For me, having a strong community of supports was the difference between graduating from college and dropping out. When I first got to college, it was scary to be away from home for the first time in this sea of strange faces. Possibly due to my disability, it was hard to make friends and set up the sort of community of supports that I think most people develop naturally. My academic performance suffered as a result and, after a disappointing freshman year, I took a semester leave of absence to collect myself. When I came back, I quickly and deliberately setup a strong community of supports both in and outside of school.
I found out that my college actually offered several supports to its students for no additional charge. I scheduled regular meetings with my academic advisor and enrolled in peer tutoring to help me improve my academic performance. I also reached out to Disability Resources, and they helped advocate for me with my professors and ensured that I received the proper accommodations.
I also reached out to several disability support groups, including AccessComputing, to connect with other people in my peer group. I found that people who had my same disability immediately understood what I was going through and expressed sympathy and support, without me having to explain my first year or apologize for my disability. Because of this, I made some of my strongest friendships during college through these groups. These groups also connected me with many career opportunities and internships.
My strongest supporters are my parents. During college, I called or Skyped with them on a daily basis. We’d go through my day together to make sure I wasn’t falling off track, and then we’d create a to-do list for the following day. This kept me aware and on top of all my social, academic, and career obligations. Now as I transition to my adult life after college, we’ve had fewer check-ins, and I’m maintaining my own to-do lists independently.
Thanks to my community of supports, I came back from my disappointing freshman year and graduated from college. I’m now beginning my career as a programmer analyst at a major utilities company. and searching for my new community of supports as I begin this new part of my life.