Mentoring at university through DSA

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Has anyone else received mentoring support at university through the Disabled Students Allowance? My Disability Advisor has suggested that this might be useful to me but I'm really not sure what this is and the information leaflet is a bit vague. Most of my problems this year have come from finding it difficult to talk to and negotiate with my supervisor which has led to me often not really knowing what I should be doing. I tend to get in a bit of a panic when things aren't going well and I don't really know what to do about it. Are those the kind of things a mentor could help with?

I don't know much about the UK system, but I can tell you that the only way I was able to finally finish college and secure even a part-time position was that I found a mentor. This happened to be a faculty member who had a similar perspective on many things, and understood many of my challenges and strengths. Until I made his acquaintance, I really struggled. I felt as if I was speaking another language entirely from the college administrators and faculty; I couldn't explain how difficult it was to even sit in class with other students, or why I failed so miserably at job interviews. I still have the same difficulties, but my mentor was able to offer insight about how to explain my position to others in a way that wouldn't require the other person to have any awareness of my overall condition, and that is important because I feel that AS is very much misunderstood in the States.

The key is that the mentor has to really understand your perspective. A number of people tried to help me over the course of the 14 years it took me to finish my degree, but their advice always hinged upon the presumption that I would be able to act and think as other people do, if I just chose to do so. The effectiveness of the mentoring arrangement really depends upon the mentor--it must be someone who really comprehends your position, rather than someone who simply expects you to change that position.

BTW, fun avatar!! It looks like a dog with a botanist's field vasculum and butterfly net!

Thanks for your input!

I think the mentor would be trained by the National Autistic Society so hopefully would have some idea of how to work with people with ASDs. If the effectiveness of the arrangement depends on the mentor, then I suppose I will give it a go and see if it works for me.

My avatar is a Hemulen (from The Moomins). I'm fond of Hemulens as they have a lot of Aspie traits. For example, they like amassing enormous collections of things like I do. The Hemulen in that picture collects butterflies.

Now I follow...I am a little slow this week, due to massive overstimulation (busy week) at work...

It seems that it could be a great arrangement, definitely worth a go. Two thoughts: if the mentor is a fellow Aspie, they can offer insider advice; if they are NT, they can act as a "translator". But one caveat about the latter: although such a person can explain certain things in ways that make sense to an Aspie perspective, and can possibly anticipate what your challenges and strengths will be, he or she will never be able to completely understand what you are experiencing. If that is the case, it would help to remember that you can still profit from the program, even if some experiences are ultimately more valuable than others. The main thing is, the positive interactions should outweigh those toward which you are disappointed or indifferent.

Best of luck!



I don't know about Hemulens or Moomins! I shall look them up. They sound delightful! I have always liked collecting, too, and spend lots of time sorting and labeling and cataloging collections.