I’ve got autism and I feel abandoned by my university during this crisis

I am also autistic and also an education studies student (hello..!). I am a PhD so there are no assignments or pressing deadlines but... I can understand your frustration. My little on campus routine is one thing that grounds me. I don't mind speaking with my disability mentor by email, but I prefer speaking with my supervisor face to face - much gets lost in text only communication. Luckily he hates video calling as much as I do so that's a no. The disability service exists as an online only affair - not so good for a lot of people. But this is not unique to universities. Many public services - like my GP - have locked out those of us who can't telephone or, worse, those of who feel like we are somehow not deserving of help and support when other people are dying. Hands are tied, though, and I suspect universities are trying their best to support students and follow guidelines.

Hi, I've got a learning disability, also a 3rd year student that's been effected by the closures. All of my work is practical based, a lot of it was actually in the university building on the day it shut. I was told I wouldn't be able to go back in to get me stuff. There's a while modules worth of work that I'm going to have to re do now at home. The tutors say they'll take it into account when they mark my work. But it just doesn't seem like we where given enough warning or enough time to prepare. They literally closed the building as usual, then the next day we got an email to say it won't be opening again. It really sucks.

It is great to read this student perspective. Just to note that when we say 'University' we are actually talking about people. Humans who are having to adapt to all the changes described in the article. Humans who have also been experiencing the swift change alongside all other humans in the world. My experience is that these people are doing everything they possibly can in extremely hard circumstances to ensure that learning continues. And I mean learning rather than assessments and the provision of certificates. I would ask the writer and all other students frustrated by the change to practice patience, adapting to change takes time for everyone. Education across the entire world has been disrupted because it is dependant on humans and human interaction. Together we will do everything we can to adapt.

Ten years ago, 15 at most, Universities would have had to close down in the face of the current situation and governments would have had to decide whether to support them through it financially. We are seeing at the moment the erroneous assumptions that, because some (far from all) students have fast internet and reasonably comfortable and spacious home environments in which to work, an unplanned rush online is somehow acceptable. It isn't. It seems that modern University management is so detached from the realities of higher 'education' that they assume that recorded lectures, video chat and email = education. It isn't, unless carefully planned over an appropriate timeframe to create a distance learning course to which students have then freely signed up, aware of the nature and requirements of this form of education. That some VCs have so little understanding of the conditions in which some students and some staff are currently locked-down in is shameful. That they have so little understanding of the needs of some students with disabilities is also shameful.

I’m in exactly the same position! Literally as I was reading this I felt as though I could have written it. I’m at Teesside University, though study a full time course on part time hours in Hartlepool. Since the uni closed my only contact with my tutors and supervisor has been through Teams, and when I email about concerns or asking for help I am ignored. It might sound silly to them, but how do they expect me to write a dissertation when I’ve never written one before and don’t know where to start?! All I keep getting is ‘you’ll be okay’...guess what, no I won’t! I dont know what you want me to write! I don’t know how to even structure the dissertation. I’ve been sending emails to people at the main uni campus and our smaller one and I’m yet to receive a response. I should mention that I also normally work full time as an inclusion assistant in a mainstream secondary school with a SEN provision and am expected to work my normal hours at home, which is also having big effects on mental health and anxiety, though I feel as though I’m coping with that much better than the looming deadline of dissertation of which I so far have 150 words written. They should just give us our grades! We have three years worth of work they could average us out from but are choosing to continue to put us through this.

I feel this way too, although I don’t have autism but have some significant traits, and I also have previous trauma. All my peers are now finishing and because I had to take time off due to my mental health, I missed the boat to finish university in time with the others. Things got really bad and only one person from the university has checked up on me in months and it is someone who I never had contact with previously for support around my personal issues. I’m devastated that this is the outcome and feel completely forgotten about and worthless.