Osian Gold
)
About Me:
My name is Osian, and I am a wheelchair user due to my FND and POTS. I am autistic and ADHD, and I like to dye my hair fun colours! I live on campus and enjoy going to Ziggy’s for a brownie. I’m a Quaker and a keen archer.
My course and my studies:
I’m a BSc Mathematics student. My course is 3 years long and I’m loving it. I’m excited to choose my modules for next year. I’m also enrolled on a British Sign Language module run by the university for free – the language programme is a great idea and means that I can learn or strengthen my skills in a language alongside my studies.
What is your favourite thing about your course?
My course is really good and I’ve made lots of friends there. The course is well-structured and there are lots of interesting things to learn and cool modules to choose from. The support is also very good, and my adviser has been really helpful this whole time. He attends my Welfare Engagement Meetings and frequently checks in by email, offering meetings and support in various ways. He comes up for ways to manage my workload, and thinks of adjustments for me. He’s been very engaged throughout my time at UEA and often meets with me to go through work that I have missed and haven’t quite understood on catching up – even if it’s not his module! Any lecturer is happy to explain things but my adviser is my go-to for almost everything as he’s really really supportive and understanding of my conditions.
Adjustments:
UEA have been fantastic with providing adjustments. My exams are split in half so that I can manage them with my fatigue (this was suggested by my amazing adviser). I have extra time and rest breaks in exams, as well as sitting them in an individual room. I have extensions on my assignments and do work and exams on my laptop. I’ve also had an SpLD screening provided by the university which was really valuable.
Support at UEA:
UEA have lots of support services available. I’ve received support from the Wellbeing services, who meet with me a few times a semester to check on me and make sure I’m all good; I’ve received support from Disability who provide reasonable adjustments throughout my time at UEA as my needs change; I’ve received support from the Care Experienced and Estranged Students leader; I’ve received support from the Residential Life Team who have organised a food bank parcel for me when my care fell through; I’ve received support from my lecturers who have helped me to catch up on missed work; I’ve received lots of support from my adviser; I’ve received support from Security who have helped me during seizures more times than I can count…UEA has so many different support services from so many different parts of the uni and I would highly recommend that students make the most of them during their studies.
My journey to UEA:
I chose UEA because the maths course here has modules that are exactly what I am interested in. I knew I wanted to go to a campus university rather than a city one, and UEA has convenient on-campus accommodation (available through the entire length of the degree) which is great because it means I can rest between lectures. Norwich is also a lovely city – big enough to have everything you need and more, but small enough to get to know well. It’s a modern-looking campus but there’s plenty of nature too which is important for my mental health.
I did a late UCAS application and UEA have been brilliant throughout the whole process. From the get-go, I got an email from student services as I’d ticked the “I have a disability” box on the UCAS form, which was great because I didn’t need to do anything. From there we had meetings where we completed a Notification of Medical Condition form and discussed reasonable adjustments. Student services also gave me a wellbeing appointment due to my circumstances at the time. I had a meeting with the Care Experienced and Estranged Students network leader, who supported me through the difficult transition period, and the accommodation team gave me a tour of the accommodation and let me move in a day early to get settled before the rest of the new students moved in.
I applied to DSA last year at my last university, and I would highly recommend anyone with a disability to do this as soon as you can. The process took about two months between my initial assessment and getting the equipment was about 7 weeks. I got a printer, a height-adjustable desk, an ergonomic chair, a footrest, a monitor, a laptop, a microphone for recording lectures, headphones, an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, and a lot of assistive technology I didn’t even know existed – the only thing I had to pay was the £200 contribution towards the laptop. This equipment has really helped me throughout my studies. Although providing evidence can sometimes be a bit of a pain, I will say that the DSA application was nowhere near as difficult as PIP – the DSA people seemed to really want to help, and were suggesting different things that I could have as long as I could justify that it was needed.
University is a vastly different experience from sixth form in many ways, but one of them is the support available.
I went to a small sixth form and was the only disabled student there, whereas now at uni I have plenty of both disabled and nondisabled friends. Since starting at UEA I’ve not felt like I’ve been alone in my disabilities. One of my best friends is also a wheelchair user who I met by chance at BSL. There’s also a Disabled Students’ Network where you can meet other disabled people. UEA has lots of support services available, which I would highly recommend making the most of while you’re at university.
What would I have done differently?
I was very lucky to come to UEA after a year at a different university, which meant I was able to do things a little differently. When I went to university for the first time, I did not acknowledge my disabilities and tried to ignore them, so I ended up not accessing support. When I started at UEA, from the very beginning I informed them about my disabilities and they worked with me to create a support plan, which I found extremely helpful. The support services at UEA were able to inform me of what adjustments were available that I might not have thought of. I would highly recommend informing the university of any disabilities or conditions before starting even if you don’t think you will need support, because it means that should you need support in the future it is already in place and you have much less to do, and they might suggest something that you haven’t even thought of but turns out to be incredibly helpful. I would also have applied for DSA immediately as it has made life so much easier for me.
What is something I wish I knew before starting university?
I wish I’d known how big universities are – it means that you will find your people no matter how obscure your interests are. I truly believed I wouldn’t be able to make friends because of my autism, and I’d have nobody to talk to about my very niche special interests, but I have an amazing group of friends now and I know other people with the same obsessions as me!
I would recommend new students to try not to overthink it as friends will come from unexpected places.
Hobbies and interests / clubs and societies:
I am in the Archery club and I go to shoots regularly. I’m also in Climbing and Ballet but I hardly ever go to sessions because I overestimated my energy levels at the beginning of the year! I’m in BSL society and the Quaker Action Society. In my free time I do a lot of cross-stitch. I enjoy going for a stroll (a roll? A stRoll?) around campus, and planning routines.
My favourite thing about UEA / Norwich:
There’s a cat café on Dereham road which I absolutely adore. It’s accessible, they have all sorts of yummy treats, and loads of adorable cats which are all very sweet. It’s my favourite place for a quiet afternoon, a great place to meet with friends, and it’s a great place for icebreaking activities too as the cats are a talking point!
My future plans are...
When I graduate I intend to do a PGCE (primary) to become a primary school teacher. I hope to specialise in teaching Maths. I also hope to continue with Archery.