A Co Fermanagh woman who survived a car fire which led to the death of her sister has graduated from Ulster University.
Melanie Grimsley, from Kesh, suffered severe burns as a result of the fire in 1988 and has used her experience to do something positive by working with visual difference charities.
Melanie graduated with a Law degree in 2015 before taking time out of education to relocate and raise her children alongside working.
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Once her children were settling into secondary school, Melanie returned to education and began a part-time Master’s at Ulster University’s Belfast campus.
It was during her Master’s that Melanie’s two areas of professional and personal interest began to come together – her love of law, and her interest in the area of disability discrimination, particularly in relation to the legal status of visible difference.
The latter is a subject that Melanie is passionate about, and she is keen conversations about visible difference start taking place more widely:
“Visible difference is a topic that still needs further research and advocacy.," Melanie said.
"There is still a lot of social stigma attached to those with visible differences and I hope that with further research I can change that.
"I want to encourage, embolden and inspire my peers. I want to be a positive example for those with visible differences, who like me at one stage, couldn’t see where they fit.
"I want to challenge beauty ideals and stretch the concepts of disability and ‘normal’. I want to make people stare but in a good way.
"For the first time in my life, I want to be seen instead of being invisible.”
She initially completed the first year of her Master's online and said she found it difficult at times.
“It is quite daunting and scary to return to education as a parent in normal circumstances, but even more so with the added pressure of the pandemic.," she added.
"Balancing homeschooling, as well as my own work and studying online was particularly challenging. I went through times where I found it difficult to cope with such a massive workload.
In the second year of her Master’s, Melanie was able to return to in-person teaching and began working with the Law Clinic at Ulster University.
The Law Clinic offers free, independent, and confidential legal advice and representation, specialising in employment and social security issues, and also offers one-off advice on family law matters to those in need.
Melanie is currently working in children and special educational needs law at Nicholas Quinn Solicitors. She hopes to continue research into visible difference in a legal context, continue her important advocacy work and one day undertake a PhD in this field.
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