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When Victor Bal walks across the stage to collect his mechanical engineering degree at Montreal’s École Polytechnique, his service dog Kopeck will be by his side — just as she’s been for every single class.
When Bal was 12, he was one of the first students to attend classes with a service dog that was trained by Quebec’s Mira foundation to support youth with autism spectrum disorder. Now the foundation says that at age 27, Bal is among the first people to have benefited from a Mira ASD service dog to graduate from university.
“She’s my partner, she’s my ally,” he said of Kopeck, an eight-year-old Labrador/Bernese Mountain Dog cross. “Not long ago I called her my shield and sword to face the world, because she gave me the tools I need to be a working member of society and be the greatest version of myself.”
The bond between a dog and their owner is a powerful thing, but for Bal and Kopeck, it’s another level. She’s present with him 24 hours a day, seven days a week, bringing him calm and comfort everywhere he goes.
While her presence is largely passive, she’s trained to recognize signs of stress and distract him by nudging him with her nose or making noises.
She also gets time off. When Bal takes Kopeck to a patch of grass and removes her harness — her sign to stop working — she runs and plays like a puppy, chasing a stick.
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Before he got a service dog, Bal says he had trouble passing even elementary school classes. Now, he’s graduating from a top university.
“What changed that? It was the dog,” he said.
He said Kopeck and her predecessor not only helped him study, but also helped his social skills and self-esteem.
For example, he says that as a child, he was careless about crossing the road. When he got his first dog, he started to look both ways before crossing.
“I want(ed) to protect the dog, I didn’t want her to get hurt,” he said. “So having the dog helped me protect myself, preserve myself, and helped me love myself.”
Over the years, he’s also become comfortable sharing his story with others in order to give hope to people who are struggling.
While he credits Kopeck with enabling his success, Bal also had to work hard. In addition to autism spectrum disorder, he has other diagnoses, including ADHD. All of these have led to challenges with writing, focus and hyperactivity.
However, he developed an interest in robotics as a child, which gave him a “fire” for science that has never gone out, despite the challenges and doubts he’s faced.
Bal said he’s learned along the way that he doesn’t have to conform to other people’s timelines. He took six years to finish high school, four for junior college and five years for his bachelor’s degree. “It takes more time, but I did it and that’s what matters,” he said.
As Bal walks his dog at Polytechnique, multiple staff members recognize him and call out, offering congratulations on his graduation.
Marie-Michèle Vézina, an adviser for students with disabilities, says more than 1,000 students at Polytechnique have used accessibility services this school year, up from 40 some 15 years ago. The accommodations they receive are individualized, and can include extra time on exams, tools for sight and hearing, and personalized coaching.
She said Bal and Kopeck have becomes “champions” of accessibility services at the school due to their popularity among students, teachers and staff.
“It was easy to work with Victor because he knows his limits well, and he wants to progress and is always trying to be the best version of himself,” she said. She said Kopeck’s presence in class led to questions at first, but the pair later became a normal sight.
“I think if there’s another student in the future who wants to be here with a dog, we’ll be ready,” she said.
Bal said he’s still a little in disbelief to be graduating, but he’s already looking to the future. He’s currently job-hunting, with the goal of becoming a member of Quebec’s order of engineers. Kopeck, naturally, will be by his side every step of the way.
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