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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fuzzyduck" data-source="post: 7307" data-attributes="member: 5549">Hi,I've attempted uni before back in 2002 but left after a breakdown close to the end of my degree. I started a fine art degree back in 2023 aged 44 and was diagnosed with adhd about six months into the first year. I've just completed my second year so burnt out I've applied for a leave of absence. In both years I never managed to do a full week and my anxiety and shutdowns have gone through the roof. General advice would be seeking out the wellbeing and disability support at uni for things like SWAI extensions and applying for DSA through student finance. The latter assess you (not in the traumatic way like a PIP assessment but in a 'how can we make life easier') and things like taxis to uni, specialist software and equipment, mentoring services etc. Whilst all this is good, I do feel that uni staff in general need to be trained in neuro diversity. A lot of my stress came from mixed/vague messages and briefs etc that were hard to interpret, failure to provide materials prior to lectures as required by SWAI and huge seminars where you didn't know anyone and would be put in groups for tasks. That isn't an inclusive environment. My university doesn't offer 'quiet spaces' except in the library which is a bus ride away. Work also needs to be done with DSA and their providers eg transport. In the first year I was allocated a taxi company that was so unreliable (not turning up or being an hour late daily) and another one that after I was hospitalised lied and said they weren't my provider. It took DSA over two weeks to respond when I queried this and by that point I'd missed the last of the semester. Then I had to learn to drive that route on a motorway which causes massive stress because that was preferable to the taxis (I now can't use taxis I get panic attacks) and as a result I lost my PIP. There is also little flexibility with taxis - you have to give four hours notice to change or cancel a time which is no good if going into meltdown or shutdown for example. If cancelling within a shorter timeframe than this you are liable for the full fare not the train fare equivalent which in my case was £40 each way. This is something that needs to be addressed.</blockquote>

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