Georgia Vine
I’ve done many reflections on my blog (Not So Terrible Palsy) over the last two and a half years about my experiences as disabled occupational therapy student and have even used my blog as part of a virtual placement. Despite this I have never appreciated how my blog has enabled me to make sense of my time at university.
For any student university is hard and studying with a disability can present additional challenges, especially when studying a profession that you have an emotional connection to because of that disability.
When I was applying to study occupational therapy I remember writing in my personal statement how having a disability means that I can integrate my personal with my professional experience and now I can, I have certainly used my disability as a tool during my studies but it has been challenging too.
Disclosure has been a major issue has affected my confidence on placement. Its not clear when and what to disclose- it’s not about me its about maintaining person-centred practice. Yet my disability is very visible (well certain parts) and I do have to disclose in certain situations.
Without my blog I never would have been able to unpick this topic and critically reflect on my situation. This has been a powerful experience and I am thankful that I have been allowed to explore this as I do feel more confident to gauge when I can and can’t disclose.
I’ll always have to disclose my speech impairment and I’m okay with that now and again thats thanks to being able to write done my feelings in the ‘privacy’ of Not So Terrible Palsy.
On my last placement I had no real issues regarding my speech and when I did I just used text-to-speech- everything was fine! I even find myself informing people about my speech impairment outside of anything university or ‘work’ (whatever work is right now) related which is something that I only ever did when I really had to before. Whereas now I’m more confident to talk about this and inform people that I have augmentative and alternative communication if needed.
Reflecting on the 18-year old who was so anxious after that occupational health appointment and thought that she’d never be able to do her dream job makes me realise how much I needed blogging even without realising. My blog has enabled me to be comfortable being an occupational therapist with a difference and has allowed me to explore avenues I wouldn’t have dreamed of exploring!
Not many people get to say the completed an occupational therapy placement they designed using their blog to hopefully start building a bridge being the disability and the occupational therapy community. I’m so thankful that my supervisor negotiated the university to allow me to do this and I’m still in disbelief at what my supervisor and I managed to do in those 12 weeks, I certainly wouldn’t be writing this blog for Occupational Therapists Without Borders today.
The content I produce on my blog is obviously going to change as now I am a newly qualified occupational therapist but my main drive will be to continue to work tirelessly towards raising awareness of online communities, and advocating for the accessibility of virtual placements for disabled students. I may even be offering one myself (watch this space!).
What I don’t know what is next for me, being the theorist I am, I am worried that the accessible job hunt is going to take even longer than it already has been. Thankfully I know I have the blog to use to reflect on this and write completely different content to escape.
Thank you so much to everyone who’s read, liked, shared, commented on any of the blogs I have written about my studies! Without the feedback and my blog my journey would have been very different and lonely.
So, I’m looking forward to writing about and taking you with me on my next adventure, whatever it may be!
a 21-year-old Newly Qualified Occupational Therapist and an ambassador for CP Teens UK. I am a disability blogger writing about my lived experienced of disability and life as a disabled occupational therapist. In 2021 I was named a Rising Star on the Shaw Trust’s #DisabilityPower100
CP Teens UK Upcoming Disability Blogger of the Year 2020