Testimonials

Karolin: Sweden » Australia

Name: Karolin
Study: Physiotherapy
Home University: Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm,Sweden
Abroad: six months in Australia, as a physiotherapy trainee
Disability: vision impairment

Provisions needed

"Contact lenses, sunglasses, binoculars, enlargement programmes for computer, digital student literature."

Encountered difficulties

"Extremely sensitive to all forms of brightness, if very bright outside I can’t see much at all. Colour blindness, short sighted. I can’t read signs and white boards in school."

Solutions found

"I wear dark contacts and sunglasses almost all the time. I use binoculars to read signs and white boards and things like that.
I try to organise for someone to follow me to new places and to show me around. I try to ask for help instead of wearing my eyes out. I also work really hard to do what I want to do and won’t let my eyes set my boundaries."

Tips & Tricks

"Find out your rights. Your mind is what limits what you do. There is always a way to get around whatever difficulties you have. So just do it! Don’t let people around you set your boundaries. Going abroad as a student is a great experience and especially for a disabled student like myself. I also know that, when I go out to apply for a job in the future, this is something I can really benefit from. Going on this trainee adventure was a really great experience. I learned a lot of things that I will bring with me for the rest of my life!"