Falum Gibson is a former political science student who left Carleton in January due to mental health issues. However, after leaving the university, Gibson was unable to find accessible housing to meet her needs, resulting in “Falum’s Fight for Fair Mental Health Care”—Gibson’s online campaign calling for better mental health care and more accessible housing.
On Jan. 15, Gibson published a blog post on the initiative’s website, calling for readers to join the “#FalumsFight” movement. In the post, she explained that she suffers from borderline personality disorder, a severe mental illness that causes emotional instability.
“Throughout the school year, I have struggled with intense suicidal ideation,” Gibson wrote. “Over the past few months, I have been in and out of the hospital trying to seek help for my condition. Feeling broken and dismissed by doctors—my struggles with mental health continue to escalate.”
As of publication, the same post on the initiative’s Facebook page has been shared close to 300 times and received thousands of reactions.
Back in December, Carleton placed a hold on Gibson’s university registration due to severe mental health issues. Then, on Dec. 8, the university administration advised her during a meeting that she would be withdrawn from both her winter term courses and residence in agreement with the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy, Gibson said.
However, after further consultation, Carleton agreed to let Gibson stay as long as she followed a “safety plan,” Gibson said. The plan outlined what actions she should follow when she was having issues. However, Gibson said she broke the agreement when she “tried to overdose.” A few days later, the university asked her to leave on Jan. 12.
“They said they could no longer support my mental health needs,” Gibson said.
Gibson, who also has cerebral palsy, said she struggled to find a place to stay during her recovery. After she was turned away from a hospital in Ottawa, she was forced to return home to Peterborough, Ont. At home, Gibson stayed in her father’s “inaccessible apartment,” where she said she had no choice but to sleep in a wheelchair, and could not shower.
Gibson said that she was initially motivated to start the campaign because of the barriers she faced when trying to get help with her mental illness, including accessibility.
She explained that Falum’s Fight aims to stoke conversations about mental illness and accessibility in Ontario. She said she is looking for a long-term solution to shorten waitlists for things like attendant care and counselling.
Gibson plans to spread awareness by taking action and “actually going and talking to people.” This includes her hopes to meet with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to discuss her campaign’s goals.
Somei Tam, a disability advisor at the Paul Menton Centre (PMC), said in an email that “764 students (undergrad and graduate) out of a total 2,760 in 2016-2017 identified their primary disability as that of mental health, and 317 students identified mental health a secondary or co-existing disability.”
Tam added that for students taking a leave of absence from school to deal with mental health disabilities, the PMC “[connects] students and parents with relevant university staff to ensure a smooth transition or tidy loose ends.”
“Part of the transition is also to discuss steps to take when students decide to return to their studies, and what support plan needs to be put in place so that they have a smooth transition from leave-of-absence to return-to-studies,” Tam said.
Although Gibson said she does not wish to criticize anyone at Carleton for what happened, it would have helped to have had more time before leaving residence on such short notice.
Matthew Cole, the executive director of attendant services at Carleton, said that Carleton is the only place in Ottawa that offers accessible housing with 24-hour care. According to him, off-campus accessible housing is still “certainly not as accessible as what Carleton has,” and many students with disabilities choose to stay on campus.
“It’s partly the [housing] shortage. It’s partly that we have good facilities and good services,” he said.
Cole added that many students in similar situations still look for off-campus options or live at home, because despite current efforts to establish more bursaries for these students, “it’s becoming a financial decision.”
Gibson said she is currently taking time off school to focus on bettering her mental health. Since living in her father’s apartment, she has moved to a hospital to better suit her mobility needs.
“Try not to be afraid to reach out for help,” she said.
Gibson’s target is to see the campaign’s goals implemented over the next 10 to 15 years. When it comes to a long-term solution, “now is a good time to start,” she said.
-With files from Matt Curtis and Rachel Emmanuel
Photo by Matt Curtis
