Student Profiles
Smithers Centre Profiles
Andrew Yeadon is affected by a neurological disorder called Tourette Syndrome, but it didn鈥檛 prevent him from getting good grades at J.L. Ilsley High School in Spryfield, NS. Still, Andrew hadn鈥檛 given much thought to post-secondary education until his English teacher suggested Saint Mary鈥檚 University.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 sure what supports would be available for students with disabilities,鈥� says Andrew, 鈥渁nd I worried that I might not succeed.鈥�
Thanks, in part, to services available through the Fred Smithers Centre of Support for Students with Disabilities, Andrew has just completed the 3rd year of his BA in Psychology, and is well on the way toward realizing his dream of becoming a clinical psychologist and working with children who have disabilities.
鈥淚鈥檒l be able to relate to them,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ecause I know first-hand how hard it can be.鈥�
Andrew credits the staff at the Smithers Centre with working hard to help him alleviate the stress that kicks up his condition by a notch or two. 鈥淭he Smithers Centre is always a safe haven,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd the staff are like family. When I need a place to go or someone to talk to, it鈥檚 the next best thing to being home.鈥�
Hannah Wade laughs when she remembers her trepidation at the prospect of attending Saint Mary鈥檚. 鈥淚 imagined all sorts of things going wrong,鈥� says Hannah, a third Bachelor of Arts student who is majoring in Psychology, 鈥渂ut everyone here has been helpful and welcoming.鈥�
The welcome began with Dr. David Leitch, Director of the Fred Smithers Centre of Support for Students with Disabilities. 鈥淚 went to meet with Dr. Leitch to discuss the accomodations I鈥檇 require for my hearing impairment,鈥� recalls Hannah. 鈥淗e told me that everyone in the Centre was there to support me, and that they鈥檇 do whatever it took to help me succeed.鈥�
The Smithers Centre provides Hannah with notetakers for her lectures, and equips her professors with mics that use an FM system to transmit the professors鈥� words directly into Hannah鈥檚 hearing aids. Hannah also writes her exams in the Centre鈥檚 testing suite, and sometimes stops by for a quick pep talk.
鈥淥ne day, I鈥檇 like to work with deaf students and offer them the kind of support that I鈥檝e received at Saint Mary鈥檚,鈥� says Hannah. 鈥淚t truly makes a world of difference.鈥�
Cerebral Palsy may confine Jeremy MacDonald to a wheelchair, but it hasn鈥檛 prevented him from excelling in athletics and graduating from Saint Mary鈥檚 summa cum laude.
Jeremy first visited the University on his way home from playing wheelchair basketball with Team Prince Edward Island at the 2011 Canada Games. 鈥淚 was planning to go directly home to Charlottetown,鈥� he recalls, 鈥渂ut a teammate attending Saint Mary鈥檚 invited me to visit his home and attend a few classes.鈥�
The rest, as they say, is history---or in Jeremy鈥檚 case, an Honours History degree and a role as valedictorian at Saint Mary鈥檚 Convocation in January, 2015.
Now 27, Jeremy divides his time between research for a Master鈥檚 degree in Atlantic Canada Studies at Saint Mary鈥檚, a part-time job in the University鈥檚 Patrick Power Library, and wheelchair sports like basketball and rugby. In May, he competed in the Nationals as a member of the New Brunswick Provincial Wheelchair Basketball team.
Although he鈥檚 uncertain about his career plans, and whether he鈥檒l achieve his dream of making the Canadian Wheelchair Rugby team, Jeremy is very clear about the importance of student financial aid and the help he receives through the Fred Smithers Centre of Support for Students with Disabilities.
鈥淚 would never have been able to attend Saint Mary鈥檚 and earn my degree without the assistance I鈥檝e had from the staff of the Smithers Centre,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e worked with me to access funding through scholarships, bursaries and government grants, and offered a sanctuary when things get hectic.鈥�