Disability And Accessibility at UWC – an applicants experience

I suffer from severe anxiety and a form of agoraphobia, which forced me to leave school in 2006 just after my sixteenth birthday. I could not leave the house or even answer the telephone for three years. As I began to recover I discovered United World College. It seemed perfect for me and I was determined to apply.

Unfortunately I was told I could not apply because I was too old (I was then eighteen). A year later in 2010 I tried again; this time I was told that I could apply and my circumstances would be taken into account. A week after sending my application I received an email telling me there had been a mistake and that my application would not be considered. You can imagine how disappointed and hurt I was, and still am. It’s ironic that the only time I ever felt discriminated against was when I applied to UWC.

It is my belief that UWC will never be truly accessible and open to people with physical or mental disabilities until they accept older students. Not everyone fits into the sixteen-to-eighteen mold. Sometimes people through no fault of their own are left behind. UWC should give those people a chance.

This articles is written by UWC applicant Sam O'Sullivan