Background
Bruce was a mature-age student, in his 50s, with a severe back injury. He
could stand and sit for only very short periods and had to spend most of his
time lying down. He was in constant pain which was sometimes severe and he
probably took heavy doses of medication.
Bruce was a resourceful student with a high level of initiative who was
studying with a humanities faculty.
Interaction with Bruce
Bruce was not a computer-user when he started his degree. The supervisor
realised that Bruce would have to have a computer to complete his studies so
she arranged for a small laptop computer with trackball to be provided
through the disability office of the university. It was adequate for Bruce's
needs although the trackball did not always work properly when the computer
was on an angle, as it was when Bruce was in a horizontal position.
Bruce taught himself how to use a word-processing program and later
supplied his own computer.
Bruce was a rural student for the whole of the duration of the writing of
his thesis. The supervisor made arrangements so that Bruce could leave
messages on her voicemail and she would ring him back so that he did not
have to meet the cost of long distance calls.
The supervisor assisted Bruce with resources and spent considerable time
reading successive drafts of Bruce's thesis. Bruce was lacking in confidence
because, due to his disability and his distance from the university, he had
done the research without the normal student/supervisor meetings. He had
also lacked the critical input he would have liked as his work progressed.
The supervisor always ensured that Bruce was given realistic information
and was never misled about his performance or situation. She advised Bruce
to bind his thesis in soft cover, and prepared him for the possibility of
having to rewrite.
Assessment
A time extension was granted, giving Bruce twice as long as stipulated to
complete his thesis.
Reasons for Bruce's success
The supervisor stated that Bruce's success in completing the thesis had
been due to his persistence and patience, his initiative, his flexibility
and his innate capacity.
Encouragement and moral support from university staff had also been a
factor, as well as maximum support from his family.
Supervisor comments/observations
The supervisor said she had thought about Bruce's future after he had
gained the qualification. She had decided that there were areas of his
speciality where he could use the qualification, such as for further
research, writing, or supervising other students. She also commented that he
could work with students with a disability.
In terms of time the supervisor did not find working with Bruce onerous.