Nicola (aka Nicky) was a second year BN Nursing (Learning Disabilities) student when she travelled to Ghana.
Nicky had a non-traditional journey into higher education. Her life had been full of challenges but somehow her resilience and determination saw her through. She had never been away anywhere on her own, yet she found herself at the point where her two children were old enough to look after themselves and her studies were making her curious about how learning disabilities are treated outside the UK.
As well as being awarded a mobility grant, Nicky organised bake sales and fundraisers to enable her to travel to Ghana. She spent three weeks there, splitting her time between a hospital and a residential school for children with learning disabilities. She witnessed a different approach to practice, but what stood out to her the most was the difference in cultural attitudes toward people with learning disabilities. She hadn't been prepared for how stigmatised the children were because of their disabilities, and she learned about the work being done to try to change this cultural misunderstanding from the leaders of the school.
Nicky was then invited to speak in front of 500 people, including the Archbishop and the Chief of Takoradi, an opportunity which then led to her meeting and speaking with the President of Ghana. She spoke to all of them about her growing knowledge and research into learning disabilities through her course in Edinburgh. She advocated for the leaders of Ghana to prioritise public education to help shift the cultural stigmatisation of people with learning disabilities.
Nicky's work in the school didn't end when she travelled home. She has continued raising money for the students, sending care packages and advocating for change on their behalf.