I had a rude awakening of inaccessible places when my wheels hit Western Michigan University’s campus as a college freshman. Don’t get me wrong – I love my alma mater and am filled with bronco pride – but those early days of navigating an older campus, hills and lack of access were very hard.
I was naïve about issues geared toward people with disabilities. I had no clue what the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was, and I certainly didn’t know the technical standards for accessibility. I figured there had to be some input from people with disabilities modifying or building new spaces.
Curiosity, a research article for journalism class, and passion prompted my foray into the world of disability culture, law and technical requirements for physical structures. I was hooked. Not only did I find out about accessibility in Kalamazoo, MI but met individuals who had firsthand knowledge of what life was like before the ADA. Men and women talked to me about climbing stairs with their hands, doors shut in their faces, the humiliation of not having equal access and being treated like an outcast.
I was floored. My complaints of elevators not working, buttons being kicked by students and curb cuts being uneven were minimal in comparison to what these men and women had to go through in the 70s, 80s and 90s. What was even more disheartening was that they didn’t choose to be disabled – it just happened – and they were being penalized for it.
So what did I do? I became involved in student council, I wrote about accessibility barriers people with disabilities faced on campus and I tried my hardest to educate those around me about how they could spread awareness. A passion was rising within me and I wanted to do all I could so that those with disabilities could have equal access. A lofty goal I admit, but I was at the age where I felt I could change the world.
My advocacy throughout college and attempts to educate were shared with a reporter – she is now one of my dear friends - who had written about me four years earlier upon graduation from high school. Kym wrote an updated story and that article changed my life.
I had aspirations of becoming a full-time reporter. I wanted to write, interview and share stories that would educate others and hopefully inspire. But as soon as the article ran in the Grand Rapids Press and Kalamazoo Gazette my future would take a new turn. And you know what, I willingly jumped on board!
- Lucia -
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