Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Please accept this as my formal request for an academic appeal. I hope for lenience for such a late submission, as recounting what has happened in the years leading up to this was extraordinarily taxing for me. Should any documentation be necessary beyond what is already provided, I will make sure it is sent in ASAP.

For context, I was diagnosed with ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome and Social Anxiety in 2019. However, I did not apply for a disability designation when transitioning to Queen??s. I had convinced myself that the use of academic accommodations would be treating my disabilities as an excuse, and that succeeding by my own merit meant acting entirely on my own, without support.

There have been a multitude of psychological stressors that have taken a toll on my mental health and academics. These stressors have existed since before I enrolled at Queen??s University, and as such their influence has been a chronic issue for me.
Dysfunctional relationships with the parental figures in my life exacerbated the once-manageable symptoms of my disabilities during my first and second year of my degree.
My mother suffers from bi-polar disorder. Interactions with her are at best uneasy; at her worst, they are manic episodes during social events, tests and holidays. Her health problems have caused her to be admitted to KGH on multiple occasions in the past few years. On four such occasions, I was the one to find her in a diabetic coma and send her out by ambulance.
Interactions with my stepmother are similarly nerve-wracking. Her mood would swing completely at any moment, and her passive-aggressive actions and comments were a constant burden. Living with her left me in a state of constant anxiety, leaving me feeling like I was walking on eggshells. There were also instances where she would get in massive arguments with other family members, interrupting online lectures and study sessions.
My father attempts to be supportive, but business has him away from home for up to months at a time. Even in the times he isn??t out-of-town, reaching out to him often did more harm than good. He would often go against my wishes and speak to the rest of the family about my problems; or worse, would confront my mother or stepmother with this information and instigate a feud with me at its center. As such, I was apprehensive to approach him for support.
The persistent stress from these events and others made the symptoms of my anxiety grow nearly unmanageable. From this, a negative feedback loop formed:
1. A traumatic event (large argument, hospital visit, manic episode) causes me to miss a deadline for a test/assignment,
2. I would be too anxious/self-loathing to reach out for help from family/school faculty,
3. Resulting bad grades would feed my anxiety/self-deprecation, resulting in increased self-blame and leaving me more vulnerable to stressful situations, and
4. Setbacks going forward become more frequent due to stress-induced breakdowns and missed material, and less stress is necessary to trigger the cycle.
This cycle has visibly impacted my academics since my first term at Queen??s and became progressively worse with time. I had to move out of my Bachelor of Computing degree plan as a result, which caused problems in my second year with course selection that compounded the situation further.
The pandemic only made these problems worse. Self-isolation deprived me of the social interactions of attending in-person classes, meeting new people, visiting family and friends, and finding refuge from the toxic environment at home. I struggled with online classes since there was no separation from the events in my household. Since my stepmother was high-risk, she was always home; this meant there was no escape from her, nor privacy with which to seek help without her potentially overhearing and dragging the entire extended family into an argument. I felt trapped, and hopeless to getting the help I knew I needed, until now.

Since the end of the last winter term, I have temporarily moved out so as to distance myself from the emotional stressors present there. My grandparents have taken me in until such time that all necessary arrangements have been made regarding my mental health and academic standing.
I am also actively pursuing psychological help. Regular appointments with my doctor have been scheduled for my physical well-being and to reassess my anxiety medication, and I am contacting specialists both in and outside of Queen??s with the goal of rehabilitation and development of better coping strategies. I will also be applying for a disability designation with QSAS, so that I have the necessary resources at my disposal to manage any future circumstances.
Arrangements have been made with my employers to manage my current situation more appropriately, while still allowing me to remain productive over the summer.
Despite the setbacks I have faced, I still wholeheartedly believe I can handle the rigors of university education. I deeply enjoy not just my subjects of interest, but learning for its own sake ?? I hope I can be granted a second chance with such an opportunity.

Thank you for your consideration,
Donovan Bisson
20230334