#chronic illness and college

[the-professional-patient]

Hi, I’m Kristen, and I am 33 years old.

I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and I attended my first pre-med class 4,156 days after my diagnosis.

I used to be an active EDS blogger on tumblr around 2009-2013, but I had to abruptly stop after being involved in a car accident. I also am a cofounder of the EDS support group for South Carolina, which has about 1600 members.

I am back to blogging to write about my journey of becoming a doctor because I think more patients should become doctors.

If you’re interested, give me a follow.

Read about my first week of pre-med classes on my blog.

I look forward to sharing my trip with you.

🤍🖤🦓

#ehlers danlos #ehlers danlos syndrome #chronic illness #chronic pain #dysautonomia #ehlers danlos problems #ehlers danlos zebra #ehlers danlos life #actually autistic #chronic illness and college #disability #accommodations #chronic illness accomodations #non traditional premed #nontraditionalpremedstudent #premedstudent

[spacejax]

#academia #disabled #studying #undergrad #university #college #chronic illness #adhd #autism #physics #astronomy #astrophysics #chaotic academia #meme #oc

[evilwriter37]

Here's to us chronically ill/disabled people who couldn't finish school because of our health. We're not lesser people for it, and we aren't weak for it either. We have inherent value as people, education or not.

#I almost dropped out of high school my senior year due to endometriosis #and then I DID drop out of college #disability #chronic illness #spoonie #chronic pain #actually disabled

[iamdarthbader]

Call me crazy but I don’t think higher education should only be available to those who can study for 6+ hours a day

#ok to like comment reblog #ableism #disability #chronic pain #chronic illness #neurodivergent #mental illness #higher education #college #university

[minilibrarian]

Chronic illness is so discouraging…every time I have something important going on I get sick.

I wish I had a body that was able to keep up with me.

#chronic illness #studyblr #study #illness #college #study break #psychology #neuroscience #books #fellowship #internship #university #work #studies #lsat #lsat prep

[stellaltumi]

setting up disability accommodations at school is so weird with internalized ableism. hearing someone else say that I am disabled and that my disability is disabling????? out loud!!! bonkers

#invisible disability #spoonie #chronic illness #disabled #chronic pain #actually disabled #chronically ill #accomodations #school #college #pots #pots syndrome #potsie #hypermobile ehlers danlos #ehlers danlos syndrome #heds

[consider-your-potatoes-mashed]

I hate hate hate classes that have a no absence policy. I can’t make it to my classes today because I am in too much pain and because of that I’ll lose points. Why am I punished for having a shitty body arugh

#disabled #disability #actually disabled #physical disability #chronic illness #chronic pain #hypermobility #pots #pots syndrome #college #University #accomodation #accommodations

[sardonicdoll]

"sick & scrutinized" • 2023, woodcut print

a print for class inspired by my desire to use mobility aids but the undue attention + scrutiny from others being a deterrent, and also more broadly about the scrutiny that physically disabled people are generally subject to by our peers and also by institutions like the healthcare system, processes like receiving accommodations, and disability income/ssi. the needle/teeth-like shapes are meant to represent a "fuck off/leave me be/stop looking at me"-type attitude. i'm probably going to re-do this digitally at some point.

it's dysautonomia awareness month btw!

[image described in alt. text]

#cripple punk #cpunk #artists on tumblr #chronic illness #physical disability #doll.art #doll.vent #college stuff

[howtobeapersonwithfibro]

However bad you think accessibility on college campuses is, it's worse.

Looked around today and basically wanted to give up just trying to figure out where to enter this one building and how the hell I am supposed to even park close when there are only special lots.

It makes me want to give up just because of that. I shouldn't have to panic about just getting to and from my classes.

We deserve better.

#spoonie #chronic illness #disability #disabled student #college campus accessibility

[sweaty-confetti]

shoutout to the people that like learning, who love learning, who want to learn and understand and create things on their own terms, but can’t go to college/university. not for lack of money or access (although those are obviously valid and understandable), but because their disabilities prevent them from doing it. who don’t have enough spoons to take a university course and complete the amount of mental and physical work it entails. who are too anxious to leave home and don’t have the resources to combat that anxiety. who get burned out quickly and easily and can’t handle the amount of effort university takes. it’s not your fault and does not determine your worth - you are allowed to do what makes you comfortable. for those that mourn the loss of their college experience, i understand and your feelings are valid. whatever the reason may be, i see you.

#emo moss talks #university #college #college life #student life #uni life #disability #disabled #mental illness #physical illness #chronic illness #chronic pain #spoonie

[disabledprincesses]

Whats the first thing you would do if you woke up completely healthy and abled?

#id personally go back to college and become a teacher #disability #disabled #spoonie #chronic illness #chronically ill #chronic pain #mental health #mental illness

[istudythestars]

tips for stem majors in math and science courses (spoonie + neurodivergent friendly)

hi y’all! my nameis lila and i’m a 28 year old physics and anthropology major who’s about 2 years through college (in the US)! as we’re coming up on the start of the fall ‘23 college semester, i thought i might share some really solid hacks for fellow STEM students taking science and/or math courses that i’ve basically built my college academic career on. and! these study tips are spoonie and adhd friendly! as a matter of fact, a lot of these are tips/methods that specifically work for me as a neurodivergent spoonie (i have pretty severe adhd, as well as POTS and ME/CFS), but that i think non-disabled/non-spoonie and/or neurotypical students could also benefit from using! so with out any further ado, here are my 7 tried and true study hacks for college math and science classes…

1) discover your learning style and tailor your studying towards leveraging it.

you’ve probably heard of visual, audio, and kinesthetic learning styles, but did you now there’s actually way more learning styles than just those three? i’m personally a “social learner,” meaning i learn best through discussion and socialization with 1+ other people to interact with. this could look like teaching other classmates concepts and methods that we’ve learned or discussing ideas with classmates and/or professors until i fully understand the concepts at play and how they connect and can reflect them in performing analysis and application, etc. honestly, figuring out my learning style was hands down one of the most helpful things i’ve done in college. it has allowed me to choose professors who i will mesh better with in terms of how they teach, as well as to adapt materials and methods to my style of learning in order to master them quicker and more effectively.

2) rewrite your notes after lecture, for the love of god.

this tip actually comes from my high school IB Math HL teacher, who told me to do this when i originally left high school for college. even if you think you’ve mastered the basics of the topic covered during the lecture, rewriting those notes after lecture helps really hammer in the knowledge that you’ve already established and also helps to get the wheels turning on pieces of information you might have less of a grasp on. try tp set aside at least 30 - 40 minutes after class to just rewrite your notes and try to really digest the information.

3) body doubling is one of the most beneficial things ever to be invented even if you’re not adhd, and i WILL die on that hill, thank you very much.

“body doubling” or “having an accountabilibuddy” are interchangeable terms in the adhd community that mean you have one or more consistent study buddy/buddies who you do all the homework and/or studying with in person on a regular basis, even if you’re just working next to each other in total silence. this does a couple of things. first off, it forces homework/assignments/studying to become a concrete social obligation you need to regularly show up for, rather than a nebulous obligation based on an invisible deadline. second off, it gives you 1+ partners to work out your problems concerning course topics with. third off, it allows you to build a network of peers where you feel comfortable helping each other with course material (this is especially great because it’s likely you and your classmates have different strengths regarding course content). tbh, body doubling is the other method that i, personally, have found most useful in college and i highly recommend trying it, even if you don’t have adhd.

4) teach others/your classmates the analysis and application methods you’ve learned, even if those methods aren’t 100% solidified for you (trust me on this).

the goal of stem courses is never memorization, but rather being able to understand a topic well enough to analyze a similar situation and apply the what you’ve learned creatively. this is where teaching others comes in. in order to teach others a concept and its related analysis and application well, you have to have at least a fraction of a decent understanding of these things yourself, and, further, often time in teaching these things you also learn to grasp the concepts/aanalysis/applications even better than you did before with each new teaching session. basically: teaching others is a creative way of also teaching yourself. you get the benefits of repetition, of thinking about a concept/technique/analysis and application in a new way, and of getting to apply the concept/technique/analysis and applicatioin to a new scenario each time. plus, you’ll typically make friends quickly in the process! there’s really no downside to this tip imo ;-)

5) utilize your college’s tutoring center/program(s), even when you don’t think you need to.

usually colleges have either set up a general “tutoring center,” on campus where you can find tutors for all different kinds of topics and courses available during regular hours for walk-in sessions and/or appointments free of charge or departments will hold regular weekly (or twice weekly) free on-campus tutoring sessions for specific courses. regardless of which of these options your college has, i highly recommend attending at least one tutoring session/appointment (ideally with the same tutor if/when you eventually find one you click with) every single week, even when you don’t feel like you’re struggling with the topic(s) covered in that week’s lecture. this will help you review topics and techniques covered in lecture, deepen your understanding of them, and, if nothing else, it’s an excuse to get homework out of the way while having someone else there who can help you if/when you get stuck. attending at least one session weekly also helps you get into a habit and routine of keeping up with your assignments, so you’re not left scrambling at the last minute before they’re due.

6) if you have accommodations, request access to record lectures. if you do not have accommodations, ask your professor if you are allowed to record lectures. IF YOU RECORD LECTURES, DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW THEM!

okay, so first up for my fellow spoonies and neurodivergent peeps: when you apply for/renew your accommodations, make sure that “recordinng lectures” is on your MOA (memorandum of accommodations), because so long as it is, your professors legally cannot deny you permission to record lectures without risk of themself and the college being sued for an ADA violation. also, make friends with a classmate and ask them to record lectures and send them to you if/when you are absent (let the professor know that you’ve asked this classmate to record and send you the lecture if you are absent)

now, if you aren’t disabled, a spoonie, and/or neurodivergent, you aren’t guaranteed permission to record lectures. however. ask the professor if you can have their permission to audio record lectures (be sure to also let them know that such a recording would be for personal use only and that you don’t plan on distributing the recordings). i’ve found that many professors don’t mind you having an audio recording.

even if you aren’t an audible learner it can be really useful to have these recordings to review at a later point. oftentimes reviewing lecture recordings can be useful if you glazed over and missed a section of the lecture and/or if you can’t remember what a professor taught during a section of a lecture.

7) last but not least, on a related note, if you have accommodations, also request access to your professor’s lecture notes. if you don’t have accommodations, check if your professor posts their lecture notes for students to use.

having your professor’s notes can be extremely useful for review purposes, but they can also help you understand where your professor is going with course content and what they want to stress as important.

#studyblr #study tips #study hacks #adhd studyblr #adhd study tips #adhd #spoonie #college studyblr #college study tips #college study hacks #disability #chronic illness #collegeblr #college #uni #uniblr #university #tips and tricks #text #mine

[lesbian-lady-bird]

I just got my obgyn to write an accommodations letter for my PCOS. I might be able to get extended deadlines if my college accepts it. Here’s hoping!

#disability #pcos #disabled #chronic illness #chronically ill #college

[zebulontheplanet]

Ok y’all, I probably leave for my college program in two months. (If they don’t stop being an ass)

For all chronically ill and disabled college goers. What did you pack that you absolutely needed and didn’t regret bringing?

Please either reblog or comment. Love y’all!

#zebrambles #chronic illness #college #disabled #college packing

[khaotictm]

Hello! There is a project in my sociology class for college that requires interviews! As someone with disabilities (physical and learning) and is in STEM myself (neuroscience major), I really wanted to do my project on this :D! So, if you have the time and identify with being disabled please fill out this form! It is completely ANONYMOUS! As for what is STEM, I am accepting anyone that is studying and/or has a job relating to the STEM field including social sciences. Hopefully it should not take too long to fill out!!! I would be SO appreciative!

#disabled #cripplepunk #chronic illness #autism #chronic pain #disability #women in stem #college #stemblr #stem #stem student #premed #physically disabled #accessiblity #cpunk #actually disabled #fibromyalgia #sorry for the tags #spoonie #invisible illness #invisible disability #chronically ill

[rainbowchihuahuabunny]

Going to college while chronically ill sucks. I have 18 assignments due from this week, I have completed three, and I am so exhausted I can barely move my hands. How the hell am I supposed to get the rest done? I just got to finish this semester. Then I will have the summer off, thank goodness

#chronic illness #chronic pain #chronic fatigue #chronically ill #ehlers danlos syndrome #pots #potsie #fibromyalgia #gastroparesis #chronic fatigue syndrome #fatigue #college