College is stressful, but for some students, like me, the stress is increased by having a physical disability. Because at-home learning seems like it would make things easier for people with mobility issues, there isn’t much discussion about how the changes in how education is provided can make it even harder for us to succeed.
I have a medical condition called Spina Bifida where the spinal cord fails to develop properly in utero. Most people with this condition are in a wheelchair for life, they cannot feed themselves or take care of other basic needs.
I have been blessed by God because I am able to feed myself. I am able to walk, though I do use forearm crutches to support myself because of issues with balance. And my mom always stays with me to look after me in case I fall or to carry anything that I can’t.
A year ago I was on the front page of The College VOICE because my mom and I went to the college’s Board of Trustees to ask for the elevators, which were frequently broken, to be fixed since she was having to carry me to my classrooms on the third floor of the BS building multiple times per week for weeks on end. I explained that plenty of people have mobility issues, whether they are short or long term, that the problem is bigger than just me. There has been improvement with the elevators, but this kind of advocacy takes time and energy.
Now add the challenge of the pandemic and the shifts we’ve all had to make to be in college right now.
This semester, I have two hybrid courses, one online class, and one remote class. The hybrid courses require me to go to campus once a week. The other days are scheduled on Zoom. It’s a tricky schedule, bouncing back and forth between different modes of instruction, and the disability adds a layer of difficulty.
Over the last two years, I have been dealing with chronic pain and muscle spasms. With Spina Bifida, it is difficult to exercise. Physical therapists help people like me by giving us things that we can do to get some exercise and I have been consistent about following those protocols including doing stretches to warm up my body.
However, I woke up one day after working out with severe pain in my left leg. I went to the hospital to see what was going on. The doctors sent me for X-Rays, noted that I had strained my left quad muscle and gave me muscle relaxants to minimize the pain and reduce muscle spasms. Then there was more physical therapy. I did everything I was told, all the stretches, but it didn’t help.
So I had a follow up appointment via telemedicine. When I told the doctor that the therapy wasn’t working, he told me to see a neurologist. The neurologist sent me for an MRI on September 3 of this year, 5 days before the start of the fall semester at MCCC. I was still having the pain and spasms when classes began on September 8.
I have continued classes for the past month, waiting to get the results of the MRI. When I finally got them on October 5, the doctor said that I have a tethered spinal cord which is when the spinal cord is pulled down and gets stuck in the spinal canal. This is what is causing the pain and spasms in my leg. It’s a condition that can only be fixed with surgery.
So I am scheduled to see the neurosurgeon later this month, and after two years, we will go over what can be done to fix the tethered cord.
Now consider that the National Center for Education Statistics says that of students with disabilities on college campuses, 8% have mobility or orthopedic issues and that 2-year public colleges tend to see more students with disabilities who need care and may not be able to live in dorms away from home. The sad fact is, we are less likely to graduate from college than our able bodied peers. We are already having to fight harder to succeed.
My professors have always been willing to work with me and I know they will continue to do so, but taking time out for appointments and potentially surgery can set a student like me back. And adding the unpredictable element of the pandemic’s impact on education puts students like me at further risk of falling behind or losing the education we need to be successful.
