2019-07-07 22:01:19

hey there guys,
Lets go strate to the point
I want to apply in universities for graduate studies outside my country. (in short, I'm an international student).
the thing is, I am, like most of you, have sight issue, and i want to apply.
1. does it affect the application process?
2. should i write it in my statement of purpose, letter of interest or what ever the universities call it?
3. does it affect the visa process? is it possible that officers reject my request for visa?
4. how can i get a scholarship or something similar that can support me through my studies?
I'm open to any discussion here, and I need help for that matter

2019-07-07 22:25:44

What country are you planning to apply in?

2019-07-08 01:27:48

I prefer Canada.

2019-07-08 01:44:42 (edited by magurp244 2019-07-08 01:46:48)

Did you have a particular province or university in mind? A particular field of study?

There's the [University of British Columbia], [University of Alberta], [University of Manitoba], [University of Toronto], [University of Quebec] or the [University of Victoria], and many more.

-BrushTone v1.3.3: Accessible Paint Tool
-AudiMesh3D v1.0.0: Accessible 3D Model Viewer

2019-07-08 02:32:35

The university will ask you explicitly whether or not you are disabled. It's a good idea (though not required due to privacy) to disclose your disability. This is because of laws governing inclusion and affirmative action. You will get priority choice based on numbers. All this is happening because disabled people are classified as minorities and a disadvantaged group, the same as women and people of color. When you apply to a Western (public) university, the more minority categories you fall under the better it will be for you.

2019-07-08 03:07:38 (edited by visualstudio 2019-07-08 03:10:51)

University of Toronto, York University, Victoria university, Western Ontario university, and all of the universities in canada except for Quebec (I don't know French).
@5, would you explain more on that? I don't know about those. if my disability helps me, why not give the info to the university?

2019-07-08 04:09:08

@5, in Canada no one cares. Most universities don't even have you submit any essay of any sort at the undergraduate level. The only affirmative action type questions I was ever asked on a Canadian university application were whether or not I was native or had parents who went to the same school (does the second even count as affirmative action?). Sometimes they'll ask you if you have a disability, but the two universities that asked me both asked me only after I was accepted and specified that they were only doing so so that they could put me in contact with the disability office.
@1, unfortunately I'm not a grad student so have never done a graduate application, but the answers for questions 1, and 3 are no, no one really cares. and the answer to 4 is probably, although it depends on what university you go to studying  in what field.
As for 2, it's debatable. I also don't know how the graduate level application works, because at the undergraduate level you never need to provide any essays and I imagine that at least for some graduate programs it would be the same, but I'd be lying if I said I knew.
Also, going to Quebec is a great excuse to pick up French and you don't need it to study if you stick to schools like McGill.

2019-07-08 04:23:32

@7, thanks
I want to study on linguistics field, which i studied in my country (not really, I studied translation theory, but we had courses in linguistics that prepared me).
again for your information, I want to study for masters, so i don't think a thesis is required (although my thesis in undergraduate level was about machine translation (a review paper)).
my plan is to study on U of T, but I have other universities on my mind as well.

2019-07-08 05:05:19

Yeah. If you’re a good student, your list would probably look something like: U of T, McGill, UBC, McMasters, Western in that order. The order is debatable, especially with the first two, but those would be the best schools in Canada.

2019-07-08 05:55:30

under graduate average 17.5/20 (about 3.7), etc. but I don't know how to get funds. because of these I want scholarships.

2019-07-08 14:20:23 (edited by Munawar 2019-07-08 14:21:39)

@6 wow, then the US system is drastically different. Here to enroll in any university you need to submit a full application packet including the typical race / disability questions plus essays, so I was surprised when you said when undergraduate doesn't require essays. And you definitely do get preferred choice according to affirmative action and inclusion laws (which is why it annoys me that we seem to have the highest number of blind students who are uneducated.)

@visualstudio, re: scholarships, here's a link that might help. http://www.scholars4dev.com/6179/schola … -students/

According to the site, the US seems to be better in this regard. Overall, the US does have more resources and seems to do more for its disabled students (in terms of access to post secondary education) so if you can enroll in a US university, you should. With these sorts of things it's best to do it correctly the first time and if Canada truly doesn't care as @6 said, you will be met with a great challenge (add to that that you're an international student.)

On the flip side, I know way more successful blind Canadians than Americans, so their universities must be doing something correctly. No Canadian I've talked to (and I've talked to many) who has taken a real stride towards becoming educated has failed. So they might care more than we're led to believe. The best thing to do is perform your own research and don't just go off of what a few of us--not representative of even a fair sample size--have to say on the matter. When it comes to university, one person's experience will be significantly different from that of another person's experience.

I've found that a good point of contact is an academic advisor or even the dean of a university's college if you can get access to one. The best person to answer your questions is the university itself.

2019-07-08 14:58:17

Hi!
I'd like to know more about visas.
Today I read about Tony Giles, who, being deaf-blind, travels.
I'm interested in the attitude of immigration officers to such people.

2019-07-08 15:52:23

@12, this is another question of mine as well, because i herd that officers rejected some of people with disability because of excessive demand

2019-07-08 16:31:53

@11, yeah, the Canadian system has it’s benefits and it’s drawbacks. On one hand, they’re very up front on who’s getting in and who isn’t, if you’re above the grade threshold then you’re in, if you’re not, then too bad. It’s great if you’re good at school. If you aren’t, tough luck. Their logic is that they’re here to help you achieve your academic potential, and you being good at sports or having been president of student council says nothing about your academic potential.
As to scholarships, well first you need to be aware how much less tuition is in Canada. Using my example as a Canadian citizen, I’m paying 4k a year for my undergrad at a school that is ranked in the top 30 worldwide (not that rankings tell you anything but just to give you an idea of what the equivalent might be in the states). So part of the reason so many Canadians are successful is that they don’t end up in crippling debt after a single year. 12k for my entire degree vs 400k in the US.
Even at the international level, tuition is significantly lower. I’ll use my school, McGill, as the example again just because I don’t really know the rates anywhere else but am assuming they’re comparable. You’re still only paying 20k a year, compared to the anywhere from 40 to 100k a year you’d be paying in the states.
There’s just less emphasis on scholarships, especially for Canadians, because everything is a lot more affordable. That’s not to say there aren’t any, there definitely are, but a lot more of them are specifically targeted towards people with financial need rather than being for anyone and everyone who checks off a couple boxes, because most people can scrape together 4k a year.
@1, basically everything I just said is at the undergrad level so take it with a grain of salt.
@12, what are you getting a visa for, because it depends. If you’re a student with a letter of acceptance trying to get a student visa, you’ll have no issues. If you’re a tourist planning to come visit, then leave, again no issue. If you just want to show up for no reason and start living here you’ll have a harder time of it. But that goes for everyone, not just people with disabilities. No one is ever going to turn you down for a student visa just because you’re blind.

2019-07-08 21:57:47

You're not going to get turned down for a student visa due to disability in a country like Canada; in fact I've never heard of that, and Canada is...well, normal.

Although I've probably benefitted from it I do really dislike affirmative action, it left me wondering if I only got in because I was gay and disabled.

2019-07-09 05:44:34

@15, did you get scholarship for your disability?

2019-07-09 14:16:34

lol I wish, I got things like a laptop and notetaking support but I didn't actually get any free moneys.

2019-07-09 14:36:00

no. getting scholarships at least for doing research, or fellowships and so on.