The Long and Winding Road to College

Story time! No, I will not be sharing another awkward encounter today; that's for next week. Instead, I'm going to be sharing a different kind of story, one that allows me to be completely frank with all of you.

In my first blog, I mentioned how I don't like to be called inspiring. Nothing I do seems remarkable to me because I am simply living my life as all people are conditioned to do. That doesn't mean that I haven't encountered obstacles and been amazed that I'd overcome them, though.

At times, there have been obstacles that I hadn't even considered. This was never more true in any period of my life than the summer before I began college. 

For years I'd always known that I'd go to college. There was no question. If I was going to live a comfortable life I had to go. So, I went through the steps as any prospective college student would.

I toured schools and sent in my applications. I got accepted and registered for classes. I even went through the process of filling out FAFSA--a task which could be equated to spending a night in Azkaban and enduring a dementor's kiss, and yes, you need chocolate afterwards.

It's common knowledge that college is expensive. If you aren't getting an academic or athletic scholarship right out of the gate, chances are, you're one of the many entering the scholarship lottery. I was one of those students. I got lucky and won a few but I still wasn't set.

Luckily, for people with disabilities, the government has ways to help them out when they have other expenses to attend to such as the cost of an accessible van.

The Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), is a government organization where disabled individuals can go in order to get associated with vocational counselors. These counselors help individuals become active members of their communities by providing aid for schooling, providing in-home medical care, and job coaching. It seemed like the organization that could help me start my future. They were even aligned with the special education program at my high school so, I easily got a meeting.

I was ready to be told about how all my financial problems could be solved and my future could be realized. I believed I was all set. 

On my first official meeting with a vocational counselor, I was told that I was not eligible for funding because I was looking to go to a private university. However, my counselor said if I went to community college, they'd give me a full ride! She was very adamant that I change my decision.

Especially, because she had seen kids with disabilities set on going to a four-year university but end up not being successful. Although, I was initially disappointed that some lady from the government told me I couldn't go to my top choice, that day I wheeled over to my local community college and enrolled!

. . . . .

Courtesy of Inception 

Oh, wait. Nope, that didn't happen. My mistake. Instead, I just got really angry at her. It wasn't that I had anything against community college. It's a fine option for anyone. It was the insistence that I hadn't done the proper research, and that, I had just had my sights set on a prestigious school because I felt like I had something to prove.

Yes, I did have my sights set on one specific school. Yet it was not because of stubbornness or pride. It was because everyone deserves a good education and a good college experience. The University of St. Francis was where I was going to get it.

A large majority of college students choose where they're going to go to school based on a few criteria such as: cost of tuition, books, room and board, size of the school, location and whether the school has their program. These are only a few of the reasons but they are usually the first ones students will mention when asked how they made their decision. 

These are all important to me too but there are two more important factors, such as, "Is the school and all of its programs accessible to be me?", and if not, "Is the school willing to work with me to make them accessible?"

In my opinion, my local community college wouldn't have fit this criteria. The school was small but not quite small enough and the disability services seemed to be, just that, a service and nothing more. My mind was set. I was going to the University of St. Francis (USF). DRS told me that if that was where I insisted on going, they would only pay for my books. It was a small victory but a victory nonetheless. The only stipulation was that I had to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

NOTE: SSI is basically social security which people can claim if they are elderly or disabled. 

I'll spare you the details of how to apply for SSI. Suffice it to say that it's a long process of gathering financial documents, filling out paperwork and heading on down to your local government social security office for a nice little interview. A bit of advice when meeting with government officials, in the words of Aaron Burr--according to Grammy Award Winner and star of Hamilton: An American Musical Lin Manuel Miranda--"talk less, smile more".

We were getting down to the wire. Tons of people apply for SSI every day and, at least where I live, it's about a six-month process for approval. My mom and I were both calling the SSI office frequently to check the status of my approval; yet, they weren't returning our phone calls or we'd get on the phone with someone who'd say that my case was still pending approval. With about a month to go before school, we were at our wits end.

Until I was approved to receive SSI, I couldn't receive any DRS services. DRS was telling me that without approval they could only hold my spot for so long. It was awful. My family isn't one to be unprepared. With every obstacle thrown our way my parents have always done everything in their power to make sure our family got through it. Yet, they were beginning to lose it and so was I. 

By some miracle, one day, my mother got through to a lady in the SSI offices that could actually tell us something. I still don't know what this lady did that no one else could but she approved my application. I could now receive a monthly paycheck and therefore, services through DRS.

NOTE: Just to name a few of the services DRS approved for me: payment for textbooks, a laptop, and money for gas every few months.

Finally, we were all set! I could pay for school and go there with no other worries!

.....

Courtesy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Oh wait, that's not true either.

Two weeks before I began school, I met with the Disability Services specialist at USF. The last four or five times that I'd visited with her that summer, everything had been fine. I had height-specific desks in all of my classrooms and my accommodations for each class were set up too. There was even construction done in the radio station where I'd be broadcasting, two times a week for one semester, just for me!

Everything seemed so good finally but there was one tiny problem my parents and I had overlooked that the Disability Services Specialist had reminded us. I would need someone on campus with me at all times. 

We had never for a second considered it, not even with the money my parents had put into an accessible van. What were we going to do this time? With two weeks left before school there was no way we would win this battle. We were defeated.

The more worried my parents were getting, the more worried I was getting. The more frustrated they were getting, the more frustrated I was getting. Was I really not going to go to college? What would happen to me then? How would I get a job? Who would hire a kid in a wheelchair with only a high school diploma and no work experience? Would I have to live at home forever? These thoughts ran through my head constantly. It was a reality I never thought I'd have to face and it was scaring me to no end. 

We immediately considered one solution but it was a long shot: hire a neighbor to accompany me to school everyday. There was a woman who had gotten me off the bus every day since I was in 5th grade.

So, on a day when we were all particularly on edge, my mom called her up and asked for her help. She said yes and said that she might know another person that would be interested in being a backup aide. A huge weight was lifted off of our chests! We had conquered what seemed to be the impossible. Two weeks later, I was on campus. I was starting a new chapter.

That's all for this week. Leave a comment if you like what you've read! Talk to you next week where I'll be significantly funnier as I detail another awkward encounter.