Overcoming Stigma: Navigating Graduate School as a Disabled Per…

They told me college would be impossible due to my disabilities, but clearly, I did not let that stop me. Six years later not only do I have one degree, but I have two.

School has never been easy this is not only due to my physical challenges but also my learning disabilities. At first, I told myself that I was done with school after my bachelors and that I would never get a master’s to me it seemed just out of my reach.

On May 7, 2023, I graduated with my master’s in journalism and design from the University of South Florida after hard work, determination, and advocating for myself. There were a lot of bumps in the road. I am immensely grateful to have had this experience at the University of South Florida. I could not have done it without the support of my incredible family and friends.

With that said the digital journalism and design program that University of South Florida took away most of the barriers that I have faced while pursuing education. Most of the time I no longer needed to ask for the extended time on tests Because of my slow processing speed since there was no time limits, moreover I rarely needed extensions on assignments due to the pace of most of the classes.

When I was younger, I never would have thought I would have pursued and completed both a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in fields that I am incredibly enthusiastic about.

Additionally, I run my own podcast and blog. I was even able to incorporate my love of podcasting and disability advocacy into my applied research projects for my master’s degree the project was a podcast series where I talked to some of my friends and fellow disability advocates about the misrepresentation of disabled people in the mass media.

Throughout my degree I was able to have the chance to write about topics that I am passionate about. This degree has helped me realize is being a disabled journalist Not only gives me the opportunity to share my unique perspective with the world but also give a voice to the voiceless. When I was young, I used to let others’ perceptions and assumptions about me get in the way of following my dreams.

One of the reasons some disabled people don’t wind up pursuing higher education is that they don’t think more may have people in similar situations to look up to. If you’re a disabled person thinking of pursuing a master’s degree, I’m here to tell you that it might be challenging at times, but if you put your mind to it, you can succeed and thrive while defying others’ expectations of you.