By Portia O’Toole
Standing in Prague airport was my victory. This was my four-minute-mile. I’d achieved what I had spent years believing wasn’t possible – to travel abroad.
Millions of people take journeys by air every single month. For many, it’s as routine as brushing their teeth. They think nothing of their next visit home, business trip, or exciting adventure.
But I’m 33 years old and I have multiple disabilities.
I knew going to university at 32 would be difficult, especially while still undergoing tests for other health problems, but is there ever a right time?
In the 2025-26 academic year I was a first year journalism student at De Montfort University (DMU) in Leiceseter, and I think I spent more time as an inpatient than I did in the classroom.
Still, when the opportunity came to go to Prague with fellow students to take on some travel journalism, I jumped at the chance.
I had only ever been abroad once before and that was for my honeymoon. It had taken 11 months to plan and having the comfort and familiarity of my husband meant it went swimmingly.
For Prague, I was filled with trepidation… but that’s where the university’s Disability Global team came in.
After applying for the opportunity and being accepted, they contacted me about my specific needs.
At home I have a carer who comes in daily which takes the strain off my husband.
This was all set up between the hospital and council when I had a strange medical episode nearly two years ago. It left me with a left sided hemiparesis – a muscle weakness that you’d usually see after a stroke, but we didn’t know why it had occurred.
On top of this I have several other conditions, so the idea of essentially travelling solo was daunting.
I’ve built up quite a bond with my regular carers and I’d say I’m a person of routine, so another thing that scared me was what having support for my trip might look like.
From the first meeting with DMU disability officer Dipika Patel, my mind was totally put at ease.
We discussed all of my conditions, how they affect me, and what reasonable adjustments would be needed in order for me to go on the trip.
Most importantly for me, I was never made to feel like I was a burden.
Dipika and Lea Zackova, who was my support for the trip, were there for every question I had from day one.
They came to the pre-departure meetings and we also had our meetings so we could set expectations for the trip, as well as discuss itineraries and boundaries.
I won’t pretend everything was sunshine and roses. The trip itself didn’t exactly run smoothly.
The first problem we encountered was with passenger assistance at Stansted Airport… or rather, the lack thereof.
We had booked in advance that I would require assistance from the airport to board the plane. We arrived three hours before the flight to register at the Assisted Travel desk. Two hours later, despite repeated requests, they still had not allocated anyone to help me get me through security, to the boarding gates and onto the plane.
The only reason we made it onto the flight was because Lea stood her ground and made my needs known, repeatedly. I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do this myself and definitely would have missed the flight without her. 0 stars for Stansted, 12/10 for Lea.
At the accommodation we discovered that there were multiple steps between the road and my room.
There was a more accessible route, but the receptionist said I would need to let them know when I was going in and out – so in itself, not very independent.
Lea talked to the receptionist on my behalf and explained the importance of me being able to get in and out of the property independently. I was then loaned a buzzer for the car park which allowed me step-free access to my room and the communal gardens. Bliss.
These might seem like two tiny things, but when you have multiple disabilities, navigating them can be challenging and exhausting.
Having the support of the disability global team allowed me to continue my trip with confidence.
In the remaining days I was able to have help with planning my days, my routes and pacing things without exhausting myself.
To counter the things that went wrong, there were so many beautiful moments – eating in an authentic Czech restaurant, visiting museums and exploring some shops by myself. I found parts of myself that I didn’t know existed.
I was extremely worried before I left for the trip. Now it’s over, I can’t wait until another one is available.
I didn’t think I’d be able to do this trip.
DMU has given me the confidence to say that I can, I should, and I will again… and for me, that’s priceless.
