A political science and social justice student at the University of Victoria is putting what he learned in class to use, much sooner than he expected.
Nathan Bodie has autism and he has attended UVic student through the STEPS Forward Inclusive Education Program, which helps people with developmental disabilities access post-secondary education.
Throughout those years, Bodie has overcome many hurdles, including undergoing a kidney transplant.
He is now about to receive his certificate of completion.
Like any student, Bodie has dreamed of walking across the stage at his graduation ceremony.
“It’s something I’ve wanted for about the past 15 or 16 years,” Bodie said.
But last fall, he was told by his contacts with the STEPS Forward program that he is being denied that opportunity.
“They were saying according to the university and the convocation committee, I cannot attend,” Bodie said.
He was told that UVic is the only one of the seven B.C. schools taking part in the STEPS Forward program that does not allow students to graduate with their peers.
Bodie knew the university had received a proposal to allow students like him to participate in the ceremony.
“We kept hearing nothing, except for the words ‘this is ongoing,'” Bodie said.
So Bodie’s friend Julia Templeman stepped in to help. Templeman said she started a petition that has garnered thousands of signatures. She said she also wrote a letter to the university.
“We sent it to them in January and we hadn’t heard anything back until about a week ago,” Templeman said.
That’s when she was told UVic had in fact been working on getting Bodie the approval he needs to take part in the grad ceremony.
“We’ve been working on this for several months. We are very close to a positive resolution; looking forward to it and giving Nathan a chance this year to celebrate his achievement,” UVic executive director of communications and marketing, Bruce Kilpatrick said.
Kilpatrick said the university’s senate will be voting on the proposal this Friday.