Graduation

[Anonymous]

My wonderful DD with multiple medical, hearing loss, ADHD and other learning disabilities is graduating from college this week and I am so proud of her and of her perseverance. Her college journey took 6 years. It was interrupted in her first year by a bad recurrence of one of her medical conditions, in the 3rd and part of 4th years by the pandemic and in year 5 by getting Covid and then 7 months of bad post Covid symptoms. It was pretty hard, there are things she wishes she had done differently, or that she had been able to do differently, but she never gave up. She is graduating having learned so much in her field of study and about adult life in the process. Her university was extremely helpful in certain instances and, at times, completely hands off in ways that were just like real life challenges to navigate. They maintained her merit and financial aid from start to finish, which seemed so surprising given the untraditional path. She used some accommodations religiously, but her path would probably have been easier if she had used more of the accommodations that she qualified for. Just posting to offer our family’s experience in case helpful to others whose students have similar challenges and are just starting out. There were many times along the way that I wasn’t at all sure she would be able to finish, but I don’t think her resolve ever changed, even when she she didn’t know exactly what the next steps would be. I know that transitioning to the world of work, with some more internships before that, may also be hard, but I’m really hopeful now that she will be able to take these next steps too.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your daughter’s journey. It’s inspiring and hopeful for many of us with younger kids. At the moment, I’m wondering if college will ever happen and your story was just what I needed to read today. I’m really happy for you.

[Anonymous]

Mom - Congratulation to your daughter on her hard work in dealing with so many obstacles thrown in her path to graduation!! And congrats to you for supporting your daughter along her health and educational journey! Great post to share with others on Mother’s Day!!

[Anonymous]

Congratulations!

[Anonymous]

That’s awesome.

[Anonymous]

That’s amazing! Congratulations!

[Anonymous]

Op here, thanks so much.

[Anonymous]

That is great news. I hope the same for my adhd daughter.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations!

I have a rising college freshman with multiple medical and LD accommodations. I really hope he won't take so long to graduate, since his merit aid is only planned for 5 years, per the award letter. I hope he learns not only about his chosen major, but most importantly about himself, and starts to function independently in society. We know he will need lots of support at first.

Thank you for posting, OP. It gives hope to all parents of students with disabilities who are "borderline" college bound! Best of luck to your daughter in whatever she undertakes!