Dealing with Disability at School

By Sydney Marsman on October 2, 2015

We’ve all seen those people who are bound to their crutches or their wheelchairs. We’ve all looked at the people wheeling down the sidewalk with pity in our eyes, wondering how they could live their entire lives stuck in one chair. The fact is, there are many more than just those few people in wheelchairs that suffer from disabilities. Many students have more secretive disabilities, some that don’t appear obvious to the public eye. For example, I have lived with a disease called epilepsy since the third grade. If I were to walk down the sidewalk with a person on crutches, I wouldn’t feel any more physically able than the person next to me, only because I know this person has something in their brain that I lack. And now, because of this, I will give you three rules to follow in order to function in a college atmosphere with a physical disability.

1. Know your limits     

College is full of fun and exciting opportunities – things you’ve never experienced before, or ever even knew you could experience. However, having a disability like epilepsy, it is important to know which of these things your body can handle. For example, I was recently informed that drinking caffeine could be a trigger for my epilepsy and therefore, could possibly be dangerous. Knowing this, I keep this fact in mind and avoid caffeine in order to protect my own body.

2. Learn how to lay low       

As an epileptic, one of the easiest ways to ensure your own health is to learn to say “no” to stuff, even when it sounds really fun. It is not easy for me to say no to fun opportunities, but I am learning that nothing is going to be fun for anyone if I overwork myself and have a seizure. Therefore, relaxing is quickly becoming one of the most important things in my life.

3. Surround yourself with good people      

One of the most important aspects of my college career, disability aside, has been the crowd of people I spend every day with. However, the months when my epilepsy has really tested me has been the months when my friends have proven their reliability. The countless times they have held my hand and sat with me while I laid nauseous in my bed have been a true blessing. Because of this, I must say that the friends a person has will determine how they are able to handle their disability.

 

Whether you live with a disability or not, I recommend that you take these words into account. Even if one day, you do become disabled (in some way or another), it doesn’t have to be the end of your life.

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