You've been injured - what now?
By Olivia Pfeiffer
So you’re going along, moving through your semester at Villanova and just trying to make it to the next week of assignments when - WHAM! It hits you - sometimes literally. You have surgery or tear your ACL or get a concussion or fall down the stairs, and suddenly you’re covered in casts from head to toe. What do you do? How do you take a midterm when you can’t walk to class? I felt this sort of panic last week after ending up in a car crash that left me with a broken right arm and the inability to write (which I’m writing...or typing). I wasn’t even stressing about the trauma of the car accident itself; I was terrified about failing my classes. But this is part of why Villanova is so wonderful—when something like this happens, there are resources for you. Here are some steps to take once you’ve been injured, and tips on how to avoid stressing about school and focusing on keeping healthy.
1. Contact ODS
The very first step once you have been injured is to contact the Office of Disability Services. They have all the resources needed to help you during an injury, no matter how temporary. They will discuss with you how your injury will impact your learning, no matter whether it’s in big or small ways. ODS can provide you with scribes, a testing space, or anything else you may need. More importantly, ODS will send a letter to your professors outlining the exact details of your injury and the specific accommodations.
2. Email Your Professors
Once ODS has contacted your professors, email them individually and set up individual discussions in order to discuss the injury and how it will impact your in class time. It’s really important to be candid with how your injury will impact your learning experience, but also how you plan to move forward and continue to work. I think that it’s important to discuss not only assessments, but also how you will be able to take notes and move through a regular class from day to day.
3. Contact Public Safety
If your injury may affect your mobility around campus, get in touch with Public Safety. Though COVID has changed some of the rules with the disability shuttle, explain your injury and see if there are any accommodations that can be made to best assist you.
4. Follow Up
The single communication with your professors and ODS will not be enough. Though your injury is very present in your own life, teachers (as well as intentioned as they are) will not always remember the fact that you are injured. My suggestion is to consistently check in with them prior to an assessment and remind them about the accommodations due to your injury, or write a note at the top of your homework reminding them that your submission quality or timeliness may have been impacted as a result of that injury.
