Law school have been extremely insensitive and unsupportive of my condition

[DaniahAQ]

The last 2 weeks I have been going through the worst stress of my life.

I have recently had a problem with my postgraduate course.

I had a meeting with one of the directors in 2015 about insensitive comments I was receiving from staff and the lack of support as well. She promised me after the meeting, that going forward I would receive understanding and support from all staff members. She was completely clued in with my condition.

I had to wait 6 months to re start the course from scratch. But as soon as I started, my endometriosis flared up again and I was always in severe paralysing pain. I was dizzy most of the time. Nauseous and lacked A LOT of energy. Therefore, due to these reasons, I missed a lot of classes. I called a meeting with one of my tutors to inform her of what was going on expecting to receive the support that was promised to me by the director when I was informed in an email that I would be receiving any more "classes" for the classes that I missed DUE to my illness. Therefore I was expected to teach myself what I missed and sit exams. When I informed her if my meeting with the director she completely dismissed it. I would always receive patronising and unsupportive emails from different staff members at the university.

Eventually I interrupted my studies to focus on my condition as I physically could no longer go into school. I was admitted into hospital at one point and one of the module leaders emailed me and asked me for my interruption of studies form and medical evidence KNOWING that I was still in hospital at the time and had no access to a scanner or a laptop. She pressured me to the point that I had to ask a consultant Dr to write a letter for me and j took a photo of it on my phone and sent it to her whilst I was still in a hospital bed!!! She even gave me a deadline for the application form for the very next day even though she knew I was hospitalised. I had to get my fiance to drop work that day (he works full time in an office job) just so that he could go into the university himself and hand it in to them!!!

Anyway I interrupted my studies for over a year and recently received an email from the university asking if my intention to return. I emailed them back letting them know very clearly that I had every intention of returning but that I couldn't right now because my condition was still bad and that I was also suffering from bad side effects from using Tramadol and that it was affecting my cognitive way of thinking. They responded and completely ignored everything I had written and asked me the very same question again 2, weeks later and then a month later and then the month after that. BTW, I HAVE ANOTHER 3 YEARS AVAILABLE TO ME BY THE LAW SOCIETY TO COMPLETE THE COURSE. SO IT'S NOT EVEN A CASE OF ME RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

I just felt extremely pressurised by them and their lack of support and understanding to the point that I would have an anxiety attack every time I opened up one of their emails (I never suffered anxiety until I entered this university due to the treatment of the staff). I have a law degree and a postgraduate degree in law under my belt and during those years never once have I suffered any form of anxiety. It got so bad that even my consultant could see how I was being made to feel that he recommended I go to CBT sessions to discuss my anxiety with someone.

Anyways, I recently didn't respond to one of their emails due to the fact that I was abroad seeking medical help and didn't have access to the internet daily.

So, without my express consent, they withdrew me from the law school even though I explicitly stated in several emails that I intend to come back and complete the course and had informed them fully over and over about my health issues.

I am currently seeking legal help but don't know which law firms deal with such cases

[MaloushkaPat]

Hello,

I work in a University, I'm not student facing but my boyfriend is so I know a bit about processes like this. I would defo seek help from student support if you have anything like this available to you. Some unis have student equality and diversity team and also disability team, it might be worth asking for their advice! This is totally not on and you shouldn't be treated that way! Xx

[DaniahAQ in reply to MaloushkaPat]

Well, back in 2015 (after a few years of similar behaviours in the past due to me unfortunately having pnuemonia a few times and being admitted into hospital for a month at a time) I tried to call a meeting with the Dean of the law school. He referred me to the director of the course. We had a lengthy meeting in which I described to her my negative experiences at the law school and how due to the lack of support from their staff and lack of support, I started having anxiety attacks to the point that due to all of it, I started CBT sessions (something I've never needed before - and I've gone through 2 law degrees/undergrad and postgrad).

She promised me going forward that I would receive the support you mentioned above and that all staff members would be clued in to what's happening and that I could take the course at my own pace, and that God forbid, if j fall ill again, I could interrupt and then come back when I could.

When I restarted classes a few months later, my endometriosis flared up again pretty badly. I could barely move, was in a lot of severe pain constantly, always dizzy and nauseous and I lacked A LOT of energy. On top of this, the Tramadol prolonged release that I was put on had a lot of side effects that affected my cognitive way of thinking, so I was not in my normal state of mind to sit classes (and concentrate) and pass exams successfully.

Due to the above, I missed over 50% of the classes. One of the module leaders emailed me being very patronising stating that she was very surprised that I was skipping classes considering they offered my place for free (NOT TRUE- I paid for the course in full the year I started £15,000 - but in order for the director to re set my 5 years with the SRA she had to put on the system that the school offered me a bursary- I never got any of my money back). When I emailed the module leader back to inform her of what was going on, she didn't respond.

I then emailed one of my tutors to call a meeting to discuss my progress and how I was feeling and to inform her why I had missed so many classes and to see if I could be out into new classes again considering I missed most of the course due to my illness. She said I couldn't and then that rude module leader jumped in mid way through the email and was so rude and direct about it and stated that I couldn't receive any more teaching for those classes (meaning it's up to me to teach myself and then sit exams). I informed them AGAIN of my illnesses and referred them back to my meeting with the director and what she promised would happen going forward, they didn't care. It didn't change their mind in the slightest.

I ended up interrupting for just over a year until recent email communications with ANOTHER random member of staff. I filled them in with what was currently going on and explicitly stated that I had every intention of coming back to law school and completing the course (I had THREE YEARS LEFT in which to complete it - so it wasn't even like I was running out of time) but that due to still being on potent pain killers and hormones my cognitive way of thinking was still affected, but that I have appointments coming up with my local pain team and that I was going to see if I could come off the Tramadol and be put into something else (due to the side effects I was experiencing because of it).

I had to go back and forth with emails RE-ITERATING the exact same point but it was as if it was going in one ear and out the next. They would email me again in a couple of week or a month's time and ask me the SAME questions again: if I intended to come back (even though again, I told them I was, but not just yet). This really got me feeling so pressurised by them and extremely low and anxious. I would open their emails and literally feel tearful and anxious!!! It would really ruin my mood to an extreme level.

They emailed me again another two times and I didn't respond to those emails due to the fact that I didn't have internet access whilst out in the states. I was there for family and medical reasons ( a doc out there prescribed me vitamin B12 injection shots to be given to me by a nurse in London, which should help with my energy levels, even a little bit). I also felt really dibelatated at times by their emails. The lack of sensitivity or proper acknowledgment of my condition. The most one has ever stated is that there is education support at the school (which was already promised to me by the director 2 years prior and non of the promises were followed through AT ALL- QUITE THE OPPOSITE. they're all words but no actions. They only state it for show, but never follow through - in fact my experiences after that meeting have been anything BUT supportive!). Even when the education support was mentioned in ONE email very briefly, I was told that I would have to probe that I am Ill. Even though it has already been proved to the school over 100 times and they've seen medical evidence from consultants and my GP AND the director was filled in with A LOT of information. So the school should already know my position since the director promised that going forward, all relevant staff members would be fully clued in. That in itself should show the little interest they take in keep up to date with important student information. Information about a student who has health issues which some would consider a disability.

So fast forward to right now. I've been withdrawn against my will (even though I have THREE years to still complete the course) and am writing a letter to the Dean of the law school to call a meeting with him before I take anything further legally.

[MaloushkaPat in reply to DaniahAQ]

Hello,

I don't know what's the set up of your Uni, but is there not a central student support team (which sits outside the School) that you can get in touch with? I would take it centrally and outside the School given how you are treated at School level if at all possible! I would love check on the uni website their withdrawal policy and student support structure xx

[DaniahAQ in reply to MaloushkaPat]

I've just sent you a private message with the name of the school

I'm not sure if there is?

That's why I have started to email the Dean of the law school as I've had enough of communicating with other members of staff from the school.

It always just met with ignorance and anxiety.

Can you believe that when that module leader emailed me being patronising about my attendance, that I felt so low and ashamed of myself that I apologised for being ill and said that I was so disappointed in myself for not attending classes and how I take the course very seriously!!

How messed up must a situation be for me to feel THAT amount of guilt to the point where I apologize for being ill and not attending classes!!! When I was going through my emails two nights ago to check all the correspondence throughout the years with them, I came across that email and it broke me. I couldn't believe what I had written in it!