Help a neurodivergent & disabled student finish their degree

I am Ryleigh’s partner and carer, Madelyn. Ryleigh is a 22 year old autistic and disabled young adult studying an undergraduate social sciences course at university in England. They are an independent student and care leaver, having spent a portion of their teenage years homeless. They are chronically ill, with diagnoses of PTSD, OCD, EUPD, severe migraines, and endometriosis symptoms (awaiting keyhole surgery). They have also recently begun experiencing muscle spasms/ seizures, which are under further medical investigation.

In 2022, at the start of their second year, Ryleigh was forced to take a year out of their studies due to agoraphobia they rapidly developed after an attempted rape by an Uber driver close to the university campus. In 2023, they resumed their studies, but were unable to sit their exams due to inadequate university support around their disabilities, which was withheld due to long NHS delays in obtaining the appropriate evidence. This evidence has since been acquired; the university has massively ramped up disability support, including offers of diagnostic reviews and therapy going forward; and Ryleigh has made a near-complete recovery from their agoraphobia, enabling them to return to resit their second year. Ryleigh also now has a job in the university’s careers service offering advice to other students.

However, due to two successive years of interruptions/ repeats of their studies, Ryleigh is now no longer automatically eligible for a tuition fee loan for their second year, and must apply separately for an additional year of funding (though it's been confirmed funding for their third year will be available as usual). This application may be successful, but will likely take more than the 20 remaining days in which they can re-register as a student to continue their course. In order to complete registration without the tuition loan currently in place, Ryleigh must pay a portion of their tuition fees upfront. Staying registered on their course is vital at this stage, not just for their degree qualification, but also because their current job, disability support, and therapy are all attached to their status as a student.

We are fundraising £5000: £3000 to cover the initial tuition fee payment, and £2000 to cover living costs for the immediate future. If the tuition loan application is successful, the university will be able to refund the initial instalment of tuition fees, and we will funnel the money back into living costs for the longer term. If the tuition loan application is unsuccessful, provided we raise enough to cover immediate living costs we’ll be able to cover the remaining tuition fee instalments from my full-time job and Ryleigh’s part time job.

Ryleigh is a talented and passionate artist and writer. They love manta rays, guinea pigs, forest flora, niche feminist literature, and the colour green. They dream of publishing their novel and becoming a librarian who creates positive community spaces for others.