Petition Letter
Appeal letter is the same as attached with the appeal to waive the deadline:
I am appealing initially for an extension of the appeal deadlines regarding courses I took over the Winter 2015, Fall 2015, and Winter 2016 academic terms. I am appealing to late-drop unsuccessful credits, and/or to salvage any credits possible through CR or AG standing.
Extenuating circumstances beyond my control of a medical nature have affected both my ability to appeal in a timelier manner and my ability to perform academically at my true capability. For context to my condition, I experienced my first major concussion in January 2012, followed by several more over the following 4 years. Each successive concussion caused further deterioration of specific cognitive capacities, as detailed in my post-concussive cognitive testing and my neuropsychological assessment. The impact of these injuries was enormous, marking my status as a student with a disability and consequently I needed to re-learn basic academic strategies as well as seek support from Accessibility Services. The deterioration of my physical wellness triggered a marked decline of my mental health. The physical symptoms of my mental illness exacerbated my existing physical illness as well as complicated my ability to perform academically. For this reason, I took a medical leave of absence during the Fall 2010-Winter 2013 school year. I received intensive treatment, and learned many important skills to manage my mental illnesses in preparation for my return to school.
My academic success -notably in the period I am appealing- deteriorated after a new symptom emerged: debilitating chronic fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness. I am still undergoing medical diagnosis, and thus have an incomplete understanding of the exact nature of the illness, but I am saddled with the incapacitating symptoms and time-consuming medical appointments. In Fall 2014, I was started on a low dose of a medication by a specialist, which required much trial and error to titrate to my more effective current dose. The period of several months in which I was not on a sufficient does crippled my academic performance as my life was consumed by the symptoms of the illness. Involuntary sleep regularly consumed 15+ hours of each day. Despite attempting to arrange alternate deadlines with individual professors, and having some support from SASS, my illness during this period prevailed and rendered me incapable of producing written academic work. Following thee difficult terms, I took off the Fall 2016 term to pursue further diagnosis and treatment, as well as to organize for this appeal in preparation for my return to studies.
As I will outline in further detail in my academic plan, I will be making numerous persona adjustments to foster success going forward, including seeking additional academic supports, financial assistance, and pursuing effective and continued medical treatment. Having implemented some of these changes, I am having a much more successful term than I had imagined, and I am genuinely excited to move forward in my degree.
Academic plan:
1. Course of Study
Degree Plan: Bachelor of Arts Honours, Major in Geography, Minor in French Studies AND Concurrent Education, primary/junior divisions, planning of specializing in Outdoor and Experiential Education in final ear of Con Ed.
2. Full-time vs Part-time Status
I anticipate taking a reduced course load of 3 courses per term, which counts as a minimal full time load for students with disabilities. I also plan on taking some courses part-time in the summer to catch up lost credits.
3. Strategies for Success
Academic Preparation: I plan on retaking courses after late-dropping, planning regular consultations with course instructors and/or TAs, continuing to seek support from SASS peer mentoring.
Learning Strategies: I plan to seek support in strategies related to writing from the Writing Centre, from Gail, and from my peer mentor. I will also continue to seek outside support from occupational therapy and therapy for cognitive skills building in particular for executive function improvement.
Motivation: I will continue to seek evaluation and support for physical and mental health related issues through therapy, and possibly through the RARC.
Resources: I will continue seeking assistance through Student Wellness Services, medical specialists, psychiatric specialists, and personal therapy. I will also seek additional financial aid in place of part-time work hours
Situational Demands: Managing chronic illnesses, some of which are not fully understood, requires extraordinary commitment of time and energy to self-care and self-advocate. I will dedicate time and energy to self-care and self-advocacy. Additionally, the process of diagnosis and titrating treatments results in periods of ineffective symptom management and thus the illness supersedes academic work and personal commitments. I have sought academic accommodations, and I will continue to communicate with professors when this is the case. I continue to pursue diagnosis and ongoing treatment of the illness I experience. Effective ongoing treatment in conjunction with additional academic and personal supports will allow me to pursue studies successfully.
4. Evaluating success: The key criteria of success for me is achieving academic success in a personally sustainable way (i.e. not relapsing in illness). I strive to fulfill each of the changes outlined in this plan, and I expect to have implemented these changes by the end of the Winter 2017. I will regularly consult this plan to evaluate my efforts and I will hold myself accountable to this with the support of my family, my therapist, my peer mentor, and my academic advisor.
I am appealing initially for an extension of the appeal deadlines regarding courses I took over the Winter 2015, Fall 2015, and Winter 2016 academic terms. I am appealing to late-drop unsuccessful credits, and/or to salvage any credits possible through CR or AG standing.
Extenuating circumstances beyond my control of a medical nature have affected both my ability to appeal in a timelier manner and my ability to perform academically at my true capability. For context to my condition, I experienced my first major concussion in January 2012, followed by several more over the following 4 years. Each successive concussion caused further deterioration of specific cognitive capacities, as detailed in my post-concussive cognitive testing and my neuropsychological assessment. The impact of these injuries was enormous, marking my status as a student with a disability and consequently I needed to re-learn basic academic strategies as well as seek support from Accessibility Services. The deterioration of my physical wellness triggered a marked decline of my mental health. The physical symptoms of my mental illness exacerbated my existing physical illness as well as complicated my ability to perform academically. For this reason, I took a medical leave of absence during the Fall 2010-Winter 2013 school year. I received intensive treatment, and learned many important skills to manage my mental illnesses in preparation for my return to school.
My academic success -notably in the period I am appealing- deteriorated after a new symptom emerged: debilitating chronic fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness. I am still undergoing medical diagnosis, and thus have an incomplete understanding of the exact nature of the illness, but I am saddled with the incapacitating symptoms and time-consuming medical appointments. In Fall 2014, I was started on a low dose of a medication by a specialist, which required much trial and error to titrate to my more effective current dose. The period of several months in which I was not on a sufficient does crippled my academic performance as my life was consumed by the symptoms of the illness. Involuntary sleep regularly consumed 15+ hours of each day. Despite attempting to arrange alternate deadlines with individual professors, and having some support from SASS, my illness during this period prevailed and rendered me incapable of producing written academic work. Following thee difficult terms, I took off the Fall 2016 term to pursue further diagnosis and treatment, as well as to organize for this appeal in preparation for my return to studies.
As I will outline in further detail in my academic plan, I will be making numerous persona adjustments to foster success going forward, including seeking additional academic supports, financial assistance, and pursuing effective and continued medical treatment. Having implemented some of these changes, I am having a much more successful term than I had imagined, and I am genuinely excited to move forward in my degree.
Academic plan:
1. Course of Study
Degree Plan: Bachelor of Arts Honours, Major in Geography, Minor in French Studies AND Concurrent Education, primary/junior divisions, planning of specializing in Outdoor and Experiential Education in final ear of Con Ed.
2. Full-time vs Part-time Status
I anticipate taking a reduced course load of 3 courses per term, which counts as a minimal full time load for students with disabilities. I also plan on taking some courses part-time in the summer to catch up lost credits.
3. Strategies for Success
Academic Preparation: I plan on retaking courses after late-dropping, planning regular consultations with course instructors and/or TAs, continuing to seek support from SASS peer mentoring.
Learning Strategies: I plan to seek support in strategies related to writing from the Writing Centre, from Gail, and from my peer mentor. I will also continue to seek outside support from occupational therapy and therapy for cognitive skills building in particular for executive function improvement.
Motivation: I will continue to seek evaluation and support for physical and mental health related issues through therapy, and possibly through the RARC.
Resources: I will continue seeking assistance through Student Wellness Services, medical specialists, psychiatric specialists, and personal therapy. I will also seek additional financial aid in place of part-time work hours
Situational Demands: Managing chronic illnesses, some of which are not fully understood, requires extraordinary commitment of time and energy to self-care and self-advocate. I will dedicate time and energy to self-care and self-advocacy. Additionally, the process of diagnosis and titrating treatments results in periods of ineffective symptom management and thus the illness supersedes academic work and personal commitments. I have sought academic accommodations, and I will continue to communicate with professors when this is the case. I continue to pursue diagnosis and ongoing treatment of the illness I experience. Effective ongoing treatment in conjunction with additional academic and personal supports will allow me to pursue studies successfully.
4. Evaluating success: The key criteria of success for me is achieving academic success in a personally sustainable way (i.e. not relapsing in illness). I strive to fulfill each of the changes outlined in this plan, and I expect to have implemented these changes by the end of the Winter 2017. I will regularly consult this plan to evaluate my efforts and I will hold myself accountable to this with the support of my family, my therapist, my peer mentor, and my academic advisor.