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Disabled Student's Allowance #DSA
I've been going through the DSA process, which means my student finance will provide quite expensive equipment to make studying easier and more comfortable for me.
I'm in my third year but I have another two years left of my degree, so it's worth doing. It's taken me this long to apply and only after a lot of encouragement from a therapist. Going through this process has been a mental turmoil because I'm sat there thinking "I don't deserve any of this, I'm not sick enough" etc. And I struggled to really think about how I'm affected by my conditions because I live with them every day; it's my normal. Brain fog and fatigue didn't help either.
My mum has been supporting me though and reminding me that I wouldn't be offered any of this if they felt I wasn't eligible or deserving of it.
My dad on the other hand has not been supportive. Despite explaining to him, he doesn't understand it and thinks it's a government benefit. He started lying about what the assessor was saying when he came to our home. He thinks I should be paying for this expensive equipment myself but the whole point of DSA is that students shouldn't have to fund for things they need to improve their study.
It's made the whole process harder for me mentally. Despite having these conditions for some time now, I am always battling with myself about them. This is the first time I've ever received anything to help me which is directly related to my health. It was hard enough getting my medical evidence because I feel like my doctor is viewing me differently now and that's been bugging me.
And after each hurdle, I will likely have to contend with my brother who often takes the mick out of my health conditions. He will likely be very jealous or think similarly to my dad and will try to make me feel bad about this whole thing and I'm not looking forward to that. :(
#disabledstudents #University #unsupportivefamily #CheckInWithMe #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #PosturalOrthostaticTachycardiaSyndrome
