Disability History Month 2023

Kate, PhD student

I really enjoy doing my PhD – the science itself is interesting, but I mainly enjoy my routine in the lab and the process of troubleshooting day-to-day problems and seeing the small ways in which I am progressing. It's very rewarding work.   

I am autistic. I like terms that don't imply autism is something that needs fixing. For that reason, I really like the term neurodiverse. I also like how broad neurodiversity is as a term, because people usually respond to it by asking me questions about it, instead of making outdated assumptions.   

I am so grateful to the Disability Advisory Service (DAS) for funding my autism assessment, as I had been on the NHS waiting list for five years and could not afford private options. Being aware of my diagnosis has helped me understand myself and improve my wellbeing in so many ways.   

My supervisors' initial response to my diagnoses and request for adjustments were way better than I had hoped – I immediately felt like my supervisors were on my side, and since then I have felt comfortable approaching them (and my department’s disability officer) for any adjustments.   

I have a few adjustments in place around managing lights and noise levels, for example being given advance notice of fire alarm drills, having a quiet office, and using loop earphones in the lab. In general, my work environment was already autism-friendly so I didn't need to change much. 

I would encourage other students exploring adjustments to insist on making their adjustments adapted to their situation – standard adjustments for a condition may not be applicable to you, and in some case end up being more disruptive than helpful. In my case, I found that the most effective course of action was to directly send a list of my suggested adjustments to my departmental disability officer and supervisors, who understood the rationale behind each adjustment request and were able to act on my behalf. 

Laura, PhD student

I I have three cats who are all very fluffy. They like to help me in the garden where I grow vegetables over the summer. I love being in London, going to new exhibitions or shows, or food markets and restaurants.   

I have anxiety as a long-term condition. I prefer neurodiverse as a term on a day-to-day basis but I often have to use the term disability in order to get people to take my adjustments seriously.   

When I started at Imperial, I spoke with the Disability Advisory Service (DAS) and they helped me define what reasonable adjustments I would need to help me with my studies. I have breaks in long meetings, and if I am presenting I am able to have access to the room the day or week before so that I can practice in it and get used to the space. When I am presenting, I’m able to go first in my session. Additionally, I have flexible hours to allow me to attend meetings that support me with my anxiety, be this doctor appointments, therapy or mentoring.  

I have also given access to a Specialist Mental Health Mentor who really helps me with things that I find stressful on a daily basis – like writing emails, asking for support on a specific issue, planning my time and organising meetings. The mentor meetings have been really useful as it enables me to have practice conversations so that I can plan what I am going to say, which gives me more confidence when I need to ask for help with something.  

My adjustments around public speaking have made those parts of my studies so much more enjoyable and rewarding. As first it was difficult to get my adjustments recognised and respected, as a few people were dismissive of them and didn't think they should be implemented, but now that they have been established and the benefits to my learning experience are evident, people are much more accommodating.   

Tasha, Department of Life Sciences

Outside of my studies I enjoy playing football, bouldering and roller skating. I have Autism Spectrum Disorder and the study-related adjustments I have include extra time in exams and study support. 

The adjustments were quite easy to obtain after receiving my diagnosis. Now that I’m able to take exams in a separate, small room and with extra time, I feel much less pressured. This means that exams feel like less of a race against the clock and more like a test of my knowledge, which is how they are intended to be.  

If I was asking for adjustments for the first time again, I would prefer to know about the range of adjustments that are available, because being asked what I want as an adjustment without knowing what was possible was a bit overwhelming.  

I hope in the future we’ll get to a point where all recorded lectures could come with correct subtitles – sometimes they’re auto-captioned and not that accurate.

Ellen, Business School

Iused to be a music student and I keep my musical interest going by singing in choirs and attending concerts here in London. I also enjoy winding down by playing sports such as squash and spending time in nature.  

I have Crohn’s disease and I’m currently in remission. I have extra time in exams because sometimes I experience fatigue from my medications. I prefer to use ‘long-term condition’ instead of ‘disability’. My tip for those working with students with disabilities is to treat them as a person – don’t feel sorry for them. 

For students requesting adjustments, I recommend being transparent about your challenges; talking about them can be tough, but they have no correlation to your actual abilities. You cannot get the right adjustments unless you ask for them. 

Getting my adjustments agreed and put into place has been great! I first learned about adjustments during my undergraduate degree and got them implemented quickly in September when I began my Master's. I think for newly disabled students, it might help to have more information and clarification about which disabilities (medical issues) are eligible for disability support.