Oy, Christina Jo!

First of all, I hope you sue the pants off the school. that is really
outrageous.

But... If you are a client of the Regional Center, you should be able to
get them to pay for classroom helpers.
If you are a client of dept. of rehabilitation, you most certainly should
be able to get them to pay for help at school.
Are you in California or what state are you in?  keep fighting! don't let
the b*&*&*s get you down!

finally, you may just want to transfer to a more accessible school!

love,
Mag




Tamar Magenta Raine
[log in to unmask]

Oakland Mayor's Commission on People with disabilities
 ----- Original Message -----
> From: <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 5:00 PM
> Subject: School, doors, cars, and a soapbox! (long)
>
>
> > I don't know if you remember my rant awhile back about the doors at my
> > college, well I got hurt going to my Japenese class, at the Forest
> Park
> Campus. They
> > don't have automatic doors on the building my class is in. I was
> trying to
> > get through a regular door, in my wheelchair, and my left foot caught
> on
> the
> > door frame. My chair went forward and my leg twisted behind me. I tore
> the
> > ligaments in my knee and have severe bone bruising. At first they were
> looking at
> > casting the leg for 3 weeks and then possible surgery. The whole thing
> is
> a
> > nightmare. What makes it worse is it all would have been totally
> preventible if
> > the college followed the accessibility laws.
> >
> > I've basically been sleeping and on pain killers....they make you
> really
> > loopy. My doctor wanted to try bracing my knee for 6 weeks before
> making
> any
> > furthur decisions regarding surgery. Unfortunately we haven't been
> able to
> find the
> > proper brace and my knee has gotten worse and worse. We finally got a
> > referral to a bracing specialist and are trying to work something out.
> asked him to
> > cast my knee because I knew finding a proper knee brace would be a
> nightmare.
> > Today we finally got a brace and it slides down off my knee after
> wearing
> it
> > for 5 minutes. It's completely ridiculous. It's been 4 weeks since I
> injured it
> > and we haven't been able to keep it in the proper position to allow it
> to
> > heal. The knee is getting weaker and I can barely stand. This is a
> real
> problem
> > because my house isn't at all accessible and no one can lift me to
> keep me
> off
> > the knee.
> >
> > I had a meeting with the Access office 2 weeks ago to discuss how I
> could
> > complete this semester. I was taking 16 credit hours. To say they were
> less then
> > helpful is an understatement. I told them that I was concerned about
> being
> > able to be on campus without the ability to get in and out of my
> chair,
> seeing as
> > in all but one class I am forced to walk in and get my seat etc.. They
> > responded that they could move my classrooms, but they could not help
> me
> find
> > someone to get me to and from my classes, help with lunch, or even
> make
> sure that I
> > was safe in the bathroom. They suggested that I ask my home health
> attendent
> > to come to class with me.... but by law my home attendent is only
> allowed
> to
> > work with me in the home. I asked if my mom could attend some classes
> with
> me..
> > or even just make sure I got to classes safely and was told that it is
> > againist school policy to allow parents in classes. I then asked if I
> could transfer
> > my english, theatre, and computer classes to online courses and was
> told
> I'd
> > have to re-enroll and pay again in order to do that. I'm on
> scholarship
> and
> > have no money to do that.
> >
> > By the time I finished exhausting all my options and emailing all over
> campus
> > to no avail I had already missed weeks of school. We figured the best
> thing
> > for me to do was medically withdraw and hopefully pick up classes
> again in
> the
> > summer.
> >
> > This whole thing has made me sick and I am really into a depression.
> Not
> > being in school leaves me home alone all day with no ability to get
> out.
> We've
> > already consulted with a lawyer and plan to take legal action, but all
> of
> this
> > fighting gets so old. It took me forever to finish high school because
> my
> IEP
> > accomadations were never met completely. People always assume that
> because
> I
> > have an above average IQ my physical needs are irrelevent.
> >
> > To make matters worse our van died yesterday. It is 13 yrs old. We
> can't
> > afford to put anymore money into it. Our credit is maxed from paying
> for
> HBOT
> > sessions, and masssage sessions, accupuncture, all those alternative
> therapies
> > that reall work but are never covered by insurance. It's such a sick
> cycle.
> > Somehow making only $658.00 a month on social security and being in
> school
> full
> > time I'm supposed to come up with the money for all my therapies plus
> another
> > $500 a month to pay off a car loan on a $30,000 wheelchair van that I
> can't get
> > to school or therapy without. As if that's not bad enough, my mom lost
> her
> job
> > because she couldn't garuntee she'd be able to get to work this week
> without a
> > van!
> >
> > It's one thing after another and what really sucks is it's all related
> to
> my
> > cerebral palsy. You know I always try to remember that I am Christina
> Jo
> not
> > my cerebral Palsy, but when all this stuff is holding you back just
> because of
> > your disability, not because you were stupid and blew all your money
> at a
> > casino, or took a trip to hawaii, or got kicked out of school for
> drinking
> etc.
> > When all of this is happening because your body betrays you and you
> have
> zero
> > control. What are you supposed to do with that? It's just all so
> disgusting.
> >
> > I know cars break, but we wouldn't need a 10 times overpriced
> wheelchair
> van
> > if I didn't have CP. We could get away with a nice small car. Our
> credit
> > certainly wouldn't be maxed all over the place. I could get a job
> without
> worrying
> > that I'd lose my medicaid. Hell I'd have the energy to go to school
> and
> work.
> > I mean lets face it. Most of us are in horrible financial shape
> because of
> > medical bills, equipment, therapies... it's not like we're taking a
> group
> trip to
> > the bahamas every month! It just gets to me. I'm the reason we worry
> about
> > the cut off date on the electricity, if we have enough money for food,
> why
> my
> > mom sometimes works 3 jobs.....it's just wrong.
> >
> > The worst part is...I'm out there trying to succeed despite it all and
> I
> > can't even trust people to follow the laws, do their jobs, jobs they
> have
> because
> > I'm disabled. Let's face it Regional caseworks, UCP, alll special
> needs
> > related services. All those jobs, for "normal" people are created to
> help
> the
> > disabled... and yet the disability unemployment rate is up over %85
> the
> college drop
> > out rate for the disabled is over %90 and most adults with
> disabilities
> and
> > parents of disabled children are given little to no real help or even
> told
> > about programs they may qualify for. It's beauracratic red tape.. and
> I'm
> stuck in
> > it because of a dsability a body that's beyond my control. This wasn't
> some
> > mistake I made.. or even a choice.. and well it is just really really
> getting
> > to me. Sometimes I think we're like the civil rights movement in the
> 60's..
> > it's a whole other fight for life for the disabled now.
> >
> > I'm sorry this turned out really long. If you read this far thanks. I
> know
> it
> > isn't the most enlightening thing, but sometimes reality hits hard.
> >
> >
> > CHRISTINA JO (22 yrs old Spastic Diaplegia C.P.)
> >
> > Capable Corners : www.capablecorners.com
> > The Hope Ring : www.geocities.com/~cpheart/webring.htm
> >
> > "People see me, I'm a challenge to your balance."
> >
> > " Happily ever after fails and we've been posioned by these fairy
> tales"
> >
> >