The degree was special in that, instead of sending students abroad for their third year just to improve their language skills in the respective countries, it gave me the opportunity to attend the Economics faculty at the Université Pierre Mendès, Grenoble, for my final year, where I was expected to attend all the classes and sit the exams just like any local French student.

When I had chosen this degree I had been intrigued by its uniqueness and the fact that I could live in France for a whole year, improving my proficiency in the language and learning about a different academic environment and its treatment of Economics. However, I had probably not considered seriously enough the practical and, thus, organisational implications.

For most of the year before I went to France, besides searching for as much financial support as possible, I had to ensure that the relevant authorities at the host university provided suitably accessible accommodation and enquire about transport accessibility and the university's layout. Moreover, I had to look for helpers to help with cooking, washing, shopping and, depending on the distance, pushing me to classes and back on my wheelchair.

At my home institution, the staff at the International Year Abroad Office were extremely helpful, providing free phone and fax facilities and making a massive effort to gather useful information. Once sufficient information regarding the various costs had been gathered, several members of staff helped me to apply for the maximum funding available from the UK Socrates-Erasmus Council, which is the main body dealing with funding issues for inter-European academic projects. Nevertheless, their knowledge of issues related to disability was limited and most importantly, because of the number of institutions they were in touch with, they did not have equal resources of information regarding the disabled for each one. This not only entailed constantly chasing the contacts in Grenoble but also that prior to the start of the academic year I had to visit the town and inspect the university premises, the accommodation I was awarded and the means of transport to go to classes, as well as get about the town.

The host institution's international office acted as a vital link between me and the university's accommodation office, but could not help to find carers. Therefore, my visit to the town with my parents during the summer prior to my stay was essential to establish whether I could find a person willing to help me throughout the year and, fortunately, we were successful. Moreover, once there, I found out that Grenoble represents the French oasis for the disabled as, surprisingly, everything was accessible.

The town had an accessible tram that would run from 6 am till around midnight, with ramps coming out from under the doors and sufficient space for wheelchair users, making travelling around Grenoble very easy for the disabled. Buses could be lowered close to ground level and almost all buildings had lifts. The latter was true of the university campus, too, as lecture halls were usually much larger than in the UK because of the greater number of students attending classes and therefore they were generally wider and purpose-built for disabled users. What was exceptionally good was the advice centre for the university's disabled students, S.A.U.H., next to the campus accommodation. Among its auxiliary services the centre provided a free bus service for the disabled living on campus, taking them to and picking them up from classes. This was also very handy as it helped me to keep my costs in check, which was necessary even with the generous grant provided by the Erasmus scheme.

The accessible layout of the town made it possible for me to get involved in many social activities and lead an active life outside the university, including going out to bars, cinemas and restaurants with fellow French classmates. Also, Grenoble is right in the middle of the Alps and is renowned for its mountain resorts. With the help of the local disabled associations, I could go skiing with the aid of special equipment on a fairly regular basis. My interest in the sport grew to the extent that, with three fellow students, I organised several outings for disabled people to the mountains, including skiing activities and walks in the Alps. We found sponsors to fund the rental of equipment, transport and fares, where applicable, which earned us a number of articles in local newspapers. I thoroughly enjoyed these outings as I felt I was giving something back to the people of the town which had given me so much.

Obviously, it was not all a bed of roses and the pressure of performing academically, given that it was my final year, often over-shadowed the positive aspects. French tutors expect a lot of respect from the students and I didn't feel I could ask for advice about non-academic issues, since students barely felt comfortable meeting tutors to discuss the subjects. More often than not, during the more negative times, it was important to focus on the scope of the year and keep up my inner motivation.

Although the difficulties I encountered both in organising the visit and during the year itself were not few, I feel strongly that the positive aspects did however largely outweigh the negative ones. The experience was a fundamental lesson for my personal development which I will always cherish. I also ended up as the second highest scoring foreign student on the course.

What I would like to suggest to anyone who wants to attempt a similar experience, is firstly to consider exactly how serious they are about the year abroad because it is by no means easy. Secondly, a great deal of accurate research has to be done to avoid incurring unpleasant surprises once abroad, as at that point it might be too late to work out practical solutions. Conducting this sort of research will vary in difficulty, depending on the particular country's social and structural policies, as well as your individual needs. However, you should not be put off by the lack of information at the most conventionally relevant institutions, even if it means going abroad with MINOR doubts and fears about the stay. Thirdly, you shouldn't expect ridiculous favours just because of your disability and remember that anyone who goes abroad, disabled or not, will experience culture shock. It is essential to be open-minded.

Last, but not least, I hope that you will find any such experience interesting and enjoyable and that it will be useful for your future career.