Petition Letter
I am appealing initially to waive the 21-day appeal deadline regarding courses I took in the Fall 2017-Winter 2018 terms. These include Fall courses GPHY 318, GPHY 243, FREN 241; and Winter courses GPHY 228, GPHY 362, GPHY 339, GPHY 403. Additionally, I am appealing to extend IN status in GPHY 228, 362, 339, and 403, as well as FREN 241 if possible. For the courses that I completed some (but not all) of the coursework, such as GPHY 243, FREN 241, and GPHY 318, I am interested in obtaining AG status where possible. For courses that I was unable to complete, and that have no other options to complete or obtain AG, I would like to late drop - these include GPHY 318, and FREN 241.
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. To better contextualize my current condition, I am outlining my prior experience of illness, followed by the circumstances that pertain to this appeal
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. 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 2012-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 deteriorated after the emergence of a neurological disorder that causes debilitating chronic fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness. I underwent a long process of medical diagnosis, and in Fall 2014, I was started on a low dose of a medication by a specialist. This required much trial and error to titrate to my current dose, which resulted in a period of several months in which I was not on a sufficient dose and thus was incapable of producing written academic work. Following thee difficult terms of inadequately treated illness, I took off the Fall 2016 term to pursue further diagnosis and treatment, and organized for an appeal in preparation for my return to studies. I optimized my treatment with the specialist, and made several personal adjustments to support my success upon returning to studies.
For this appeal, my circumstances involved becoming unable to produce meaningful written work due to illness, which is beyond the scope of the academic accommodations for my existing conditions. In particular, this illness limited my ability to meet the cognitive and physical demands of academic writing. At the end of October 2017, I became ill with a condition that has limited my ability to eat and swallow most foods. Secondary to this illness, my physical and mental condition deteriorated, which limited my ability to produce written work reflective of my abilities. I lost more than 25 of my body weight due to the illness, and as a result, I grew very weak and tired. I was frequently sent to the ER to manage medical instability. Physically, I was exhausted; at times I lacked the muscular endurance to sit up in a chair or to shower. Cognitively, I experienced a significant erosion of my executive functioning skills, concentration, and ability to cogently express my thinking.
These new challenges went beyond my pre-existing health conditions, which are accommodated through Accessibility Services. I had already been seeing a physician through Queen¿¿s Student Wellness for ongoing follow-up to manage my prior conditions. With these new symptoms, the doctor referred me to multiple specialists over the course of the Fall and Winter term for assessment. The wait times to see the specialists spanned several months, even with my physician advocating for sooner consultations. Though the symptom onset was in October, the soonest I could get an appointment with a specialist was December, with follow up in May and investigations continuing into July. My symptoms and persisted and my condition deteriorated during this time. Due to these ongoing symptoms, I reduced my course load from 5 courses to 4 courses in the Winter 2018 term, and continued working with my physician as well as outpatient supports in the community to try and prevent further deterioration of my condition. I planned with the Department Head of Geography to try and complete missing work. As I entered the summer term, I was discharged from the outpatient community support because they felt I required a more intensive level of care that could not be offered by their service. As no treatment centres in Ontario were able to accept me in my condition, I began working more closely with Student Wellness Services to determine next steps and try to stabilize my health. In July, I began working with a new set of supports in the community, and also began working more frequently with Laurie Hooke and Tess Grant at Student Wellness Services, in addition to my regular physician follow-ups.
The courses that I am appealing include those with evaluation based more heavily in written assignments, as the cognitive demands of essay writing became unmanageable during the illness. I was more successful in the courses with evaluation based more on tests and with evaluation that took place before my condition deteriorated. I was unable to drop courses due in part to parental pressure. I required their financial support to continue studies, though it was contingent on me maintaining a full course load. I was also unsure about the trajectory of the illness-- I spent months waiting to see medical specialists and working with health care supports without a resolution.
Regarding my completion status in the courses, for GPHY 243 I am seeking AG/CR as I no longer have access to the GIS lab or resources and thus I do not think I can complete outstanding assignments. For FREN 241, the professor went above and beyond to provide support for me, but the effects of my illness particularly affected my cognitive capacity for academic writing in my second language. I would be happy to submit the missing work if it would be accepted, which would avoid me having to retake the course. If I must retake it, I would like to late-drop the prior course. For the Winter 2018 courses (GPHY 228, 339, 362, 403), I plan on submitting outstanding work by the end of the Fall 2018 term, as discussed with the Department Head of Geography.
My plan for academic success includes several personal adjustments and strategies. I am meeting frequently with Student Wellness to find ways to manage my health in light of the new difficulties, as well as maintain the improvements to my condition that I have gained since the summer. Additionally, I am seeking out financial supports in addition to OSAP so I will no longer need to rely on my parents, and thus I will be able to make more independent decisions that support my academic success.
In working more intensively with supports at the university, I feel that my health has begun to stabilize, rather than further deteriorating. I am hopeful that my condition will gradually improve over the course of the Fall 2018 term, and I will be able to enroll in more courses in the Winter 2019 term to fulfil my graduation requirements. For now, my plan is to complete outstanding coursework for incomplete courses, without taking on new course work, to allow myself time to recover and prepare for a successful culmination of my undergraduate studies at Queen¿¿s.
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. To better contextualize my current condition, I am outlining my prior experience of illness, followed by the circumstances that pertain to this appeal
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. 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 2012-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 deteriorated after the emergence of a neurological disorder that causes debilitating chronic fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness. I underwent a long process of medical diagnosis, and in Fall 2014, I was started on a low dose of a medication by a specialist. This required much trial and error to titrate to my current dose, which resulted in a period of several months in which I was not on a sufficient dose and thus was incapable of producing written academic work. Following thee difficult terms of inadequately treated illness, I took off the Fall 2016 term to pursue further diagnosis and treatment, and organized for an appeal in preparation for my return to studies. I optimized my treatment with the specialist, and made several personal adjustments to support my success upon returning to studies.
For this appeal, my circumstances involved becoming unable to produce meaningful written work due to illness, which is beyond the scope of the academic accommodations for my existing conditions. In particular, this illness limited my ability to meet the cognitive and physical demands of academic writing. At the end of October 2017, I became ill with a condition that has limited my ability to eat and swallow most foods. Secondary to this illness, my physical and mental condition deteriorated, which limited my ability to produce written work reflective of my abilities. I lost more than 25 of my body weight due to the illness, and as a result, I grew very weak and tired. I was frequently sent to the ER to manage medical instability. Physically, I was exhausted; at times I lacked the muscular endurance to sit up in a chair or to shower. Cognitively, I experienced a significant erosion of my executive functioning skills, concentration, and ability to cogently express my thinking.
These new challenges went beyond my pre-existing health conditions, which are accommodated through Accessibility Services. I had already been seeing a physician through Queen¿¿s Student Wellness for ongoing follow-up to manage my prior conditions. With these new symptoms, the doctor referred me to multiple specialists over the course of the Fall and Winter term for assessment. The wait times to see the specialists spanned several months, even with my physician advocating for sooner consultations. Though the symptom onset was in October, the soonest I could get an appointment with a specialist was December, with follow up in May and investigations continuing into July. My symptoms and persisted and my condition deteriorated during this time. Due to these ongoing symptoms, I reduced my course load from 5 courses to 4 courses in the Winter 2018 term, and continued working with my physician as well as outpatient supports in the community to try and prevent further deterioration of my condition. I planned with the Department Head of Geography to try and complete missing work. As I entered the summer term, I was discharged from the outpatient community support because they felt I required a more intensive level of care that could not be offered by their service. As no treatment centres in Ontario were able to accept me in my condition, I began working more closely with Student Wellness Services to determine next steps and try to stabilize my health. In July, I began working with a new set of supports in the community, and also began working more frequently with Laurie Hooke and Tess Grant at Student Wellness Services, in addition to my regular physician follow-ups.
The courses that I am appealing include those with evaluation based more heavily in written assignments, as the cognitive demands of essay writing became unmanageable during the illness. I was more successful in the courses with evaluation based more on tests and with evaluation that took place before my condition deteriorated. I was unable to drop courses due in part to parental pressure. I required their financial support to continue studies, though it was contingent on me maintaining a full course load. I was also unsure about the trajectory of the illness-- I spent months waiting to see medical specialists and working with health care supports without a resolution.
Regarding my completion status in the courses, for GPHY 243 I am seeking AG/CR as I no longer have access to the GIS lab or resources and thus I do not think I can complete outstanding assignments. For FREN 241, the professor went above and beyond to provide support for me, but the effects of my illness particularly affected my cognitive capacity for academic writing in my second language. I would be happy to submit the missing work if it would be accepted, which would avoid me having to retake the course. If I must retake it, I would like to late-drop the prior course. For the Winter 2018 courses (GPHY 228, 339, 362, 403), I plan on submitting outstanding work by the end of the Fall 2018 term, as discussed with the Department Head of Geography.
My plan for academic success includes several personal adjustments and strategies. I am meeting frequently with Student Wellness to find ways to manage my health in light of the new difficulties, as well as maintain the improvements to my condition that I have gained since the summer. Additionally, I am seeking out financial supports in addition to OSAP so I will no longer need to rely on my parents, and thus I will be able to make more independent decisions that support my academic success.
In working more intensively with supports at the university, I feel that my health has begun to stabilize, rather than further deteriorating. I am hopeful that my condition will gradually improve over the course of the Fall 2018 term, and I will be able to enroll in more courses in the Winter 2019 term to fulfil my graduation requirements. For now, my plan is to complete outstanding coursework for incomplete courses, without taking on new course work, to allow myself time to recover and prepare for a successful culmination of my undergraduate studies at Queen¿¿s.