Emma McDonald
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About Me:
My name is Emma McDonald and I am a queer, disabled student here at UEA. I’m autistic and I experience tics. I’m excited to work in disability outreach because I remember really wanting to talk to a student I knew was like me when I was applying.
My course and my studies:
I am studying a part-time MA in Creative Writing: Prose Fiction after having studied English Literature with Creative Writing BA (Hons) here at UEA as well.
What is your favourite thing about your course?
Definitely how much I could shape my courses through optional modules and the freedom to bring whatever project I was working on or whatever interest I had to my academic work and coursework. I have also cherished the opportunity to meet and work with so many people who share my interests and bring their own specialisations to the table. There’s nothing like being in a room filled with writers.
Adjustments:
I’ve received extra time in exams, dispensation to bring fidgets/stim tools into exams, coursework extensions and a note for my tutors since the beginning of my studies at UEA. The majority of my day-to-day accommodations came through asking my tutors for meetings to then discuss what would help me in seminars or what they should be aware of (primarily perception adjustments and notice that I would likely require extra clarification or alternate methods of communication, such as a preference for in-person meetings and email).
Since I received my diagnosis just before my third year of undergrad, I have also received DSA and with it, technology, an allowance for printer ink, specialist software, a time management app subscription and a specialist mentor and study skills non-medical helper.
Support at UEA:
I have been very lucky with my tutors and, when I’ve reached out, they have been helpful in disability and pastoral support as well as giving advice about my academic and professional goals that was instrumental to me.
My journey to UEA:
I didn’t get to visit UEA because of COVID, but I spent a lot of time on virtual open days and heard about UEA originally through word-of-mouth about the course. It was my top choice for creative writing while Oxford was my top choice for English, but I was saved from deciding between the two when I didn’t get past interview for the latter. I chose UEA because of the variety of modules it offers and its professional connections in the arts.
I first received disability support at sixth form and received informal support and accommodations in class and took my A-levels with separate invigilation, extra time, rest breaks and the choice to bring in sensory aids (fidgets and hand cream). Since coming to UEA, that support has been formalised and more tailored.
I informed UEA about my accommodations and wanting to pursue diagnosis as soon as I applied, though it was delayed by COVID, and later followed up by emailing student support (a lot). After diagnosis, undergraduate DSA applications looked like following the website the same way I did for SFE, booking a needs assessment, and then following up on the instructions that the report from that assessment gave me. For postgraduate, it was all the same kind of information needed as my first application, but in a much longer and less automated form.
What would I have done differently?
I’d have let my family help more and earlier on. I was anxious to be independent, which was a hugely helpful experience for me, but if I could change something, it would be to find a way to let them help more without feeling like I wasn’t independent.
And to have gone and found my seminar rooms before my first class in the later semesters. They don’t show you around as much after first semester and the campus is still pretty big.
What is something I wish I knew before starting university?
I think everyone should know to ask for something if they need it or to ask whether/what support is available if they don’t know where to start (and to not give up when the bureaucracy of it gets complicated). My adjustments since I realised I was disabled have happened largely because I researched them or asked people who would know what I couldn’t research, but I wasn’t always confident to do it. I wish I knew at 17 or 18 to be unashamed of asking for things in that way.
Hobbies and interests / clubs and societies:
Literature and music have always been what I love. I like writing, walking my dogs and getting coffee with family and friends. I have also been an oboist with the UEA Symphony Orchestra while studying here and I enjoy playing basketball with friends when I get the chance.
As an undergrad, I joined just about every society I could and volunteered for roles like course rep and EDI committee to meet people and get to know the university.
My favourite thing about UEA / Norwich:
I like independent cafes and cafes with upstairs in particular because they’re easier to read and work in – Norwich has a lot of both. Some of my favourites include The Bicycle Shop, the Caffe Nero looking over the market and the cathedral’s refectory.
My future plans are...
To work as a specialist mentor for Autism with the DSA while pursuing mentorships/internship/work experience in publishing and arts events and outreach.