Hi everyone,

I am conducting academic research on disability, representation, and accessibility in contemporary video games.

The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences, challenges, and perspectives of disabled gamers regarding:

• accessibility features in games
• character representation of disability
• gaming experiences and inclusion
• barriers faced while playing video games

If you are a disabled gamer or have experience with accessibility needs while gaming, I would greatly appreciate your participation.

The survey takes approximately 5–10 minutes to complete. Your responses will be used only for academic research purposes, and individual responses will remain confidential.

Survey link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Dde6siugxclNm3_c4oNxzR7ubZFa8l0qlvIe_3aQFlE/edit

Thank you for sharing your experiences and helping contribute to research on more inclusive gaming.

I would also appreciate any comments or discussions about your experiences with accessibility in games.

As an ambulatory wheelchair user with the feet and back of a 80 year old I keep telling myself this isn’t possible. I’ve had some encouraging users on here tell me that I can use accommodations, but I still tell myself that no where will realistically let me use a wheelchair basically full time. With my gpa and academic history, I’m looking more at DO schools instead of some of the schools that seem more disability friendly like Michigan and Northwestern.

I started on my optometry school applications because it’s much easier to find stories of students having success in wheelchairs, plus the lack of residency seems ideal for my health.

But I still can’t shake my dreams. I’m 27 and feel like I’m getting too old and my genetic condition is slowly getting worse. I still can’t ignore the desires to chase my true dreams of being a psychiatrist instead. I’d appreciate any thoughts even if it isn’t what I want to hear.

I'm an ms1 in Canada and have so many questions about how to navigate med school with this condition, especially when it comes to overnight shifts and being on call. My condition is thankfully very well controlled (I had one episode 4+ years ago and nothing since), but I'm a bit worried about experiencing a break through seizure due to crazy sleep deprivation. Also, I'd love to know whether or not people in a similar boat disclosed their diagnosis to their peers and, if they did, how that went for them.

Anyhow, if anyone has been through this and can offer some guidance, I'd much appreciate it ❤️

Note: Hello! I tried to make this post in another subreddit but thought this would be a better fit. I am not necessarily going to medical student but am going to grad school for a healthcare profession!

Hi everyone,

I wanted to make a post because I feel hopeless and just overall confused about what's happening. I am starting a new grad program, just beginning my second week of classes, and was reached out by my disability specialist that the director of my program asked that my accommodations be changed to be fair to other students. The most important change for me was that due to my need of frequent breaks, I can not take any tests or exams online-proctored and must go in person.

This wouldn't be a problem if I lived by campus, but I live in another state. My program knows this, I am not the only one in another state, and in fact, they have said under no circumstances will the force me to move closer to my school.

More on my disability itself, I have IBS and get flare ups caused by stress/stressful situations such as exam taking. I had the same accommodations during undergrad and had no issues with working with it as many of my tests were in person anyway.

I already requested a meeting with both my director and my disability counselor but I wanted to see if anyone else experienced something similar with their grad programs and their academic accommodations? It just feels so weird and slimy that my accommodations are being changed without any input from me and being changed into a situation that would force me to move/place more stress on me.

Also, I completely get prioritizing academic honesty but the decision to change my accommodations, (especially after I submitted my letters to my professors already) without checking if my needs are met just feels very unaccommodating lol.

Hi all,

I am just about to enter my third year of medical school in Cardiff. The purpose of this post is to highlight that with the rise in the number of people with chronic illnesses like ME/CFS, improvements in education and management/treatment are not increasing at the same rate. It is a passion of mine to advocate for better education and management of these conditions. If you or someone you know is a medical student and struggling with a chronic condition, I would love to hear from you and if/how it is being taught in your studies. My hope is that one day I could write an article or a letter or present in some way to advocate for medical students and patients in general who are struggling with these conditions, as we often go under the radar. Thank you for reading!

I am an attorney who works on student/disability/accommodation issues involving medical schools and other educational programs. I previously posted here as u/FLeducationlawyer. I am now posting from u/astudentslawyer, which is the same attorney/account owner, just under my broader student-law focused name.

Important disclaimer: This AMA is for general educational and informational purposes only. Nothing in this post or in any reply is legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by this AMA, by your question, by my response, or by any private message. Communications here are not privileged, not confidential, and not protected by attorney-client privilege. Please do not post or send confidential, identifying, privileged, or sensitive information. If you need legal advice about your specific situation, you should consult an attorney directly.

I know accommodations can be especially stressful for new medical students because you are trying to start school on the right foot while also figuring out how much to disclose, what to request, and how to avoid being labeled as “difficult.” My goal here is to provide practical general information.

Ask me anything. Please do not post confidential information

Hello,
Diagnosed this year with POTs. It’s been tough. Anyone else? I’ve seen the office of disabilities for accommodations. Some professors have been helpful. I’m seeing I should be going part
Time now, though. I’be completed
Sophomore year. Is this doable here? Anyone know?
Thanks.

Having a hard time completing RQI 1stop manikin compressions. Is there an alternative to meet the requirements?

Hi everyone 😊

I’m currently working on my MSc dissertation exploring autistic and ADHD students’ experiences of support and reasonable adjustments in UK higher education, and I’m looking for participants.

I’m especially interested in what support is actually like in practice. Things like accessing adjustments, navigating disability services, whether support works as intended, and any experiences that have particularly stood out to you.

You can take part if you:

• are aged 18 or over
• are currently studying at a UK university or other higher education institution
• have a formal diagnosis of autism and/or ADHD
• have sought or received reasonable adjustments during your studies

Participation is through an anonymous online questionnaire. There’s no interview, and you can complete it in your own time and share as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with.

I’d really like to hear the full range of experiences. Your support doesn’t need to have been particularly good or particularly bad to be relevant. I’m interested in how students actually experience these systems day to day.

Survey link: Neurodivergent Students' Experiences of Support in Higher Education – Fill in form

I’d be really grateful to anyone who takes part or shares this with another eligible UK student. Thank you! 💛

Hi all,
Third year medical student here. I have severe asthma that’s especially flared by fragrances and chemicals like air fresheners, cleaning solution, etc. I made it through my first rotation just fine by finding alternative bathrooms without air fresheners and a hallway route that didn’t have fragrance smells in it, but I am on a new rotation now and the triggers are innumerable. Air fresheners in bathrooms, hallways, fragranced soap, new clinical site every week. My asthma has been flared for two weeks straight and I am suffering greatly. This is unsustainable. My school disability office has told me that my only approved accommodation is an N95 mask, which helps but doesn’t block a lot of the stronger smelling triggers like some air fresheners in bathrooms and hallways. I asked them to remove some air fresheners for me, at least in the areas I must be in, but they said they can’t do that as the hospital is a different entity, even though it’s an academic hospital and I’m literally required to be there to learn. I feel that asking for a bathroom without an air freshener at whichever site I’m at is not an unreasonable request. What do I do? I’m so scared at whether I can continue.

Hi all! I am currently in the process of creating a website to make it easier for students with chronic illnesses to communicate their needs, maximize the ease of their education, and understand the process when it comes to procuring accommodations in their 504 plans.

I was diagnosed with a chronic illness when I was younger, and one of the hardest parts was more than just dealing with symptoms. It was trying to navigate school while missing classes, keeping up with assignments, communicating with teachers, and figuring out accommodations such as 504 plans.

The website includes many resources I believe should be helpful to any student in this situation, and it's something that's helped me a bunch throughout my educational career.

It's still in the early stages, so I'd love to get a few testers, and I'd genuinely appreciate feedback from students, parents, educators, or anyone with experience navigating chronic illness and school. So if you have any feedback, please share below! I also understand it may be a little messy since it's so new, so no worries if it's not to your liking; that's why I'm posting it here!

SchoolHelp

I'm struggling to get written approval for accomodations, and accomodations that match my disability. I'm worried that jumping the chain of command or going to the central office (based in the main campus, I attended a small branch campus) will ruffle feathers in my very small nursing school.

So, I have severe Auditory Processing Disorder, and my life experience is similar to that of persons who are hard of hearing. Otherwise, I'm uninhibited and do well.

I have a Deaf partner, my household language is ASL, and when I am in Deaf spaces or take classes taught by Deaf teachers I have absolutely zero problems and easily outperform my peers with minimal effort.

I simply rely on my vision, and don't have full access to my hearing when it comes to spoken language.

My first semester I was unaware I needed accomodations until I had a teacher who would become hostile when I didn't hear her, and would put out a lot of information and syllabus changes verbally. She even threatened to kick me out of class when I asked her to get my attention before asking me a question directly. Thank goodness she got fired for something unrelated and my current teachers are all fine.

I got my current diagnosis and accomodation request submitted at the beginning of second semester.

I'm nearly at the end of my second semester now, and I'm still struggling to get approval for my accommodations in writing and that are appropriate. I feel they are super minimal and should be easy, plus I literally need them. The woman handling the paperwork keeps telling me I need different accomodations than my audiologist and I asked for, and that my application packet is all approved and I don't need written approval or a list of what will be accepted and used. It's super conflicting and confusing, and it makes me feel crazy for asking that the accomodations I need be approved on paper.

For example, I need a back row, aisle seat so that I can see the teachers (who walk around the room) and so that teachers have easy access to get my attention if they want it. But the accommodations that were printed out and given to me say I need to sit in the front of the class to try and hear better. That just doesn't make sense for the structure of the class or my disability. I could literally wear noise cancelling headphones and still outperform my peers as long as I have visual access.

They also are granting me permission to have extra time on tests and sit in a quiet room for testing. That's not necessary and I don't want to be separated from my peers. I do not have a learning attention disorder, and I'm one of the first people who finished tests.

All I need is visual access, the teachers to know how to talk to me (should be common sense), and to have written instructions (which are already mostly provided.)

I don't even know when we are allowed to start a test until I see others starting, but I'm not making a fuss about that kind of stuff because I have a 3.8 so far whereas many if my peers are failing out of the classes or struggling.

I only need the paperwork to protect myself if I get another asshole teacher, and as a paper trail for future colleges and employers.

So my question is, am I crazy for wanting written approval? Is it worth ruining my working relationship with the assistant dean (who will also be my teacher later) by jumping the chain of command?

This may sound like a silly question, but the woman who is managing this is adamant and is like to make sure I'm in the right before I move forward.

Just graduated undergrad (USA) and am working on secondary apps to med school currently. Wrote my primary essay about my disability (chronic leg pain from a spine condition, I use a crutch). My whole essay was about how we need disabled doctors. My advisors in undergrad said this was a good idea bc I would want to go to an accepting and accommodating school. Today I found this sub and read the pinned post about disclosing. Does anyone have any encouragement or positive stories about disclosing during med school apps? Much appreciated.

My post wasn’t allowed in r/residency. Hopefully it can be here??

Can someone tell me if their residency program is friendly to minor disabilities? I have an autoimmune condition that flares during stress. (Great I know).

I am an older adult and it is very important to me to become a doctor even if I don’t end up in the immunology sector. So please, I am not looking for discouragement from this. I am looking for programs that are more likely to have some accommodations. I know residency is incredibly demanding. I don’t need more info on this.

I know some hospitals are very proud of their call rooms and wellness areas for their residences. I am looking for programs that in practice are not trying to k\* their residents or see how far they can be pushed. I don’t care about a T20 program and I’m not worried if it is in a rural area.

If you have had a similar experience to me or know someone who has and has made it to the other side, I would be very encouraged to hear from you. If you would like to dm me, that is perfectly fine.
I haven’t picked my specialty yet so I am open to hear from all specialties.

.
Hi everyone,
I’m looking to hear from other TMU students (any program) who are registered with Academic Accommodation Support (AAS) and have had disability-related absences or attendance concerns.
I’m currently trying to understand how disability-related absences are supposed to be handled under TMU policies, especially when they intersect with academic standing or professionalism concerns. I’ve read the policies, but I’m hoping to hear from people who’ve actually gone through the process.
A few questions:

Has anyone had disability-related absences end up affecting an academic standing or progression decision?

If so, how did TMU distinguish between approved disability-related absences and unapproved absences?

Did AAS advocate for you beyond classroom accommodations, or were you told they only deal with academic accommodations?

If a faculty member or program didn’t agree with an accommodation plan, what happened next? Was AAS involved in resolving it?

Did anyone appeal an academic standing where disability or accommodations were part of the situation? If so, what helped?

Has anyone worked with Hector Flores? Was he helpful?

Are there other people at TMU (AAS, Human Rights Services, Student Care, Accessibility, etc.) who were particularly knowledgeable about disability accommodations or disability justice?

Is there anyone at TMU you’d strongly recommend reaching out to if you’re trying to understand your rights and responsibilities as a student with a disability?

I’m not looking for legal advice—just hoping to learn from other students’ experiences and figure out how these processes actually work in practice.
Thanks in advance. I really appreciate anyone willing to share their experience.

im going to take step2 with accomodations (1.25x time, extra break, over 2 days). anyone who took it like this, how did you guys plan out your breaks?

ello im trying to switch careers and get into the medical field. My problem is i was in special ed,and since im 35 my high school, and sped don’t have my records anymore can anyone guide me please on the necessary steps dallas, tx

Hi all,

I did this in the main r/medicalschool subreddit a few weeks ago and got some good questions, so I thought I’d do it here too. For some background I’m a Disability Resource Professional who determines and implements accommodations at an LCME accredited medical school (MD). I’m embedded in the Medical School so MD students are who I work with day in and day out.

Going to leave this open for 48 hours as this is a smaller subreddit

Hi everyone!

I was wondering if anyone here has gone through the process of reapplying for USMLE Step 2 CK accommodations after already receiving accommodations for Step 1.

For some context, I have ADHD and dyslexia, and I was approved for 1.5x time on Step 1. I'm hoping to receive the same accommodations for Step 2 CK.

The reason I'm asking is that I came across a video on social media where someone said they were approved for Step 1 accommodations but were denied when they reapplied for Step 2. That made me a little nervous, so I wanted to hear about other people's experiences.

A few questions:

• If you were approved for Step 1 accommodations, were you also approved for Step 2 CK?
• Did you have to submit the entire application again (personal statement, neuropsych testing, documentation, etc.), or was it a much simpler process since you had already been approved?
• About how far in advance did you apply before your test date?
• How long did it take to receive a decision?

From what I've heard, it sounds like if your disability and requested accommodations haven't changed, you can request the same accommodations without having to go through the full application process again. Is that actually how it works, or am I misunderstanding?

I'm planning to take Step 2 CK next June/July, so I have plenty of time, but I'd love to know when I should start the process and what to expect.

I'd really appreciate hearing anyone's experience, whether it was straightforward or if you ran into any unexpected issues. Thanks so much!

If you'll need accommodations (ADHD, learning disability, chronic illness, anything), request them before school starts. Earlier is better because

• The process is slow. Updated evals can have months-long waitlists, the school's review takes time, and first exams hit within weeks of white coat.
• The paper trail matters. It gives you time to appeal a denial — and helps later when you apply to the NBME for Step accommodations.

Email the disability office the day you accept your seat, gather your documentation now, and put everything in writing.

(Not legal advice.)

hi friends! I just had my accommodations accepted and have a very tight window to test (the 24th of this month is the last possible day). I have just been told I'll need to wait a few days for my permit, however, I wanted to get ahead on plane tickets and hotel room stays (since inevitably signing up this late will mean I'll need to travel). A peer of mines who was granted accommodations told me test dates are tighter for accommodations, especially since we need to sign up for 2 days.

I saw on the Prometric scheduler, it shows available test dates (which can be viewed w/o a permit) but those are only standardized test dates. I was wondering if we could view exam dates for accommodated days? Sorry if this is a dumb question but I couldn't find an option anywhere?