Nelisha Vellani photo Sean Lang is set to graduate this year after a 2001 car crash that left him with a brain injury.

Sean Lang, a third-year student from the massage therapy program, is graduating this year, despite the challenges he has faced suffering from a brain injury.

Lang, 36, acquired his disability in a car accident in 2001, where his frontal and side lobes were injured.

He said it has not always been easy for him to process information as quickly as some of his peers.

“Analyzing information is very challenging for me,” said Lang. “What would take you 45 minutes to understand would take me five hours.”

He said it is difficult for some people to understand his disability. “I look normal, and I can carry a conversation.”

Lang said that he cannot remember much about himself prior to the accident.

“I know what people have told me. I could read a book once and memorize what information was on what page.”

Lang said that having a brain injury is “not a one-size-fits-all-kind of thing.” There are many side effects to this disability, including loss of memory and retaining information more slowly.

“I can picture things in my mind but I can’t name them,” Lang said. “I concentrate on little details and I feel like I can’t really see the big picture.”

After struggling through his first year in the program, Lang said he began thinking that “something was not right.” At the time, he was not recognized as having a disability. He then turned to the Centre for Students with Disabilities for help, where he received a lot of support.

“They are always available to meet with you, and help you out,” said Lang.

Louis Legault, manager of the Centre for Students with Disabilities, said students who seek help with their disabilities, are assessed on their needs as well as the services they require. She noted that there are approximately 1,100 to 1,300 students who “self-identify” annually.

Some of the services for these students include academic support, extended time for tests and exams, as well as counselling. They are important, Legault said, if students are to show their skills and the knowledge they have gained.

Legault also noted that students have the responsibility of acquiring documentation to substantiate their disability.

“They should self-identify early so they can receive their schedules, meet with councillors, and consult with faculty about their needs,” she said.

Along with the assistance from the CSD, another source of support for Lang has been his fiancée, Leanne Lowry.

“She not only manages her life,” said Lang, “but almost completely manages my life.”

Acknowledging the effort that Lang has made to be successful in his studies, Lowry also attributes her fiancé’s success, in large part, to the Centre for Students with Disabilities.

“He has more direction now,” said Lowry, “and is able to channel his energies.”

She does recognize, however, that it has not always been easy for him.

“It’s been a very long, hard road,” she said. “I am very, very proud of him. No matter how tired he is, or how hard he has to work, he keeps going.”

Lowry said that students with disabilities should seek help from others, and should not be ashamed of who they are, because every individual is different in their own way.

“Everybody’s got something,” said Lowry, “and if you can do something about it, you are one step ahead of everyone else.”