in school. There are days when I'm not as good as others and I have to definitely
take the day off or maybe take a little time to de-stress, because stress is a definite
trigger. So, I have to lighten my load, I can't take as many classes as most people
do.
Outside the classroom it affects me in a way that I need to have a strict schedule. I have
to eat a certain way, I have to sleep at a certain time, I can't drink alcohol, I need
to be very cautious in my stress levels and it just requires a large amount of awareness
inside and outside of school that I don't think other people really need to consider.
What accommodation measures have you received to help you succeed in your studies?
From the Student Accessibility Centre I do have a separate room to do my tests, I have
extra time and I don't necessarily even need to use it. But for me it's limiting the stress,
limiting the anxiety so that it's easier for me to know that I don't have to hurry. They
give me a pen that records my lectures, just in case I'm out of it that day. That way you
know if I need to go back to it on a day that I do feel better I can and I can make up that
work. I have people that know that I am bipolar, accept me for being bipolar and know what
to look for in me when I start to go down the wrong track.
What other things helped you to overcome your challenges and to be successful in your college/university
life?
The U.N.B Counseling Services is another safety net, I have so many things in place that I
don't want to fall again. And it is the community—it's being able to speak freely about my illness
because it's a part of me and it's a big thing to look for and worry about and to have people
that understand and don't judge you for it is really important.
I have a 3.7 GPA and in my first year I had a 3.9 and I made the Dean's list so I mean
it's possible even with a disability and it's because of the things I have in place to catch
me if I fall, so to speak, that really make me able to be successful.