My Path to University with an Invisible Disability
When I was 14 years old, a block of ice hit me in the head, and I had to undergo emergency brain surgery because it caused an artery underneath my skull to pop.
I was in the hospital for three weeks afterward, and during the first week, I was in a coma. When I woke up, I found that the right side of my body was paralyzed. I slowly regained movement, but I had to relearn how to walk, talk, and eat. This was followed by eight months of constant physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
To this day, I face many challenges from my injury; I have a cognitive and a learning disability that impairs my ability to process thoughts and ideas and remember things.
In the years following my injury, the thought of going to university terrified me. I struggled significantly in high school to keep up with my classmates. Paying attention, retaining the concepts we were learning, and then writing tests were extremely challenging for me. Because of this, I thought there was no way I would survive university, which left me feeling defeated. I had always wanted to go to university but didn’t know if I could.
When I graduated high school, I took a year off to give myself time to process my feelings about my injury and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I remember talking with my family about wanting to go to university but fearing it because of my disability.
My family suggested I look into the vocational rehabilitation at Manitoba Possible. I made an appointment with an intake counsellor and shared that I wanted to go to university, but I felt it was impossible given my struggles in high school and my injury. To my surprise, they told me that my dream of going to university was not impossible and that there was a lot of support available to help make this dream a reality.
Over the next couple of months, I met with my intake counsellor to discuss my interests and what I wanted to do at university. They helped me find direction, and we developed a plan. When I decided to apply, they told me about Student Accessibility Services (SAS) at the University of Manitoba. I was grateful that the university offered a service to accommodate students living with disabilities. I made an appointment with SAS and discussed my disability and the challenges I faced in high school.
They were very understanding and set up accommodations like extra time on assignments and exams, a quiet room to take tests, and volunteer note-takers. For the first time, with this support, my dream of going to university felt possible.
These supports were put into action and were especially helpful when I was taking challenging classes like calculus. Having the option to take exams in a quiet room and having extra time saved me. In high school, without the additional time and surrounded by other students, I would get distracted while writing exams, comparing my progress to others in the class. The extra time I received allowed me to take the time I needed to understand the questions being asked. If I had been writing my exams in the classroom, I would not have passed the class.
Currently, I am earning my master’s degree in cryptocurrency and blockchain. It has taken a lot of effort, but with all the support I have received, I am so proud to be here. Cryptocurrency has been a passion of mine for the past eight years, and it’s my dream to pursue a career in that field. Eight years ago, I would have thought this was impossible.
Benjamin Galagan (middle) with friends.
If I can give advice to anyone with a disability considering university, I would say, "Do it." I have grown so much throughout my degree and have developed a great deal of confidence in myself.
Having a disability is not something to be ashamed of, nor is it a limit to what you can accomplish. Take the first couple of steps, and the rest will follow. Find something that interests you and take a few classes on that topic. Go slow; my three-year degree took me five years. Reach out to the support that is available to make learning accessible.
By sharing my journey of going to university as a person with a disability, I want to illustrate that nothing is impossible. Even if you think you can’t do something, you can. It is so important to share your dreams and your thoughts and feelings about pursuing those dreams with others. If I had never expressed my desire to go to university out of fear, I would have never discovered anything about the support that exists out there.
About the Author
Benjamin Galagan holds a degree in Economics, and is currently pursuing a master’s in cryptocurrency. Passionate about family, friends, and travel, he also enjoys snowboarding in his spare time. He is a current ambassador for Manitoba Possible and through his experiences, he aims to create open conversations about invisible disabilities.