University and Chronic Illness: Introducing Pippa Stacey

Hello!

Thank you for stopping by, I’m so glad you’re here.

As we approach the start of term, I’m getting myself ready for all things university and making the most of that ‘back to school’ feeling. It’s also a bit of different university we’re headed back to this year, whether that’s on campus or online, with the ongoing global pandemic. There are extra worries on top of the typical difficulties that are experiences by students, particularly students that have disabilities. With that in mind,I’m excited to share a resource that I am highly recommending to uni students, and college and university staff alike.

Pippa Stacey and her debut book

I’m so proud to introduce you to one of my wonderful friends; Pippa Stacey and her debut non-fiction book, University And Chronic Illness: A Survival Guide. Pippa is an author, psychology graduate, writer and blogger. Pippa wrote this amazing book following her experiences of completing her degree with a long-term health condition (often referred to as a chronic illness!). As someone who lives with multiple chronic illnesses, I see the huge value Pippa’s book can bring to so many people. 

I feel so passionate about accessibility and working to make university inclusive to as many people as possible. Of course, I am particularly concerned that studying speech and language therapy is something that is inclusive to anyone regardless of their disability, age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality or background. I very strongly believe that to provide the very best care we can, our profession must reflect the diversity of the client populations we work with. I am looking forward chatting a little bit more about accessibility and inclusion and can’t wait to share more about this very soon. I was excitingly asked by Pippa to write something about my uni experience for her book too, so keep your eyes peeled for my contribution!

In the meantime, if you’re interested in inclusion and diversity you can check out these wonderful links: the SLTea time podcast's Twitter and YouTube, the RCSLT Diversity, inclusion and anti-racism: resources, guidance and updates, and the SLP's of Colour's Instagram. 

Earlier this year Pippa released her first non-fiction book – an incredibly exciting moment! "University and Chronic Illness: A Survival Guide." is mainly for people attending university or considering further education while they have a chronic illness. It highlights every aspect of University, not just studying and going to lectures, but also the social and the general living-at-uni.

My photo: University and Chronic Illness: A Survival Guide 

University and Chronic Illness: A Survival Guide 

Pippa says: “My own experiences of being diagnosed with a long-term health condition as an undergraduate student at the University of York led me to write my debut non-fiction book, University and Chronic Illness: A Survival Guide. It's a humorous and informative resource, designed to help prospective and current students consider the challenges they may face whilst studying with a fluctuating chronic illness, and to share tips and advice to help them get around these issues. Essentially, it's a book of all the things I wish I'd had somebody to tell me during my own time as a chronically ill student.”

Pippa’s mission is to ensure that this book and the bespoke guidance within it is made available to any students who might benefit from it. I am delighted to personally recommend it to you, lovely reader. University and Chronic Illness: A Survival Guide, is the very first of its kind in UK, written by someone who has a chronic illness with first-hand experiences of university. I am sure it will make such a difference to so many people. 

Pippa stands in her cap and gown after graduating

Pippa explains “it's important to make clear that this book was by no means written to argue that every chronically ill young person is capable of pursuing higher education. However, the hope is that this book enables people to make informed decisions about higher education, and where possible, to really make the most of their own time as a student. Ensuring disabled students are supported and have access to the information they need is more important now than it’s ever been before. 

Therefore, University and Chronic Illness: A Survival Guide is a chatty and relaxed, yet balanced and informative resource: one that’s sincere and realistic about the challenges of studying with a fluctuating health condition, yet one which will hopefully empower future students to make informed decisions and to really get the most out of their time at university. I’ve shared my own personal experiences and struggles that many others are likely to relate to, as well as universal tips and tricks that will hopefully make life a little easier for future students. Essentially, this book is made up of all the things I wish I’d had somebody to tell me back then.

With plenty of support and adjustments, I managed to continue my studies and graduate, but heaven knows it wasn’t without its challenges. Adapting to life as a newly disabled student, especially one with an invisible illness, I often felt lonely, isolated, and like nobody else in the world could possibly understand what I was going through. I distinctly remember being shocked at what little support was available and how much I had to advocate for myself, how hard I had to fight for what I was entitled to, and how exhausting the whole situation seemed. Being a student can be a tough time for any young person but dealing with a fluctuating health condition adds an entirely new dimension of difficulty.”

I would of course love for you to consider purchasing a copy of University And Chronic Illness: A Survival Guide for your own reference, and to consider sharing the book with your colleagues and contacts. You order your own copy here on Pippa’s website. You can also find out more about Pippa’s own story and how this book came about in this blog post, and find 5-star ratings and reviews from readers on this Goodreads page. If there's any further information you would like or you feel would be useful, please get in touch directly with Pippa and she’ll be happy to help. You can reach her by emailing lifeofpippablog@gmail.com, or by using the contact form on her website. 

“Above all else, I want to have an impact. I want to help other people get their foot in the door. I want to make sure that other chronically ill individuals also have a fair shot at chasing their dreams. It’s about time the world realises just how much we have to offer.” 

– Pippa Stacey

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post, I really do appreciate it! As always, I would love to chat with you so please don't hesitate to pop me a comment below, find me on twitter, ping me an email at speechieatdmu@gmail.com or find me on LinkedIn. 

Please note:
All images used are from Pippa Stacey's website or are my own photos I have taken.
I have used the new 'alt text' feature in this post to support screen-reading tools that describe images for visually impaired readers. This is something I am committed to using going forward, in order to make my blog as accessible as possible, and would really value any feedback on how this has worked for you.