Aargghh my memories of student life come back to bite me!!!!!! Hehehe! I am hoping that you will get an extension, it seems like a very fair reason to me and i hope that the tutors will see it that way, (no pun intended!). Do you have an occupational health dept at uni? Most do, and they would be very helpful in making sure you have the time you need.
Take care,
Sweet X x X
Happy New Year!!
Moderators: Anne Klepacz, John Smith, Sweet
Yes we do have an occi health team but they are not very easy to access 
. I do have a disability learning agreement set up but because I won't let the course leader know exactly what the cause of the problem is she is being a bit akward about it 
. I am not trying to be difficult but all those students on the course who had any form of disability eg dyslexia etc have been forced off the course and I am damned if she is going to succeed with me 
. She has been waiting for an opportunity to send me to occi health under the 'professional duty to inform when it is suspected that another health professional is unfit for practice 
!' My personal tutor and the staff at the hospital have not reported any problems in practice and so far my exams have been all merits and distinctions so she has no justification - I think she just does not like not knowing 
. She is bound to make more out of the disease than is necessary and possibly jeopardise my chances of gaining employment 
. So I hope she reads my request with a bit of festive spirit in her system LOL 
! Anyway have not heard back from her yet.
Will keep you posted
.
Sally
. I do have a disability learning agreement set up but because I won't let the course leader know exactly what the cause of the problem is she is being a bit akward about it . I am not trying to be difficult but all those students on the course who had any form of disability eg dyslexia etc have been forced off the course and I am damned if she is going to succeed with me . She has been waiting for an opportunity to send me to occi health under the 'professional duty to inform when it is suspected that another health professional is unfit for practice !' My personal tutor and the staff at the hospital have not reported any problems in practice and so far my exams have been all merits and distinctions so she has no justification - I think she just does not like not knowing . She is bound to make more out of the disease than is necessary and possibly jeopardise my chances of gaining employment . So I hope she reads my request with a bit of festive spirit in her system LOL ! Anyway have not heard back from her yet.
Will keep you posted
.
Sally
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Emma_Marie
- Regular contributor
- Posts: 64
- Joined: Mon 12 Dec 2005 10:28 pm
- Location: N. Ireland
ahhhh exam panic setting in!
hey just like to say that i know how ur feeling on this issue, im in my second year of History and Politics and ive 2 essays 4 monday and an exam on tues! to top it all off i cant see through my glasses anymore so im wearin my lenses nearly 24/7 which probably isnt the best idea!
On another matter, my disability services team at uni are gr8! so far this year ive got a notetaker 4 lectures (although he proved to b useless and ive actually got very little notes 4rm him) and extra time in my exams, which has proved a godsend! u should think about telling them about KC as there is gr8 help out there. Your course advisor doesnt even have to know - its only with your consent that staff can ge informed!
Happy New guys and may God Bless you all in 2006
On another matter, my disability services team at uni are gr8! so far this year ive got a notetaker 4 lectures (although he proved to b useless and ive actually got very little notes 4rm him) and extra time in my exams, which has proved a godsend! u should think about telling them about KC as there is gr8 help out there. Your course advisor doesnt even have to know - its only with your consent that staff can ge informed!
Happy New guys and may God Bless you all in 2006
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Louise Pembroke
- Champion
- Posts: 1482
- Joined: Sat 21 Aug 2004 11:34 pm
- Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
- Vision: Graft(s) and contact lenses
Sally
Sally, seems like good advice from Emma, they can't deny you extra time etc under disability discrimination.
Hi!
My course is a health course, midwifery, and sadly it is not as easy as that . By having a disability needs agreement the course tutors know there is something up and if they think I might be a risk to clients they have an obligation to report it 
. Further more they can force me to go for an assessment at occi health - should I fail I will have to leave the course . I have the right to extra time in exams and for assignments but my course tutor said if I still had a problem after September she would have no choice but to refer me to occi health - so far I have managed to cope without using the agreement and I had hoped I would have completed this assignment in time . This is such bad timing and not a good start to 2006 
!!!! Thanks for your advice though .
Sally
My course is a health course, midwifery, and sadly it is not as easy as that
. By having a disability needs agreement the course tutors know there is something up and if they think I might be a risk to clients they have an obligation to report it . Further more they can force me to go for an assessment at occi health - should I fail I will have to leave the course . I have the right to extra time in exams and for assignments but my course tutor said if I still had a problem after September she would have no choice but to refer me to occi health - so far I have managed to cope without using the agreement and I had hoped I would have completed this assignment in time . This is such bad timing and not a good start to 2006 !!!! Thanks for your advice though .
Sally
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Louise Pembroke
- Champion
- Posts: 1482
- Joined: Sat 21 Aug 2004 11:34 pm
- Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
- Vision: Graft(s) and contact lenses
Oh Sallyuk, this makes me so damn angry, I see what you mean now given your course is in health, this does change the issue. Sadly I'm very familiar with the discrimination within the health service towards it's students & workers. Occupational Health is a mixed blessing, I've seen student nurses and medical students chucked off their courses for having experienced mental health problems. It's ironic isn't it, the one place you should see more understanding there can be less.
Get your opthalmologist and GP onside, this does make a difference. When I had to go for an OH medical many years ago I had a good GP who told me that if they gave me any problems he would have had serious words with them, I think he would have slaughtered them.
I had one lens falling out and the other with barely 2 hours wear. I covered my bad eye first and memorised the letters on the sight test board for when I covered my good eye!
They saw in theatre that I needed to hold the instruments closer to my eyes than others in order to see them but it was ok. So long as I could check them ok and hand over the correct one, colleagues were fine with it and they knew I was waiting for a graft, so it's a question of negotiating OH.
You have to do whatever feels right for you, whatever you feel protects you the most. It should be different though....
Get your opthalmologist and GP onside, this does make a difference. When I had to go for an OH medical many years ago I had a good GP who told me that if they gave me any problems he would have had serious words with them, I think he would have slaughtered them.
I had one lens falling out and the other with barely 2 hours wear. I covered my bad eye first and memorised the letters on the sight test board for when I covered my good eye!
They saw in theatre that I needed to hold the instruments closer to my eyes than others in order to see them but it was ok. So long as I could check them ok and hand over the correct one, colleagues were fine with it and they knew I was waiting for a graft, so it's a question of negotiating OH.
You have to do whatever feels right for you, whatever you feel protects you the most. It should be different though....
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Sweet
- Committee
- Posts: 2240
- Joined: Sun 10 Apr 2005 11:22 pm
- Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
- Vision: Graft(s) and contact lenses
- Location: London / South Wales
Sally, i am really sorry for where you are and it is sad that occ health can't help you out further. I am a nurse and when i did my training they were very good to me and open to any suggestions if needed. I really didn't have any trouble back then, but it was nice to know that they were there just in case.
It is bad that midwifery is so different. My friend is a midwife and she didn't think much of the support either Am really hoping that you can work something out. Am thinking of you and wishing you all the best
Sweet X x X
It is bad that midwifery is so different. My friend is a midwife and she didn't think much of the support either
Am really hoping that you can work something out. Am thinking of you and wishing you all the best
Sweet X x X
Sweet X x X
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Paul Morgan
- Chatterbox
- Posts: 291
- Joined: Sat 06 Nov 2004 3:11 pm
- Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
- Vision: Contact lenses
- Location: Yeovil, Somerset
It's a dreadful situation that you find yourself in Sally....it shouldn't happen.
To a lesser extent KC brings me a similarish problem. My job is in a legal environment which requires me to be at a PC most of the day, and when I'm not there, I'm reading from small text in lovely legal (snore) textbooks. It's getting tougher and tougher and I know the day will come when I have to put my hands up and say I need help.
To date I'm coping, but it scares me to death. I have a wife and two little girls to provide for, I am the main breadwinner, and if I don't do this job, I don't know what I will do.
I don't want to sound over whingey or sorry for myself because I know lots of you have bigger problems, but I too am constantly ducking the issue, because I am really scared at what will or may happen if I put my hands up and say I have a problem.
I will need to get an Occ assessment sooner or later, but I'd rather it were later, much later.
Sorry to bang on but the above thread just struck a note with me.
To a lesser extent KC brings me a similarish problem. My job is in a legal environment which requires me to be at a PC most of the day, and when I'm not there, I'm reading from small text in lovely legal (snore) textbooks. It's getting tougher and tougher and I know the day will come when I have to put my hands up and say I need help.
To date I'm coping, but it scares me to death. I have a wife and two little girls to provide for, I am the main breadwinner, and if I don't do this job, I don't know what I will do.
I don't want to sound over whingey or sorry for myself because I know lots of you have bigger problems, but I too am constantly ducking the issue, because I am really scared at what will or may happen if I put my hands up and say I have a problem.
I will need to get an Occ assessment sooner or later, but I'd rather it were later, much later.
Sorry to bang on but the above thread just struck a note with me.
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Louise Pembroke
- Champion
- Posts: 1482
- Joined: Sat 21 Aug 2004 11:34 pm
- Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
- Vision: Graft(s) and contact lenses
Don't apologise Paul, that's what the forum is for, so we can safely talk about our fears.
I really appreciate your position and wanting to hold off for as long as possible because we do live in a world where disability is largely not catered for.
Glad your experiences of OH were good Sweet, wish I heard this more often...
I really appreciate your position and wanting to hold off for as long as possible because we do live in a world where disability is largely not catered for.
Glad your experiences of OH were good Sweet, wish I heard this more often...
Hi all !
Just thought I would update you re: the extension and infection.
I got granted the extension as I had a letter from the GP - Thank God .
As for the infection my eyes got worse and worse . I returned to the GP on the Tuesday and they gave me a change of antibiotics. Just to be on the safe side I contacted my optometrist - he checked my eyes and said he wondered if I was having a reaction to the drops as they were not reacting as he would have expected . He said it might be useful to go to the local hospital (the one I work at) to the eye casualty dept which he understood to be a drop-in. I went there but as I did not have a letter of referral I was told I would first need to wait in casualty (approx 5hrs 
) and if they thought I needed it I would then go and wait in the eye casualty dept! I was furious and left - probably not very wise but what with the pain and discomfort I was not in best spirits. The following day I returned to the GP and got a referral letter and went directly to the eye casualty - the junior on-call opthamologist was very curt asking if I was the one who had left A&E the previous evening, and said it was most obviously a viral conjunctivitis and to stop all treatment . I intend to send her a copy of an article on how to treat KC patients properly !!!!!
Anyway the long and short of it is that my eyes are now on the mend although I am still unable to drive or wear my contacts. I have till the 30th Jan to complete my essay assuming I can wear my contacts soon - the optometrist was not optamistic (that spelling looks odd!) feeling it may take quite a while as they are likely to be very sensitive. Oh the joys of this disease !
Thanks for the all the support.
Sally
!
Just thought I would update you re: the extension and infection.
I got granted the extension as I had a letter from the GP - Thank God
.
As for the infection my eyes got worse and worse
. I returned to the GP on the Tuesday and they gave me a change of antibiotics. Just to be on the safe side I contacted my optometrist - he checked my eyes and said he wondered if I was having a reaction to the drops as they were not reacting as he would have expected . He said it might be useful to go to the local hospital (the one I work at) to the eye casualty dept which he understood to be a drop-in. I went there but as I did not have a letter of referral I was told I would first need to wait in casualty (approx 5hrs ) and if they thought I needed it I would then go and wait in the eye casualty dept! I was furious and left - probably not very wise but what with the pain and discomfort I was not in best spirits. The following day I returned to the GP and got a referral letter and went directly to the eye casualty - the junior on-call opthamologist was very curt asking if I was the one who had left A&E the previous evening, and said it was most obviously a viral conjunctivitis and to stop all treatment . I intend to send her a copy of an article on how to treat KC patients properly !!!!!
Anyway the long and short of it is that my eyes are now on the mend although I am still unable to drive or wear my contacts. I have till the 30th Jan to complete my essay assuming I can wear my contacts soon - the optometrist was not optamistic (that spelling looks odd!) feeling it may take quite a while as they are likely to be very sensitive. Oh the joys of this disease
!
Thanks for the all the support.
Sally
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