25/07/2022
Inspired by Disability Pride Awareness Month, some disabled SLT students from BCU wanted to share their stories about their disability journeys and how it relates to their experience working towards being a Speech and Language Therapist.
Hello! My name is Amy, I'm 20 years old and I have just finished my first year studying speech and language therapy at BCU. I have a condition called hip dysplasia and femoroacetabular impingement. I have only recently been diagnosed with these conditions in February this year, after battling with pain that was sometimes agonising, since April 2021. Being autistic didn't make this easy to accept and I was devastated, but so much started to make sense to me!
To go from a completely independent individual, to not being able to tie my own shoelaces, unable to walk up/down stairs, unable to sit/stand for long periods, risk of dislocations, chronic pain, and having to rely on crutches has knocked my confidence tremendously, and I'm still trying to accept my diagnosis now. However, ever since starting uni I have slowly learnt that my disability doesn't define me, especially as my disability is invisible. I have a long road ahead of me, but my friends, and family have been so supportive and the staff at university have truly been amazing, I couldn’t be more grateful! This has definitely made me a stronger communicator, as I need to express my needs/difficulties to those around me
After nearly 8 months of being tossed between consultants and receiving no support, I'm finally receiving the treatment I need and things are starting to look up for me. Placement will be a huge test for me, but also a massive learning curve and I look forward to finally showing my disability doesn't control me, whilst not pushing my boundaries. Having a disability has enabled me to start to become the best SLT I can be, knowing I can empathise with clients going through similar things.
Hi! My name is Ellie, I’m 20 years old, and have a disability called Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. I was diagnosed around age 6 and have had ongoing treatment since then. When I was little I wanted to be a physiotherapist but the more I struggled with mobility and balance, the less viable this career path looked for me.
I have always been quite a strong communicator, and this was definitely enhanced by the fact I was regularly having to express my needs to different people. Due to the fact I have an invisible disability, I felt I had to clearly articulate my difficulties and the kind of help I wanted to different doctors, allied health professionals and members of school staff. When I went to secondary school many of my friends were also physically disabled. One of my closest friends showed me that he could express himself perfectly without verbal communication, this fascinated me. Thus my love for speech and language therapy was born.
As it is for many people, coming to university was a big change. I had to do lots of planning regarding not only my schooling but living arrangements - this seeded so overwhelming that I decided to take a year out to allow myself the time to plan while getting some more work experience. After a lot of time and effort I think I've been able to adapt my environment to allow me to access life and my course. After completing my first year on a Speech and Language Therapy course I’m starting to get a better understanding of how my disability influences my practice. I'm still coming up against new things, so trial and error seems to be the best approach, placement will be a huge learning experience for me. I’m so thankful to family, friends and members of staff who have been so great and helped me so far, I'm excited to see what comes next.
My name is Akasha, I’m 24, and have Patellar instability. I’ve currently finished my first year studying SLT, going into second. My condition is hereditary, and I had my first experience of instability when my knee gave way in Disneyland at age 10. I have had on and off stages of my knees dislocating and giving way during basic tasks which reduced a lot of activities throughout my school life.
During high school and college, I received 5 operations in an attempt to restabilise my knees, the first two operations were to shorten my ligaments however this was a short-term fix. I then went on to have pins to stabilise my knees which worked well for a while, especially in my right knee. It did affect my mental health having had all the surgeries and discomfort knowing it wasn’t normal to have these particular issues, especially at such a young age, it wasn’t how most teenagers had to live with the constant fear of where I may fall.
However, 3 months later, I managed to slip on the stairs at a previous job putting the pins through my bone and consequently breaking my left leg which resulted in more pins and a plate being fitted to help with the healing and strengthening of my leg. It also took me so long to choose to want to wear dresses and shorts which I once loved as people would stare and question about the scars which obviously was very uncomfortable and embarrassing as it’s not what the typical person has to endure, but I learnt to embrace it and learned to educate people as they are only interested and usually very supportive.
Since then, I have been able to achieve a job I loved, working in a school, however, the school environment took a toll on my legs which caused them to destabilise yet again. So now I do everything I can to not limit myself. I’m awaiting my 6th and 7th operation but I am in the process of working to be a speech and language therapist, a job that won’t affect my knees but I love, as well as becoming a gymnastics coach. The only advice I’d give anyone don’t let a disability hold you back, there is a way to do everything with the support of the people around you!
My name is Keira and I am 30 years old. I have just graduated from the MSc SLT course (2020 cohort) and now am in my first year of my PhD at BCU looking at the effectiveness of language intervention with young offenders
I live with a complex condition called Loeys-Dietz Syndrome which affects my connective tissue. In layman’s terms, the glue that holds you together does not work in my body. This has required me to have multiple open-heart and spinal operations and has left me with a C5 spinal cord injury which creates multiple challenges in daily living, sometimes requiring me to be in a wheelchair, dealing with frequent dislocations and becoming fatigued very quickly. It has also left me with complex PTSD, so I have had years of therapeutic work to help me cope with the mental health aspect side of disability.
My disability can cause extra challenges, especially when I need to think about reasonable adjustments that need to be made. When applying for courses I faced a lot more judgement than expected with some universities questioning whether I'd be able to "handle" an MSc with a disability. Whilst I agree you need to be well in order to complete an intense degree, I am so glad I came to BCU interview and met some experts by experience who encouraged me that I can use my disability as an advantage rather than a challenge. I also found the BCU disability services very helpful, getting a plan in place early helped me have conversations I needed to have in order to get me placements that were suitable for me. I was very grateful for the placement tutors who were able to listen to my concerns and work with me to find somewhere suitable - I completed all of my placements and loved every single one of them!
I now have been surgery free for 12 years and live a relatively "normal life" not needing any mobility aids to help me walk. There are challenges to living with an invisible illness (sometimes I found it easier to explain myself in my wheelchair) but I have learned to not worry about what others think and to advocate for myself. The skills of advocating can be directly transferred to our clients in the SLT world, and it is a privilege that I can now advocate for others as an NQP SLT! I would like to go back to the interviewers of the universities 3 years ago and show them that it is VERY possible for people with all kinds of disabilities to become competent SLT's. I am so glad to have joined this wonderful profession and will continue to champion inclusivity for all!
A huge thank you to all those who contributed to this blog post!
Thank you for sharing. My disability is anxiety, and my daughter has recently been diagnosed with a physical but invisible condition. Hearing your stories is so encouraging and inspiring.