Holly Summers
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About Me:
Hi! I am Holly, and I am full-time manual wheelchair user due to being paralysed. I have just graduated with a BA in Education, and I am continuing on at UEA to do a masters. I love UEA, so much so I am staying hopefully for another 4 years!
After spending three years living on campus, I am now loving living off campus and building a community in Norwich. I particularly enjoy spending time reading at Eaton Park, which is a short walk from campus or at my lovely community church. I spend lots of time with my friends both in nice spots on campus and in the city. I also love being active, I often go swimming, to the gym or I am off on adventures trying accessible water sports.
My course and my studies:
I have just finished my undergraduate degree at UEA studying BA Education and I am now starting a masters degree, I am on the MRes Social Science Research Methods.
What is your favourite thing about your course?
My favourite thing about the Ba Education course is the community that is fostered between the students and academics, there is a real collaborative and kind environment within the school which permeates all teaching and learning experiences. I also love the variety of modules we have access to, I have studied everything from media theories to the psychology of motivation in learning, it is amazing to have access to so many learning opportunities.
Adjustments:
I have extra time allocated to me to enable me to move between classes and complete any necessary healthcare tasks. I can also access extra time in exams, but I haven’t had any exams on my degree! Also, there are other adjustments that were made to my whole university experience, for example, on ‘move in day’ into student accommodation, I got to move in a day early, to help me and my family set up and move in without all the other students, this helped with the extra time it took to move in. These little adjustments to wider university life really made me feel accommodated!
Support at UEA:
I have met with a disability advisor at UEA to help me organise and plan my move to UEA. I also was given lots of support from the UEA accommodation team who ensured I had all the information I needed to select my student accommodation. My school has also been very supportive, my lecturers always ensure my access needs and accommodations are met, and my personal advisor has helped me to advocate for myself throughout my studies. I have also had support from the students’ union who offer lots of advice and support to all students, including those with disabilities.
My journey to UEA:
I became a wheelchair user in the summer between finishing sixth form and starting university, this meant that my initial university plans were now no longer going to work. After taking some time to learn to adjust to my new life as a wheelchair user I began the search for universities again. I was initially drawn to UEA due to it only being two hours from my home, this made me feel less worried that if I needed help my family wouldn’t be too far away. I contacted the university, and they gave me lots of information about accessibility, all the adjustments and accommodations they could offer me and insight into living in accessible student accommodation, this made me feel confident to apply. After doing more research I started to fall in love with UEA, the cool buildings, all the facilities, the pretty views from the library and the amazing course which felt like it was designed with my interests in mind. It all seemed just right for me, so despite being very nervous, I applied, and I got in!
What would I have done differently?
I would tell myself to always seek support and help. When I first started university, I often tried to manage everything alone, but over the years I have realised how helpful it is to have lots of people around me supporting me to achieve my goals. I used to worry about reaching out for support, that I would look silly or that it would make people think I shouldn’t be at university, but that was my own anxiety and worries about whether I could be independent at university, not the beliefs of others! So, now I would say always reach out, even for small things you are concerned about as it helps to have as much support around you as you can get. Having a big support system helped me to achieve at university, and without it, I might have still achieved but I certainly wouldn’t have as many people cheering me on as I did!
What is something I wish I knew before starting university?
That so many people will go out of their way to ensure you have the best experience. I was so worried about asking questions about accessibility, talking to people about what accommodations I needed. I quickly learnt everyone wanted me to thrive at university and that they would work hard to ensure I had an equitable experience at university. I wish I had known this before as I think it would have helped me worry less.
Hobbies and interests / clubs and societies:
I really care about making changes and advocacy and so I have had a role in UEA SU working as a part time officer for students with disabilities, I was elected to this role for two years running and it gave me so many opportunities. I met friends, made changes for disabled students on campus, hosted events, I was even on BBC radio! I also enjoy going swimming, I often visit the pool at the Sportspark on campus, which has good accessibility features such as a pool lift, and a spacious accessible changing room. I also am part of a few societies, one of my favourites being the Christian Union which meet at least once a week. It is nice to be a part of societies which meet regularly as it is an easy way to meet like-minded friends and have a fun evening every week!
My favourite thing about UEA / Norwich:
I really enjoy the wider community feel of Norwich. I attend a lovely church and I have met many kind and caring people who really want to support me and other students to be able to enjoy our wonderful university home.
My future plans are...
After my masters degree I hope to continue at UEA doing a PhD. I was very fortunate to win SENSS funding in order to do this.