Going To School After A Spinal Cord Injury
Going back to school was one of the most terrifying things I had to do after my injury. After being injured between my freshman and sophomore year in high school I was very worried about keeping up with my schoolwork and graduating on time. I ended up taking a year and doing home bound schooling, which allowed me to go to therapy and still keep up in school. I went back to school my junior year and it was difficult. I never thought going to school would require so much energy. Pushing around to each class, taking notes, and trying to stay awake was tough, but I did it.
When going back to school you have to be able to be a self-advocate or have someone that can be there to make sure you get what you need. I chose to have an IEP (Individualized Education Program), which allowed me to have accommodations put in place that the teachers had to follow. These accommodations included a copy of notes, leniency with class lateness, extra time for test taking, being able to use assistive technology, for example iPads, computers, or voice recorders. Having these in place makes all the difference, there are some teachers who don’t care what you’re going through so having an IEP makes them follow the rules.
Another big thing that helped was having someone go from class to class with me. Sometimes I would be so tired I could barely push, and add a heavy backpack and it was almost impossible! Having someone there gives you the option to be pushed, or even have them carry the backpack. Another option to make things easier is having a copy of your textbooks in each class you have. That prevents having a heavy backpack. In my opinion the key to being successful in school is being able to be your own advocate and make sure you get what you need.
For college the disabilities office is the place to go. Every college may be different but for me what I did was get in contact with the disabilities office and they assigned me a case manager. I then had to figure out what accommodations were necessary. After that I filled out paperwork specifying what I thought I needed. The person in charge of you case will then give you an official paper that lists everything and that is what you will give to each professor. In high school the teachers will make sure they help you out, but in college it is your job to make sure you get what you need. The professors will not go out of their way to help you. Don’t be afraid to talk to them and get what you need, it will make everything easier!
