(plus A Wheel-along Bag And A Cane So That I Don't Put As Much Pressure On My Back When Walking To/from School) - Tumblr Posts
This. I've missed SO much school this year (and in previous years) because of chronic pain and frequent sickness (poor immune system). It's been HELL trying to catch up, especially during GCSEs. Most teachers told me to just catch up with what I could, and come to them if I needed help. But some of them expected me to be able to do ~2 weeks' worth of work whilst I was bedridden and lethargic (practically zombiefied) from pain meds. I barely ate, barely drank water, just. Slept. For 2 WEEKS.
Plus, several of the SCHOOL NURSES didn't take my pain seriously. They assumed I was faking it for attention (and at the time I lacked a diagnosis because doctors wouldn't take me seriously either), and several times where I walked into their office screaming and sobbing in agony, they'd send me back to class because I had "missed too much school already". I get it, they're legally obligated to, but come on?? If a kid comes in unable to talk, howling in pain, and physically leaning on their friend because they're struggling to walk?? Let them stay, education be damned!
(Sorry for the rant, I normally wouldn't post this stuff on main since I try to keep my blog fandom/art related, but this really resonated with me and people don't talk about this enough.)
When I say “school should be disability accessible”, I don’t just mean we need handicap rails and EAs. Kids should be able to miss a day without failing out of school. You shouldn’t be dismissed from clubs because your attendance record is “spotty” (true story). I once missed an entire week of school because of a terrible, unending migraine. I was expected to keep up with my studies despite the blinding pain that came with working on my computer. When I heard my teachers say that you couldn’t miss exams, I asked what I would have to do to be excused from them. Their response? “Either get a doctor’s note an hour before the exam or death of an immediate family member.”
I cannot express how rigid this expectation was. First of all, with my condition, I wouldn’t have enough warning about my sickness to go to the doctor and request a note. For many people, this is exceptionally difficult, especially with the current shortage of medical professionals. Next, it ignores the fact that my schedule may not line with theirs because of my medical needs. Once, I had to visit a hospital a province away (which I was on the waiting list of for over a year) on the same day as an exam. I begged my mother not to take me because I was so nervous that I would be marked as an automatic fail. I was lucky enough to make it work, but that’s only because of my spectacular support system consisting of family members and wonderful doctors.
Disabilities aren’t always about needing a bus that can accommodate wheelchairs. It’s already difficult enough for many of us to maintain school attendance without the harsh punishments involved for skipping a day. We need to be able to miss school without being punished. Only than can you claim that the school is “accessible”