Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) the weekend before the fall exam period begun last fall semester.
- For the past year, I have experienced constant brain fog, headaches and migraines, inability to use phone/computer screens for more than 30 minutes at a time, and permanent tinnitus (ringing, roaring, buzzing) in my ears.
- These symptoms have impacted my ability to do basic tasks such as go to sleep, because of the constant tinnitus in my ears, concentrate in class, use my computer to study and read for extended periods of time, has as a result increased my anxiety, and overall has diminished my quality of life.
- I have spent more money than I should on physical therapy and supplements in hopes of finding some relief, I say more because I come from a low income family, and rely on bursaries and OSAP to fund my studies.
- Since the doctor ordered me to be in a dark room and not use any electronic devices for weeks following my TBI, my friends reached out to my professors on my behalf, telling them that I would not be able to hand in my final projects and exams
- Professor Tomasone went on maternity leave after the exam period ended. However, right after she received my friends email, she scheduled a phone call with me, to avoid me using a screen. She was so understanding, kind, and accommodating, and genuinely just wanted to know that I was okay. The class is called “Foundations for Understanding Disability”, so she was extra understanding that I was now disabled to a certain degree. She told me a PhD student, Alexandra, would be the person I needed to send my take home exam to once I finished, instead of Professor Tomasone (due to her mat leave) and that Alexandra would grade it. This take home exam was worth roughly 30% of my grade.
- Prof. T was super accommodating and gave me an extension on my final take-home exam. This would have allowed me to hand it in in April. However, due to my symptoms, and extra course load (I was taking 5 courses PLUS finishing other assignments and final exams from the previous semester that I was not able to hand in due to my concussion), my accommodations were not adequate. I still needed extra time due to my extra course load and due to my symptoms (not being able to use my screen for long periods of time, headaches, tinnitus, brain fog). Additionally, I noticed that I already had another in person exam scheduled for that day.
- Right after my brain injury, I gave QSAS all my medical documentation and was set up for accommodations. I received the accommodation that states “One exam per calendar day”, so when I realized I was not going to be able to hand in my take home exam for HLTH 332 due to my symptoms, heavy course load, and multiple exams, I reached out to both QSAS and Alexandra.
- Professor Tomasone was extremely kind when I spoke to her over the phone and explicitly stated that if I needed more time and was still struggling to finish the take home exam, to reach out. Therefore, I thought it would be okay to extend my deadline due to my symptoms and extremely heavy course load, as well as the fact that I already had another in-person 5 hour exam that day, and my accomodations were put in place for my health, so that I wouldn’t have to work simultaneously for two exams.
- I had an in person 5 hour psychology exam on that same day (April 14th) at 1pm, as well as an exam on the Monday the 17th, Tuesday the 18th, a take home essay due on the 20th and another exam on Friday the 21st.
- My QSAS intake coordinator Melissa was understanding, but she said she did not have the power to extend the accommodation herself, and that it would ultimately be up to Professor Tomasone or Alexandra.
- When I reached out Alexandra, since the professor was on maternity leave, Alexandr told me that she did not feel comfortable going against the deadline that the professor had given me, even though Professor Tomasone had told me to reach out if I was struggling. I think this was very unfair, given Alexandra did not know the extent of my situation and my brain injury. In my email to Alexandra, I stated “When we came up with this date, I didn’t have the syllabus for my new courses and did not anticipate having 5 exams back to back, a 5 hour exam on the same day, and more work from other classes from last semester that I am still working on”. This whole situation was extremely frustrating and upsetting for me for the following reasons: This was a Health Studies course with the whole purpose of understanding disabilities. I was in a position where my Traumatic Brain Injury was now disabling me from completing coursework, when my record has shown that I am mainly a straight A’s student. Last year I received the David F. And Sylvia L. Cassillis Award, on the basis of academic standing and involvement in extra-curricular activities, as well as the Marshall B. Dean Scholarship, granted to one student in the Department of Political Studies on the basis of exceptional grades and academic achievement. Moreover, Alexandra was not accommodating at all, and did not bother to schedule a meeting with me, unlike Professor Tomasone, to further understand my situation/disability. Likewise, Professor T. told me to reach out if I was struggling, but then she was not available due to mat leave, which was out of my control. As a result, my grade in that course stands at a 55% (a D on the Arts and Science scale). I strongly believe this is not a reflection of my ability, and instead a reflection of my disability. Likewise, I was under the false belief that my QSAS accommodations of one exam per day would apply in this scenario, and QSAS failed to properly inform me that certain types of examinations were and weren’t covered, in this case, take-home exams did not apply. In conclusion, I would be so appreciative and grateful of receiving a credit standing for this course. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.