Welcome to the Student Leader Spotlight, blog posts dedicated to uplifting and championing various stories from student leaders! Each story, opinion and background will be different and there’s joy in celebrating such unique experiences this Disability History Month! This week Claude had a chat with Mara, a student with ADHD. Thank you for Mara for sharing your experience.
Hi guys!
Welcome to the Student Leader Spotlight, blog posts dedicated to uplifting and championing various stories from student leaders! Each story, opinion and background will be different and there’s joy in celebrating such unique experiences this Disability History Month!
This week Claude had a chat with Mara, a student with ADHD. Thank you for Mara for sharing your experience.
Claude: What would you like people to know about your disability?
Mara: Well, I want people to know that it’s more than a quirk. It integrates into every part of my life, the social aspect, how I perceive things, and even my own personality. I want people to know that it's more than just being hyperactive or not focusing. Communicating can be hard, the intensity of the emotions you feel, it affects all aspects of life.
Claude: I feel you on that one.
Mara: There are still so many positives, though, that people don’t realise. Having ADHD can make you more open-minded, you’re flexible with people, with learning and even with routine. You’re so much more creative too; you think outside the box.
Mara: You’re also a yapper and that’s not a bad thing. In a room of people, you’re the one bringing the energy. A conversation with a person with ADHD isn’t boring, there’s always something to say.
Claude: I like your point about energy. I want to know more about your thoughts on that
Mara: Energy in the sense that, even if you’re having the worst day, you want to enjoy the things you do and talk about with a passion. You still want to invest in other people and the conversations they foster. Being neurodivergent comes with this passion that you can’t really describe; it’s such a positive part of you that other people don’t really understand.
Claude: What could the University/SU do to improve the Support/Awareness for your disability?
Mara: Academically, the staff should be more supportive and sensitive to who they’re talking to and what they’re talking about. Supporting a neurodivergent student is inherently different to supporting a neurotypical student.
Mara: Also, accessing resources at the university can make you feel like a burden sometimes. It feels like the resources here are built for neurotypical students, and you’re left to fend for yourself.
(Side Tangent about loops, not a promo, or maybe it is, we arent sponsored lol)
Claude: I noticed you had loops. I’ve been debating getting a pair for ages, especially since I've got a concert to go to in March. Are they worth it?
Mara: Well, yes and no. If you need to drown out sounds in overstimulating environments, that’s exactly what I find they do best. They’re great for when you need to block out sounds in overstimulating environments.
Claude: omg like Primark.
Mara: Exactly like Primark.
Claude: What’s something about the community that you’re proud of?
Mara: I love the mutual understanding, if I’m speaking “out of turn”, miss a social cue or maybe turn up a bit late - I’m not ridiculed for it. There’s a mutual understanding of the why.
Mara: Also, this community is an open and safe space, you can be yourself. That’s something that I think a lot of Neurodivergent students struggle with, feeling comfortable enough to be yourself and letting yourself build up that identity that’s really true to who you are. Especially under the pressure of needing to fit in.
Claude: Ain't that the truth, I resonate a lot with the feelings about identity.
Mara: Well, you want to fit in, right? Changing and modding your identity to find what really feels like you, sometimes that blends in with what other people want instead. Getting a diagnosis for my ADHD helped me find myself in so many ways. I always knew I was different growing up, but I could never quite put my finger on why I couldn't fit in like everybody else could. After getting a diagnosis, though, wow, I feel like I can finally understand a lot about myself I wouldn't of understood otherwise.
Claude: What would you like to say to other disabled students?
Mara: Yes it’s a disability, but in many ways it’s something about you that gives you such a unique perspective on life. It’s a skill, a quality, a part of you that makes you someone amazing.
Mara: When I was diagnosed, it felt like I had the last 20 years of my life explained to me, I never felt like that before. It was comforting to know I wasn't like, crazy. To have someone explain what was going on in my head. That, regardless of everything I experience, I can still live a life.
Mara: I want people to know things are harder for us, but to never be afraid to speak up, our difference isn’t something negative. You’ll find people who will see the amazing qualities that maybe other people chose to neglect. There’s beauty in your identity.
Mara: Also, things get better. You learn, and your ability to navigate things gets easier; there will always be someone who feels exactly the same way you do.