Fighting the Good Fight!

For as long as I can remember, I have been trying to help people understand the world of disabilities.  I have done everything from politely explaining disabilities to young children (with white face embarrassed parents not far behind them), to writing strongly worded letters aimed at the press.  It started in high school at Parkside Collegiate Institute.  It was close to prom, and prom was held in the Parkside court.  The court was a tiny area within the school that contained a fountain.  People in wheelchairs could not get down to the court because there were steps all around it.  I was puzzled as to what I would do when it came to prom, and a few of my friends said that they normally rented a ramp for prom time.  I wondered why there wasn't a ramp all the time, because there was the possibility that someone would need or want to get down to the court on an occasion other than prom.  At first I wondered "why do I have to do this?", and then I realized that if I didn't nobody else would.  So I went to talk to my principal, and he seemed understanding, but my instincts told me that I might need ammunition if I wanted this to be taken seriously.  I began to write a letter to a local St. Thomas news paper, hoping that if the school board couldn't help me then somebody else could.  Upon presenting the letter to my principal, I was unsure of what to expect, but I knew that I had set fire to the issue, and something so simple could not go unanswered.  Three days later I had the ramp I requested, and I was as happy as if I had just won the lottery.  It was a proud moment for me and I couldn't believe that I had achieved something that the Educational Assistants had been fighting for as long as four years for in three short days.  I vowed that I would continue to fight for simple things such as this to benefit those with disabilities, and to bring enlightenment to those who didn't understand our needs or lifestyle.

I continued to do so at Fanshawe College.  I had articles prepared to publish within the college newspaper, however I was unable to publish them in time as my school life was sometimes overwhelming.  But I knew I could fight in other ways.  I tackled each class with determination and vigor, coming to class with not only a will to learn, but a well to teach everyone from the already strong believers to the skeptics.  Thankfully, I had a team of counselors and my notetaker Stephen Pritchard to help me through my struggles.  By the end of my college career, I had the skeptics unafraid to clear the hallways of any foot traffic, and walk me to class, to ensure that I made it on time if the hallways were busy.  I had the strong believers saying that they never wanted to see my face at Fanshawe College again, and that's partially how I ended up where I am today at King's University College.

I have just finished my first year at Kings University College, and it is here where I find that the help and the resources provided have been most overwhelming.  There is a great number of people I can turn to.  I went to the student body president of King's, Dave Ennett, to discuss some disability issues around King's campus.  I was delighted to find that he was very open to getting to know my perspective of King's; and with the help of my friend Dominique McKee, my issues were noted.  Tomorrow, we'll take a walk (or drive) around the Kings campus with disability counselors, and provide input for their yearly accessibility assessment.  I am very much looking forward to this opportunity, and I'm grateful that such a system is in place.  It makes me feel as though there is hope, and one day inaccessibility will be unheard of, accessibility will become like second nature to the world around us.

Sometimes even though I'm working hard, I feel as though I am alone in the issues I face.  Even though the proper resources have been provided, and any precautions have been taken, you cannot always control or prevent the obvious setbacks of a disability.  These setbacks can include the inaccessibility or lack of equipment in a bathroom, to figuring out how you will be transported from point A to point B. There is one group of people that I never imagined would be so helpful when the unexpected twists of a disability arise.  The group of people I am referring to is the King's Soph Team.  We have only started to get to know each other recently.  When these unexpected issues arose, the team was ready and willing to lend a hand, even though they've only known me for a short period of time.  I commend the Head Soph for taking care of the issues of transportation. Finally I think my fellow Sophs, for rising to the occasion and rising out of their comfort zones and assisting me when I need them most. It’s nice to know that in my future battles I will be fighting alongside a great group of friends and colleagues.


Karli