Hannah Stanley

Coming to university can be a big challenge for anyone. As someone with learning disabilities there are certain hurdles which I have faced. My time at Loughborough has been brilliant. The level of support that this university provides is outstanding, and I make sure everyone knows it.

The work I present here, is a contemplation of my challenges. Ever since a young age I have created. characters and narratives that accompany me everywhere. This work reflects the start of a very long journey, whereby I examine childhood imaginary friends, fictious stories and repeated themes that were conceived to process things that troubled me. I am aiming to dive into the character undertones and narrative secrets to examine my own psyche. Through this university I have learnt how to harbour my skills, nurturing the most effect forms of communication and pushing myself to be better than I ever thought possible. This piece has no particularly orientation, as it is correct for Whatever way is right for the viewer. It explores the inner mind and how we as humans escape to cope. I hope that the audience can see something which has meaning for themselves, providing them with an opportunity to go on their own journey of thought and reflection.

Through this work, I wanted to thank this university for its guidance over my first year. The statistics of people with learning difficulties (particularly autism) attending higher education and moving onto a successful job is extremely low. There is simply not enough aid and understanding.

However, Loughborough has proven to me and many others (that I have both shared my experiences with and had their own) that it is certainly is possible when you create an inclusive and vibrant community.