Finally Treated as a Person, Not a Burden: A New Educational Experience

Today, I had a positive experience, one in which showed me that employees at a higher education facility really can care about their students. This experience made me contemplate why I went straight to a four year university; this is not because I was not academically ready, but because I probably would have enjoyed myself more while furthering my education.

In the past, I have had numerous experiences that have left me with a sour perspective on higher education, but today when I attended Whatcom Community College, my perspective began to change. During the process of signing up for an accounting class, I had encounters with numerous employees who all portrayed that they each cared for me and treated me as a person.

The first person that I talked to was a man at the information station. At first, I was not impressed as the window was above my head, however, my mind was quickly changed. When I spoke to the man in the window, he was quite kind and informative. He exited his office to hand me an admissions form; he also took the initiative to find me a clipboard to fill out my form (as I could not reach the window ledge); I was so impressed that I did not have to ask!

My second encounter was with a student worker at the admissions office; he was kind and helped me accomplish what I needed to do, and then I went on my way. My third encounter was just as short, but the lady who helped me sign-up for a drop-in appointment with an advisor was also kind to me. Even though I had already felt welcomed by the staff I had already encountered, it was the advising counselor who I was most impressed with. She introduced herself and instantly started talking to me like I was any other potential student. She listened to me, made eye contact, and helped me not just find and sign up for classes, but also by reading and filling out paperwork. When she started pointing at and reading a paper that was sitting her on the desk (the paper positioned so we both could read it), I informed her that I was legally blind and could not read the information -- so she offered to read it more thoroughly to me. When it came time to fill out some paper work, she offered to fill it out. This is so uncommon for me, but seemed so natural to her; this was a small, kind gesture, but it made me feel welcome, and not as a burden.

After I finished my meeting with the advisor, I returned to the registrar's office to deliver the paper work that the advisor filled out. This brings me to my fifth and final encounter. This time I talked to a lady, rather than the student; she was kind and informative as well. However, when I dropped my ID number, she exited her office to pick it up for me. She also brought me my schedule as I could not reach it from behind the window; I did not have to ask.

I am amazed with my first impression of Whatcom Community College; I felt welcome, I felt like I belonged. For the first time in a long time, college seems like an enjoyable place. I look forward to furthering my education in a place that treats me like a person.  

More Than Just a Prop: The Controversy Behind the Symbolism of the Wheelchair

When Kylie Jenner posed in a wheelchair for the cover of Interview Magazine, she granted the world permission to interpret the symbolic meaning of a wheelchair. Jenner used a wheelchair as a prop in order to send a message, a message that expressed how she feels limited by her fame and profession. However, in order for Jenner's point of using a wheelchair to symbolize her limitations to be clear to viewers, the stereotypical belief has to already be engrained in the minds of society; in this case, a wheelchair is limiting and therefore, the person who uses the wheelchair is limited. Never the less, the reality is quite the contrary.

One person's perception of limitation is another person's reality of freedom. A wheelchair is a mobility device; it assists people to get from point A to point B that otherwise would not be able to do so. When I received my first wheelchair as a child, it opened up a world of possibilities. I could now freely explore my neighborhood for the first time like the other children on my block. I no longer became exhausted when going to the grocery store or walking through the halls at my elementary school. My wheelchair has since given me the ability to graduate from high school, earn a four year university degree, and travel out side of Washington state to twenty-three states, as well as travel outside the United States to seven countries. Today, my wheelchair grants me the freedom of leaving my house and going throughout my daily routine; without my wheelchair, I would be stuck in bed. The limitations that people who use wheelchairs face each day range from person to person, just like how people who do not use wheelchairs face a plethora of limitations. However, there are two limitations that people in wheelchairs share.. 

The lack of accessibility as well as people's ignorant perception about disability are the two limitations that are apart of the lives of people who use wheelchairs; it is not the wheelchair that is limiting -- it grants freedom -- it is the treatment of people that tags along side the use of the wheelchair that limits the person.

The irony of Jenner posing in a wheelchair to represent her limitation, is that ignorance -- like her's -- is what actually limits people in wheelchairs. Stereotyping a wheelchair as limiting, and therefore a person who uses a wheelchair as limited, spreads the perception that being in a wheelchair is a tragedy and therefore deserves being pitied. 

Believing a person is limited and pitying them does not allow a person to be looked at as whole, and not be pushed to their full potential. People in wheelchairs are people and their lives should not be stereotyped just because they have common wheels. Being in a wheelchair is a characteristic, but it should not be considered anymore of a defining factor than height, weight, and color of hair or eyes. Just like short people face similar limitations and tall people face similar limitations, people in wheelchairs face common limitations as well. And, being in a wheelchair is not one of those limitations. 

When Kylie Jenner posed in a wheelchair for the cover of Interview Magazine, she granted the world permission to interpret the symbolic meaning of a wheelchair. In doing so, a spark ignited a discussion about the perception of wheelchairs and the people who use them for mobility. Education is the key to eliminating ignorance; in talking about the symbolic interpretation of a wheelchair, one may be enlightened and draw the conclusion that a wheelchair is not limiting, but freeing. 

The world needs to understand that the wheelchair is only stereotyped as a symbol of limitation because the world was not built for the wheelchair. If accessibility and the mindset about the wheelchair changed, then people who use wheelchairs will no longer be viewed as limited. 

Hypocrisy at its Finest: Taking Safety on Campus Seriously

The fourth of December will mark one year from the day my friend and I were trapped on the sixth floor of Wilson Library at Western Washington University during a fire that broke out on the second floor. Fortunately, it was small, but the safety of both my friend and I was put in jeopardy. The building that we were in was, and still is, not up to code. The floor warden was uninformed about what to do with two people, who could not flee the building, during the fire, and to my knowledge, there is still yet to be a written and distributed plan (I was told that I would receive the plan by the first of March -- over eight months ago -- but I never did). I addressed the potential tragedy that a fire, and lack of prevention could cause, with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) a year prior to this incident, and then e-mailed OCR within a couple hours after the fire. Even though the OCR seemed to care about the safety of students with disabilities, I do not feel as if WWU took our safety seriously. 

So, last Tuesday, when President Shepard addressed the community about the safety of students of color on campus and canceled classes, I felt compelled to address the population of Facebook with the hypocrisy that I have experienced first hand when it comes to WWU's and President Shepard''s beliefs and actions. Here is the post that I shared that day. 

"Today, President Shepard suspended classes at WWU due to hate speech directed towards students of color; he is concerned with the safety of students on campus, and wants people to pause in order to take the time and unite. This is quite noble of him to take a stand for his students of color, and express the concern for their safety, but when it comes to the safety of disabled students, President Shepard's stance does not even come close to reflecting the same compassion. Every day that I attended classes or an event on WWU's campus that involved me using an elevator, I always had a concern for my safety. I have a concern for the safety of all students with disabilities who attend WWU as well. This is due to the fact that not all of WWU's buildings are up to code nor do they have a fire safety plan implemented in order to keep students with disabilities as safe as possible if there happens to be an emergency (such as a fire or an earthquake). Three years ago, when I had a class on the fifth floor of Old Main, I addressed this issue with the DisAbility Resources for Students. Since there was not an accessible safety zone, I did not feel safe in the classroom that my history class had been assigned, so I requested that my class be moved. Nothing happened. Two years ago, I took this concern -- along with others -- to the Office of Civil Rights on campus. I had the opportunity to meet with one of WWU's six Vice Presidents and express my concerns to her as well. The DRS began doing everything I asked, but for all other physically disabled students, nothing happened.

Then, last December, a friend and I attended a book fair on the sixth floor of Wilson Library. Long story short, we were both trapped there for ten minutes with the belief that the building could be burning down; we were stuck in a smoky building, that is not up to code and staffed with an uninformed and panicked floor warden that had no idea what the protocol was when it came to disabled students who could not flee the building during a fire. Fortunately, the fire was small, and was put out quickly; however, the fire department was called off due to the fire being small, but my friend and I were not informed of this nor was the fire department told that there were people trapped in the building. For those ten minutes, I felt extremely unsafe! I contacted the OCR and the Vice President, they did not contact me; I had to reach out to them, they did not reach out to me. When I expressed my concerns about the safety of all students on WWU's campus, the VP reassured me that the safety of all their students was their number one priority.

Today, WWU's concern for the safety of their students has been expressed for persons of color, but a resolution has still yet to come to fruition when it comes to persons with disabilities. I never received a statement from President Shepard stating that the safety of students with disabilities on campus matter; he never said he personally would make sure that all the buildings would be brought up to code, and that a plan
would be made in case of an emergency. If WWU is concerned about the safety of all their students, then this should include the safety for their disabled students as well. So, Western Washington University, please do not forget about your physically disabled students who cannot flee a building during an emergency; even though there may just be eight or nine of us, our safety and lives matter too!"

Since this post on Facebook, the student responsible for the hate speech has been arrested. However, it has been a year since I have dealt with feeling unsafe on campus, and nothing has been accomplished. Yesterday, I was on campus visiting a friend. I just so happened to pass the Communications building as the fire alarm began to sound. I had the opportunity to speak to the person in charge of coordinating fire drills and other safety evacuation plans. This lady never sat in on the Fire Safety Committee that I was apart of, nor seems to care about the safety of disabled students. To every single question I asked her, she responded with an excuse. I asked her if there really was a plan the day that I was stuck in the library, she said yes. So, I asked her why the floor warden told us she did not know what to do. Her answer was that the floor warden did what she was supposed to do (really?! Not knowing what to do, was what she was supposed to do?). I asked her why the fire department was called off, but we were not told that we were not really in danger. I also said that even if the fire is taken care of, the fire department is still supposed to check on anyone who is trapped in the building. She said that the people sweeping the building did not know we where there. How did they not know we were there?  I asked how then could they call off the fire department if they had not swept the entire building. We were in the fire safety zone WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE. So, why did they not know we were there? I told her that I was most disappointed with the lack of communication. She said at least five times that they were trying. 

TRYING? Would this have been an acceptable response to the girl who felt threatened by hate speech posted on social media? She claimed that WWU and the police were not doing enough; President Shepard canceled classes, an investigation was going on, and right after she said this, the guy responsible was arrested. Is a potential threat floating around in cyber space really more dangerous than an actual threat of being caught in a burning building?

If you would like more information about the incident that occurred last December, please check out my blog post from December 14, 2014, "In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion: Final Fall Quarter Review".