EAS Categories

Personal Illness or Disability, Home Environment and Responsibilities

Background

Tom joined the Australian Defence Force immediately after completing his Queensland year twelve studies. He served in the army for nine years with multiple deployments in Afghanistan in high-risk combat roles.

By age 28, his body was showing signs of wear. Chronic back pain and a recurrent left knee injury had begun to reduce his mobility, and his hearing was impacted by severe tinnitus. For years, Tom’s wife had been urging him to request a discharge so he could spend more time with their two young children. But it was not until his doctor said he had a traumatic brain injury from repeated exposure to bomb blasts that he finally agreed to return to civilian life in Townsville.

Tom had tertiary selection ranks for both his secondary schooling and military service. He readily gained admission to a Bachelor of Business at his nearest university. But returning to study proved tougher than expected. His impaired memory and concentration frustrated him, and assessment deadlines made him anxious. At home, uncontrolled bursts of anger put strain on his marriage.

In his first semester, Tom managed a bare overall pass, but later in the year, when he missed multiple assignment submissions, stress overwhelmed him. Tom disappeared on a solo fishing and camping trip for more than a month without formally withdrawing from university. He ended up with a year of failing tertiary study on his academic record. Little more than a year after he left the army, his wife announced she would be moving out of the family home.

Tom battled depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for four years during the drawn-out divorce proceedings. Slowly, through connecting with support services and veterans’ groups, his mental health improved. He returned to part-time work and met a new partner. Aged 33, he finally felt ready to study again.

Application

Tom’s recent experience mentoring younger veterans from his support group had given him an interest in studying psychology. But he was nervous his past failing study would stop him receiving an offer. When his target university told him they could not ignore the failing grades on his record, he contacted QTAC for information about EAS.

In the Personal Illness or Disability category, Tom supplied a cover sheet with a personal statement. The statement listed his various physical injuries and mental health conditions and described their impact on his last attempt at study.

He also supplied a patient statement, completed by his general practitioner, which specifically confirmed each of the diagnoses. QTAC advised Tom that this recent doctor’s summary was all they needed; there was no need for him to supply years of past medical records.

In the Home Environment and Responsibilities category, Tom provided a separate cover sheet and personal statement, which described how separation and divorce had impacted his last attempted study. As evidence, he supplied the final divorce order. Since this was dated four years after his failing bachelor study, Tom also sent QTAC correspondence between his lawyer and his wife’s lawyer, which proved that the process of legal separation had begun during the impacted study.

Outcome

Together, EAS adjustments in the two categories Tom applied in helped him gain admission to a Bachelor of Psychology at his preferred institution.

On his second attempt at bachelor study, Tom actively sought out university support services. Based on his diagnosed conditions, he was put on an access plan, ensuring his learning needs were communicated to his lecturers and allowing him flexible assessment deadlines.

Now nearing the end of his degree, he is working as a research assistant to an academic who investigates returned soldiers’ experiences transitioning to civilian life.