Invisibles of Trinity

When I first came to university, I was too shy to ask for help. I knew the Disability Service was there to aid with reasonable accommodations during exam time but I did not know what help they could offer me beyond that. I suffer from chronic fatigue, I found daily obstacles from studying and commuting to College exhausting and eventually, overwhelming. It was at this point I decided to turn to the Disability Service where I received advice on how to best manage my fatigue and learn to take day to day College life in my stride. I wish that I had come to the Disability Service earlier and would advise anyone else struggling in silence to come forward and not be ashamed to ask for help.

Having a disability can be annoying, but so too can waking up at 2 am for a 6 am flight. However, when the Ryanair trumpets play and you lookout to see the sparkling Mediterranean, you realise it was worth getting up early for.

When you have a disability, you learn to adapt, and I often find the value of adaption leads to a greater prize. You might have to bring your lunch from home, but it’s worth it because you get to save that 5 Euros everyone else is spending on fast-food.

You might have to sit up front to hear clearer, but you get way better notes to impress within the summer exams. You may have to travel more slowly than everyone else, but you get to observe the details that simply rush past. The message is having a disability can add a few more rocky steps to your climb, but once you learn to appreciate the view from the summit, the hike is worth it!