In this episode my very best friend, Luis and I discuss what school is like when you are ably different and we share our experiences. So Come Roll with Us!!!!!
Support the showIn this episode my very best friend, Luis and I discuss what school is like when you are ably different and we share our experiences. So Come Roll with Us!!!!!
Support the show(00:00.0 - 00:07.7)
(Instrumental Music & Singing) Queensss On A Roll
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(Instrumental Music & Singing) Yeahh Heyyy Queens On A Roll
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(Instrumental Music & Singing) Ooooo who Queens On A Roll
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(Instrumental Music & Singing) Powerful Queens On A Roll
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(Instrumental Music & Singing) Queensssss
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(Instrumental Music & Singing) Oooo who Queensss
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(Instrumental Music, Singing & Bell Chiming) Powerful Queens
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Hey everyone and welcome back to
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Queens On A Roll podcast.
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This is Latavia here, and we have
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a special surprise for you guys today.
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I have a King on.
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And he's my very best friend, Luis. Hey, Luis.
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What's up?
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Hey, how's it going, Latavia?
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It's going good. It's going good!
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So since this is your first time on the
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podcast, let everyone know a little bit about yourself.
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So, yes, my name is Luis.
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I live in the Bronx, born and raised.
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I go to College.
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I have one more class to get my
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bachelor's, and I work in a high school.
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That is awesome.
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We are out here doing our thing.
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I love it.
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So today I brought you on because I
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wanted to talk about what it was like
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being ably different going to school. You ready?
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I'm ready.
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All right, let's roll.
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(Instrumental Music)
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So, Luis what was elementary school like?
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Elementary school was fine for me.
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I have cerebral palsy, spastic quadriplegia, which
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affects all four of my limbs.
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And I'm pretty much tight all the time.
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So unlike Latavia, I do take medication
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that helps relieve some of the tightness.
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So elementary school was fine from what I remember.
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Well, that's interesting, Luis, because I hated
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the medicine to make your muscles loose.
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I feel like I can't function.
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I mentioned that before, and my
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elementary school experience was okay.
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I would say it had its ups and downs because
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whenever I started school, I was always a pioneer.
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So I was always the first
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one to go through the program.
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And I did general education, but I was under
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the umbrella of special education, so they would give
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me the special education services I needed.
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But I was still in a general education classroom.
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Keep in mind, this was back in the 90s and 2000s guys.
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So things have changed a lot
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now, but elementary school was okay.
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It had its ups and downs as my mom alluded to
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In the last episode, she talked
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about my first day of kindergarten.
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So I'm going to give my perspective on it.
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So we were rolling into this big auditorium
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with all these people in there and the
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teacher yelling down, saying, special Ed is downstairs.
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I heard whispers and parents saying is that girl
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going to be in my son's class?
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Is that girl going to be in my daughter's class?
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And I was like, mom, they don't want me here.
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So mom was like, that's okay, this is where
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you belong and this is where you're gonna
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stay and everything will be all right.
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So I remember when I started
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the kindergarten class, it was interesting. You know
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At first, the kids were standoffish, which I
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can understand why children would be standoffish.
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They've never seen anybody that's different.
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And then the teachers were a little apprehensive because I
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guess they didn't really know how to teach me.
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So that was interesting.
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But eventually when they begin to see that
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I was intelligent, just like everyone else in
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the class, and I actually was doing better
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than the other students in the class.
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I became like the little teacher helper, and
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I would help the students in the class.
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So that made the parents feel a lot
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more comfortable with me being in there.
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So that's wild.
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Our school memories are kind of different.
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I don't remember students or
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parents looking at me different.
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I knew I was different because I was the
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only one in the wheelchair, but the teachers used
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to help me transfer to the mat and everything.
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And this is first and second grade, but
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yeah, they were really nice to me.
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The reason I think I went to a different school in
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third grade was because someone told my mom about it and
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she felt that it would be more inclusive and I will
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feel more like at home, if you will.
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From third grade to high school, I stayed in
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that school, and it was mostly a good experience. Yeah.
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I would say I had some more bumps in elementary school.
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I remember I had this one Para.
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I told her I wanted to be a doctor.
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And she literally told me, you can't be
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a doctor because you're in a wheelchair.
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So I came home.
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I remember coming home and I was like,
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mom, my para told me I can't be
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a doctor because I'm in a wheelchair.
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And my mom was like, don't you let anybody
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tell you what you can and cannot be.
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You could be a doctor if you wanted.
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I'm going to have to call that school.
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I would say middle school was
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when school became hell, honestly.
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(Instrumental Music)
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So why was it hell in middle school?
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It was hell because I got bullied on all fronts.
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So the kids in class would bully me,
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and then the adults were very mean to me.
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I remember my whole 6th and 7th grade years.
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The kids in the classroom couldn't stand me.
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And I didn't really understand why initially, but what
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I found out later was there was these two
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cute boys, like the popular boys in school.
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And instead of, liking the girls in the class
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that would throw themselves at them, they liked me.
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And so I became a target.
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The girls wanted to push me down the stairs.
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They became haters, big, big, haters, big, big, haters.
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But I don't think that was, like the worst of
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it for me because kids are going to be kids.
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So that's generally what happens.
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It was mostly the adults.
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Teachers would say, I don't know how to teach you.
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My paras would want to put their names on my papers.
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My mom gave that story in the last episode,
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too, because they felt like because they were
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writing for me, they did the work.
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I didn't do the work.
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Even though I would tell them what I needed them to
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do, they just felt like, oh, you're not doing the work.
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I'm doing the work.
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So I get to put my name on the paper.
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I can't believe they tried to
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take credit for your work? Yeah.
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I don't think it was so much taking credit for
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the work as much as they just felt it was
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too much for them to try to educate me in
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general ED, because I needed a lot of supportive services.
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So I needed a special chair to sit
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in when I was in the classroom.
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So I needed to be transferred in and out of the chair.
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I needed a scribe, which is a person to write for me.
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I needed mask and markers, which is just basically in
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order for me to do math, I needed things
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highlighted in different colors so I could see.
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So I just basically needed a lot of support.
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I needed extra time on test.
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I needed frequent breaks.
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And they wouldn't provide any of these services.
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They did, but they just felt like I would
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have been better supported if I was in special
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education, because in special education, that's where you're supposed
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to get all the services or according to them.
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So it was like, oh, we don't provide this in general ED.
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And if she needs all of that,
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then she needs to go to special ED
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But my mom was like, no, her intellect is
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fine, so she belongs in a regular classroom.
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You just need to give her the
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services that she needs to be successful.
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There's nothing wrong with that.
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So, yeah, middle school was hell.
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I remember having an occupational therapist that would always equate
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me having CP to her mom having a stroke.
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And that's how she wanted to treat me,
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as if I was a stroke patient.
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And I kept trying to tell her
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like, it's completely two different things.
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It was just a lot going on.
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I remember I also had asthma, too.
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So I remember when I needed to go to
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the nurse because I was having an asthma attack.
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My para thought I was faking and
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she wouldn't take me to the nurse.
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So I had to roll myself because at
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this time, I didn't have a power chair.
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I had a manual chair.
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I had to roll myself to the
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nurse's office because she wouldn't take me.
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It was just a lot
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(Instrumental Music)
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(Story time sound effect)
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I remember one day I was sitting in class,
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everybody was getting ready to settle down, come in.
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And my para was like, Take
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off your jacket by yourself. What? Yeah.
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And I was like, oh, you know, I need help.
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And she was like, I don't care.
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The occupational therapist said, you need to know
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how to do this on your own.
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So take off your jacket.
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And at this time, all the students were coming
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in, and this was when they were really making
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fun of me and really didn't like me.
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So she made me struggle to take off my coat.
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And when I say struggle, I mean
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struggle to take off my coat.
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And all the kids made fun of me.
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I bet they were doing what a lot of kids do
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when with people in wheelchair, they stare a lot stare.
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And they were just laughing like, oh, ha
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ha, you can't take off your own coat.
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And it was embarrassing, I think, from
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That day forth, I didn't want to go back to school,
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so I started telling my mom, like, oh, I'm sick.
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I don't really want to go to school.
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I don't feel well.
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And of course, everyone knows my mom.
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And if you don't know now, she knew I was faking.
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So she was like, oh, no, this school
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is not going to kill my daughter's spirit.
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To learn, she has to come up out of here.
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But that story was just a
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straw that broke the camel's back.
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Because even during that time, when I came into
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that school, I was reading above my grade level.
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I was reading on a 7th grade level
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in the 6th grade at the time.
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So they began to tell her, oh,
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she's doing below grade level work.
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She can't hack the work now, mind you, like
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I said before, I was a nerd in school,
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so my mom really didn't believe it.
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So that incident was only the
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straw that broke the camel's back.
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And what she did after that
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was asked for an impartial hearing.
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And what exactly is an impartial hearing?
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An impartial hearing.
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It's like an annual review for a progress report.
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If people don't know what that is, it's basically
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when everybody meets for the individualized education plan and
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they tell their parents and the service providers
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for the child, they come together and they say
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whether they're making progress or not and what are
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the new goals for their new IEP?
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So that's basically how an impartial hearing
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goes, where everybody comes together and they
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reconvene and talk about the IEP.
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But what they didn't know is that my mom
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had called the state representative to come in, and
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this state representative had been following me since kindergarten.
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So she came in the meeting and
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she was like, you know what?
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Enough is enough.
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Latavia has been going through a lot since kindergarten.
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Where do you want to put her, Ms. Mcmillan?
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And my mom said she needs
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to go to Henry Viscardi school.
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So that is where I ended up in
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the middle of 7th grade at Henry Viscardi
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(Stair climbing sound)
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So that is where Luis and I actually meant.
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(It's fun fact time sound effect)
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And the fun fact is that initially,
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Luis and I didn't like each other.
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But keep in mind, we were middle schoolers,
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so we rode on the same bus together.
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And Luis always liked to sleep
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while I was a Chatty Cathy.
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I always like to talk on the bus ride home.
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So I didn't like him because I felt he was rude, because the
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way he would tell me to be quiet is to shut up.
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And he felt that I was too much of a Chatty Cathy.
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But you know what's funny is, look at us now.
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We are like the best of friends.
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And I couldn't ask for a better friend.
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(Instrumental Music)
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So Luis, how was your experience at HVS?
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HVS became, well, eventually became
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a home away from home.
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Why do you say eventually?
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Because, well, starting out there in third grade, academically,
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I was doing fine, but socially I was just
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really shy of getting to know everybody so I
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didn't know what a bus room was.
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I thought that was actually the
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room that they called the bathroom.
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I remember one day I asked if I could go to
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the bus room because I needed to use the bathroom.
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But they looked at me confused.
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(Laughing sound)
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It was just a very socially awkward time.
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I eventually made friends and I actually enjoyed getting up
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early in the morning to actually go to school.
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I can't say the same about when I was in public school.
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Yeah, I actually feel the same way.
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I actually feel the same way.
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Going to HVS was like a breath of fresh air
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for me because I got to actually do different things
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and actually get to go on trips because when I
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was in middle school I couldn't go on trips.
(15:08.5 - 15:11.5)
They would always say they didn't have any busing and I
(15:11.5 - 15:14.8)
couldn't get to where I needed to go because of that.
(15:14.9 - 15:17.4)
And the kids would make fun of me in my class.
(15:17.5 - 15:20.2)
So what my mom would have to do is she would have
(15:20.2 - 15:22.3)
to make sure I went on a better trip than them.
(15:22.3 - 15:24.8)
I would have to go to Florida or something.
(15:24.9 - 15:26.9)
So that when they told me the next day
(15:26.9 - 15:28.7)
in school that they went to Six Flags, I
(15:28.7 - 15:31.0)
could say, oh, well, I went to Florida.
(15:31.1 - 15:32.3)
We had a good time over
(15:32.4 - 15:34.2)
the weekend and things like that.
(15:34.4 - 15:37.5)
So going to HVS was actually a breath
(15:37.6 - 15:40.6)
of fresh air because I finally got to have
(15:40.7 - 15:43.4)
like a really authentic school experience.
(15:43.9 - 15:46.6)
So I really enjoyed that and loved that.
(15:46.6 - 15:51.2)
We got to go to prom, we got to do senior trip.
(15:51.4 - 15:53.7)
We got to do many different trips throughout the year.
(15:53.8 - 15:56.1)
So it was great and I just felt like
(15:56.2 - 15:58.7)
I was finally in a place where I belong.
(15:58.8 - 16:02.9)
Yeah, there was a lot of other programs like Friday
(16:03.0 - 16:05.9)
Night rec where we would stay late in the school.
(16:06.8 - 16:09.4)
On Fridays there will be basketball,
(16:09.8 - 16:12.4)
you go play with computers.
(16:13.0 - 16:15.4)
They also have the Independence Living House, which is
(16:15.5 - 16:18.6)
pretty cool, where you learn how to live independently.
(16:19.6 - 16:22.2)
Yeah, I love all that different stuff.
(16:22.6 - 16:24.9)
It was a really great experience.
(16:25.4 - 16:28.4)
(Beat sound)
(16:29.3 - 16:32.6)
So now we're transitioning into College.
(16:32.7 - 16:35.6)
College was a nightmare for me, but
(16:35.7 - 16:38.3)
how was it for you, Luis? It was different.
(16:38.3 - 16:39.5)
I wasn't used to going to
(16:39.6 - 16:41.6)
different buildings for each class.
(16:41.7 - 16:43.4)
I can't say it was horrible.
(16:43.5 - 16:46.1)
I mean, they accommodated me so I
(16:46.1 - 16:47.7)
didn't really have a negative experience.
(16:48.6 - 16:51.8)
The late classes were a struggle for me, so I
(16:51.9 - 16:54.7)
only had one late class and I had to drop
(16:54.7 - 16:57.8)
it quickly because I also used access a ride and my class
(16:57.8 - 17:01.8)
would end at 10:00 and access a ride would come around 1130.
(17:02.1 - 17:04.2)
So that was horrible for me.
(17:04.2 - 17:06.5)
Wait, so you mean you had stress a ride because,
(17:06.6 - 17:09.1)
you know, access a ride never comes on time for anything.
(17:09.2 - 17:10.6)
Yes, stress a ride.
(17:10.8 - 17:14.6)
I'm so glad that I barely even use them anymore.
(17:14.8 - 17:15.7)
That's a good thing.
(17:15.7 - 17:16.7)
That's a good thing.
(17:16.8 - 17:20.2)
Well, my College experience was a nightmare, but I do
(17:20.2 - 17:25.1)
know that for some people in HVS that stayed there
(17:25.2 - 17:28.2)
for a long time from, like, third to 12th grade
(17:28.3 - 17:31.2)
felt some anxiety about going to College. Did you?
(17:32.0 - 17:35.5)
I don't think I had anxiety because right after
(17:36.0 - 17:38.7)
I graduated high school, I actually had a surgery.
(17:38.9 - 17:42.0)
So I started College a little later.
(17:42.2 - 17:45.4)
But when I did start, I was excited.
(17:45.5 - 17:48.4)
I want to start my journey in
(17:48.4 - 17:51.1)
College and see where I went.
(17:51.2 - 17:53.3)
I had no idea what exactly I wanted to do,
(17:53.3 - 17:57.3)
but, yeah, I just was excited to get started.
(17:58.4 - 18:00.6)
So, yeah, that's interesting because I
(18:00.6 - 18:02.1)
was talking to my friend Lauren.
(18:02.2 - 18:03.3)
Hey, Lauren.
(18:03.5 - 18:05.0)
And she was telling me that she
(18:05.1 - 18:07.8)
went into HVS in the third grade.
(18:07.9 - 18:12.0)
Before that, she was in public school, and she stayed
(18:12.0 - 18:15.0)
in HVS from all the way to 12th grade.
(18:15.1 - 18:17.1)
So when it was time for her to transition
(18:17.2 - 18:20.4)
into College, she felt a little bit of anxiety
(18:20.4 - 18:24.5)
because when going to HVS, you have that one
(18:24.5 - 18:28.2)
on one attention and individual academics.
(18:28.3 - 18:31.1)
So when she got to College, you no longer have that.
(18:31.2 - 18:32.9)
You kind of have to fend for yourself.
(18:33.2 - 18:36.1)
So she was a little bit nervous, and
(18:36.7 - 18:39.7)
she struggled the first year academically because she
(18:39.7 - 18:42.8)
didn't have that one on one individual attention.
(18:43.0 - 18:45.7)
But after the first year, she got
(18:45.7 - 18:47.3)
used to it, and it was easier.
(18:47.3 - 18:49.7)
So it is a bit of a juggle.
(18:49.9 - 18:51.2)
So it's pretty interesting.
(18:51.3 - 18:54.9)
I never felt like I struggled in College in that
(18:55.0 - 18:59.5)
aspect because I will say being in general Ed and
(18:59.6 - 19:02.8)
then transitioning to HVS, it was kind of easy for
(19:02.8 - 19:06.4)
me because I assimilated in both areas. Right.
(19:06.4 - 19:08.1)
So I was with able body people, and
(19:08.1 - 19:09.9)
then I was with ably different people.
(19:10.0 - 19:13.0)
So I never felt like an outcast or different
(19:13.3 - 19:16.6)
because I was able to co-mingle with both groups.
(19:16.7 - 19:19.4)
So it never felt different to me or I
(19:19.4 - 19:22.1)
never had anxiety about College in that way.
(19:22.2 - 19:24.2)
I think my anxiety came from
(19:24.4 - 19:26.0)
just, like, what everybody feels, right.
(19:26.1 - 19:27.9)
We're so used to going to school, getting
(19:28.0 - 19:31.9)
that help, and now College, you're independent and
(19:32.0 - 19:33.4)
got to do everything on your own.
(19:33.5 - 19:36.8)
So that was my anxiety. Yeah.
(19:37.0 - 19:38.4)
I will admit now that you
(19:38.4 - 19:44.6)
say that independence was definitely new.
(19:45.0 - 19:47.7)
I was not used to taking notes while the
(19:47.7 - 19:51.0)
teacher was, well, professor while they were teaching.
(19:51.0 - 19:54.4)
And I don't know, when I started, I would
(19:54.4 - 19:57.0)
pretty much lose them because they will keep lecturing.
(19:57.4 - 20:00.5)
And I'd be, like, still starting my notes.
(20:00.6 - 20:04.3)
So eventually I had to adapt and start
(20:04.3 - 20:08.2)
recording every lecture, and that helped me.
(20:08.2 - 20:10.5)
So that part was a struggle.
(20:10.6 - 20:15.7)
See, that's where we're different, because in College I went
(20:15.7 - 20:18.5)
into it and College is a little bit different because
(20:18.6 - 20:20.6)
when you go in there, they want to see your
(20:20.6 - 20:23.9)
IEP, so they want to see that individualized education plan
(20:24.0 - 20:27.2)
to see what services you got, but they don't have
(20:27.2 - 20:28.8)
to give you those services.
(20:29.0 - 20:31.9)
So once again, when I started College,
(20:32.0 - 20:34.1)
this word pioneer just keeps coming up.
(20:34.2 - 20:36.2)
But when I started College, my undergrad
(20:36.2 - 20:38.8)
year, I was also a pioneer there.
(20:39.0 - 20:41.3)
So at first they didn't really
(20:41.3 - 20:42.4)
want to give me the services.
(20:42.5 - 20:44.4)
And that's why I say this College
(20:44.4 - 20:46.3)
was like an experience from hell.
(20:46.4 - 20:48.4)
They didn't want to give me the services, and I
(20:48.4 - 20:51.0)
had to fight for those services because they were like,
(20:51.1 - 20:53.1)
well, you don't look like you need them.
(20:53.2 - 20:55.3)
So I think you could manage in the class without them.
(20:55.4 - 20:58.7)
And I'm like, I need these services to be successful.
(20:58.8 - 21:01.3)
So I had a scribe, I had a note taker.
(21:01.3 - 21:03.1)
I had extra time on test, but
(21:03.1 - 21:04.5)
it wasn't easy to get that.
(21:04.5 - 21:07.6)
I think they really need to change the laws
(21:07.6 - 21:11.3)
and possibly mandate that we get those services because
(21:11.4 - 21:14.0)
they were very useful to me throughout school.
(21:14.2 - 21:18.2)
So I didn't have anxiety about note taking because
(21:18.3 - 21:20.1)
I would turn on my recorder and then I
(21:20.1 - 21:22.6)
would get note takers for the class.
(21:22.8 - 21:24.6)
But why didn't you use those services?
(21:24.7 - 21:27.2)
Because I know initially you had them,
(21:27.6 - 21:29.7)
so I did have those services.
(21:30.0 - 21:32.4)
I just didn't feel like I had to use them.
(21:32.5 - 21:36.3)
I didn't even use my extra time during exams.
(21:36.3 - 21:38.6)
I actually started using the extra
(21:38.7 - 21:40.8)
time during exams when COVID started.
(21:40.9 - 21:46.3)
But in class, I didn't feel like I needed them.
(21:46.4 - 21:49.8)
I used the extra time once for an exam because
(21:49.9 - 21:51.6)
I figured it was going to be a long exam.
(21:51.8 - 21:53.2)
I had double time.
(21:53.4 - 21:56.4)
I don't know why, I just never used it.
(21:56.5 - 21:58.6)
Yeah, I used it all the time.
(21:59.2 - 22:01.7)
It had got to a point where I also felt
(22:01.7 - 22:04.4)
like if I didn't use it because they didn't have
(22:04.4 - 22:07.7)
to give it to me, I wouldn't get the services.
(22:07.8 - 22:10.0)
So I used it to the best of my ability
(22:10.1 - 22:12.9)
because I did have this one professor that said, oh,
(22:13.0 - 22:16.2)
well, sometimes you finish my test before everyone else.
(22:16.3 - 22:17.5)
I don't think you need it anymore.
(22:17.5 - 22:18.8)
So I'm not going to give it to you.
(22:18.9 - 22:21.4)
So because it could easily be taken away from
(22:21.4 - 22:23.0)
you and you had to fight for it.
(22:23.1 - 22:26.4)
I just always used it. Yeah.
(22:26.5 - 22:27.9)
So they could say, like, if you don't
(22:28.0 - 22:29.5)
use it, then you don't need it. Yeah
(22:30.1 - 22:31.1)
Yeah, that makes sense.
(22:31.2 - 22:33.8)
But you can't determine for me what
(22:33.8 - 22:35.3)
I'm gonna to need or not need.
(22:35.4 - 22:38.8)
So it was just a whole advocating experience once
(22:38.8 - 22:41.5)
again, but a whole different level, because now I
(22:41.5 - 22:45.2)
had to advocate for myself by myself.
(22:45.4 - 22:47.1)
Like, mom was still there to guide me,
(22:47.2 - 22:49.0)
but she couldn't speak up for me anymore.
(22:49.0 - 22:50.4)
I had to speak up for myself.
(22:50.8 - 22:53.7)
So undergrad was interesting because once again, I was
(22:53.7 - 22:59.3)
a pioneer, and graduate school was very interesting.
(22:59.5 - 23:01.5)
Why was graduate school interesting?
(23:01.7 - 23:06.3)
Graduate school was interesting because I was a pioneer
(23:06.4 - 23:09.6)
once again, and I was the first person who
(23:09.7 - 23:12.2)
was ably different and in a wheelchair to
(23:12.2 - 23:15.6)
go into their speech language pathology program.
(23:15.8 - 23:20.2)
So they didn't know how to navigate or
(23:20.3 - 23:23.0)
how they had to modify the program for
(23:23.1 - 23:26.2)
me so that I could fully participate.
(23:26.3 - 23:29.4)
So it had its ups and downs.
(23:29.5 - 23:32.3)
They tried, but they just didn't have the knowledge.
(23:33.0 - 23:36.3)
So I remember when I initially started grad
(23:36.3 - 23:40.1)
school, they had this wheelchair lift that was
(23:40.2 - 23:43.6)
made to lift up regular manual chairs.
(23:43.8 - 23:48.9)
And when I first initially rode on it, it
(23:49.0 - 23:52.1)
could not lift my custom made power chair up.
(23:52.2 - 23:55.5)
So I remember going to the disability service office
(23:55.7 - 23:59.0)
and asking them to replace the wheelchair lift so
(23:59.0 - 24:02.2)
that it could accommodate all types of wheelchairs.
(24:02.3 - 24:04.6)
And they initially didn't want to do it.
(24:04.7 - 24:07.6)
So what happened was he said, I need to
(24:07.6 - 24:09.7)
see if it works for you or not.
(24:09.8 - 24:13.3)
So he had two ladies from another academic
(24:13.3 - 24:16.5)
Department and stuff come out and they watch
(24:16.7 - 24:20.6)
if the wheelchair lift was accommodating for me.
(24:20.6 - 24:22.9)
And once they realized that it didn't work,
(24:23.4 - 24:27.6)
they agreed to order another wheelchair lift that
(24:27.6 - 24:30.2)
can accommodate all types of wheelchairs.
(24:30.3 - 24:32.5)
But I remember when I was initially talking
(24:32.6 - 24:34.8)
to him about it, he said, Why do
(24:34.8 - 24:37.0)
you have to have a custom made wheelchair?
(24:37.2 - 24:38.6)
Why can't you just use a
(24:38.6 - 24:41.5)
regular wheelchair that everybody else uses?
(24:42.0 - 24:45.3)
And there was moments where if it
(24:45.3 - 24:48.1)
was broken, I couldn't see my clients.
(24:48.4 - 24:51.8)
And at first they wanted to lower my grade
(24:51.8 - 24:54.7)
because of that, because their policy was if you
(24:54.7 - 24:57.2)
were there, you needed to see your client.
(24:57.3 - 24:59.9)
And so I remember one time my professor was like,
(25:00.0 - 25:02.5)
okay, well, we're going to have to reduce your grade.
(25:02.8 - 25:04.9)
And I was like, What? Why?
(25:06.0 - 25:08.1)
Because you wasn't able to see your client?
(25:08.1 - 25:09.8)
I said, yeah, but I wasn't able to see
(25:09.8 - 25:12.4)
my client due to no fault of my own.
(25:12.5 - 25:14.2)
They did a lot of unfair things.
(25:14.3 - 25:18.4)
But again, it was because they really just didn't know how
(25:18.4 - 25:21.5)
to navigate it and really didn't know what to do.
(25:22.0 - 25:25.8)
I also remember one time when it was
(25:25.8 - 25:28.3)
time to go out to do clinicals, because
(25:28.4 - 25:30.4)
now you have to go in different areas.
(25:30.6 - 25:31.9)
They didn't really have a lot of
(25:31.9 - 25:34.4)
places for me that was handicapped accessible.
(25:35.4 - 25:39.0)
So I had to find clinicals of my own, which
(25:39.1 - 25:42.7)
I only had a very limited clinical experience because I
(25:42.7 - 25:45.1)
was only able to go to my old preschool, which
(25:45.1 - 25:49.4)
was United cerebral palsy, and back to another clinic where
(25:49.5 - 25:52.2)
I used to have speech language therapy.
(25:52.4 - 25:55.0)
So that was interesting in itself.
(25:56.1 - 25:57.7)
Academically, I was fine.
(25:57.7 - 26:03.2)
It was just, accessibility the accessibility part, they
(26:03.3 - 26:06.1)
had to get automatic doors because at this
(26:06.2 - 26:09.8)
point, I was going to College by myself. So
(26:09.9 - 26:13.0)
I was traveling by bus and they had these big
(26:13.1 - 26:15.6)
heavy doors in the building you could not open.
(26:15.7 - 26:17.4)
And sometimes the security guard
(26:17.4 - 26:18.7)
wasn't sitting at the desk.
(26:18.7 - 26:21.0)
So I said, well, if you guys can get automatic
(26:21.0 - 26:23.6)
doors, then I can open up the doors by myself.
(26:23.8 - 26:24.8)
That was a struggle.
(26:24.9 - 26:28.5)
And they didn't want to get automatic doors because they
(26:28.5 - 26:30.6)
were like, we don't have it in the budget.
(26:31.1 - 26:32.9)
So I had to fight them and go
(26:32.9 - 26:36.0)
to the omnbudsmen to get automatic doors.
(26:36.1 - 26:37.2)
And eventually they did it.
(26:37.2 - 26:41.1)
But it was just imagine having to do your studies and
(26:41.1 - 26:44.7)
make sure you maintain a B plus average, because the speech
(26:44.8 - 26:50.4)
language pathology major is a lot, and you have to maintain
(26:50.4 - 26:53.8)
a good GPA to even stay in the program.
(26:53.9 - 26:57.8)
So imagine having to do well academically, then
(26:57.8 - 27:00.1)
do well on your clinicals on the outside,
(27:00.5 - 27:04.9)
and then having to deal with accessibility issues.
(27:05.4 - 27:06.0)
Right.
(27:06.2 - 27:09.5)
It was just a lot because I had to juggle three things at
(27:09.5 - 27:13.3)
one time and make sure I was great at doing it all.
(27:13.5 - 27:16.1)
So with all these services and equipment you
(27:16.1 - 27:20.3)
needed, like the automatic doors and stair lift,
(27:21.0 - 27:24.0)
were there, like, staff that looked at you
(27:24.1 - 27:27.0)
like your high maintenance or something like that?
(27:27.1 - 27:32.6)
It wasn't the staff that looked at me differently. It wasn't that
(27:32.6 - 27:35.7)
I feel like they sometimes
(27:35.8 - 27:40.3)
wasn't sympathetic to my circumstances.
(27:40.4 - 27:44.3)
So there was one time my semester where
(27:44.5 - 27:47.1)
this is another story, guys, so buckle up.
(27:47.4 - 27:50.4)
I was almost towards the end, and we had
(27:50.4 - 27:54.8)
to do clinicals, and you have to be on
(27:54.8 - 27:57.6)
time because this is when you're doing evaluations.
(27:57.7 - 28:00.6)
So you're actually evaluating a client now.
(28:00.7 - 28:03.8)
So this was when I got a brand new chair, but
(28:03.9 - 28:06.0)
it was acting up like it would stop in the middle
(28:06.1 - 28:08.4)
of the street out of nowhere for no reason.
(28:08.5 - 28:11.2)
I remember I told you I'm traveling by myself.
(28:11.4 - 28:14.6)
So it stopped in the middle of the street when I
(28:14.6 - 28:17.5)
was on my way to school, and someone had to get
(28:17.5 - 28:20.2)
out of their car and push me onto the sidewalk.
(28:20.4 - 28:24.8)
And at that time, they provided me a helper
(28:24.9 - 28:27.5)
as well in the clinic, because sometimes I couldn't
(28:27.5 - 28:30.2)
manipulate the tools or things that I needed.
(28:30.3 - 28:34.0)
So they provided me with a helper.
(28:34.5 - 28:37.7)
So he came and he pushed me up to the clinic.
(28:37.8 - 28:41.6)
And I remember I missed part of the evaluation
(28:42.2 - 28:45.3)
just because of what happened with my wheelchair.
(28:45.5 - 28:47.8)
And we finished the evaluation.
(28:47.9 - 28:51.9)
I finished the evaluation report, and when I got my
(28:51.9 - 28:54.8)
grade back from my Professor, I got a lower grade.
(28:55.0 - 28:57.1)
So when I went to her and I asked
(28:57.1 - 28:58.9)
her, why did I get a lower grade?
(28:59.0 - 29:03.0)
She said, oh, it's because you were late to the
(29:03.0 - 29:06.2)
evaluation class, and everybody had already pitched in and did
(29:06.2 - 29:08.5)
some of the work, I said, yes, but I was
(29:08.5 - 29:10.8)
late due to no fault of my own.
(29:11.2 - 29:13.5)
And I emailed you and I informed you of that.
(29:13.5 - 29:15.5)
My wheelchair stopped in the middle of the
(29:15.5 - 29:17.9)
street this is not something I can control.
(29:18.0 - 29:21.2)
She said yes, well, I understand and I'm sympathetic to
(29:21.2 - 29:24.2)
your plight, but when you get out in the workforce,
(29:24.4 - 29:27.2)
your employer is not going to want to hear that
(29:27.2 - 29:31.1)
you couldn't come to work because you had wheelchair issues.
(29:31.2 - 29:33.3)
That sounds like a personal problem.
(29:33.5 - 29:35.6)
So that's why I had to lower your grade.
(29:35.7 - 29:39.6)
So I just feel like at certain times they
(29:39.6 - 29:43.0)
weren't sympathetic and really just didn't understand my plight.
(29:43.0 - 29:45.0)
That kind of showed their ignorance.
(29:45.1 - 29:48.2)
So it was a lot of that and it was hard.
(29:48.3 - 29:51.7)
I remember coming home many a nights crying just because
(29:51.8 - 29:55.4)
I had to juggle so much and make sure at
(29:55.4 - 29:58.6)
the same time that I was a great student.
(29:59.1 - 30:00.5)
That is ridiculous that they
(30:00.5 - 30:01.9)
didn't want to accommodate you.
(30:02.0 - 30:04.6)
And I'm sick and tired of people treating us like that.
(30:04.7 - 30:06.3)
But that's what we have to go through.
(30:06.5 - 30:08.1)
And I'm going to tell you a story.
(30:08.3 - 30:09.8)
When me and my nephews go out
(30:09.8 - 30:12.3)
to a restaurant, what happened, Luis?
(30:12.7 - 30:35.5)
(Instrumental Music)
(30:36.2 - 30:39.2)
(Story time sound effect)
(30:39.2 - 30:41.7)
So there was this time that we went to a restaurant.
(30:41.8 - 30:43.8)
Me and my two nephews and the waiter,
(30:43.9 - 30:45.3)
he asked what they wanted to eat.
(30:45.4 - 30:46.3)
They gave their order.
(30:46.4 - 30:48.8)
The waiter asked them what would I like.
(30:48.9 - 30:51.0)
And I told the waiter, I can tell you what I like.
(30:51.1 - 30:52.5)
I have a voice of my own.
(30:52.6 - 30:54.8)
So the waiter was kinda of shocked that he
(30:54.8 - 30:57.3)
apologized and I gave him my order.
(30:57.3 - 30:59.6)
But still they have to stop treating
(30:59.6 - 31:00.9)
us like we don't have a voice.
(31:01.0 - 31:03.3)
We have a voice and we just need to use it.
(31:03.4 - 31:06.0)
I definitely agree with you, Luis. I agree.
(31:06.5 - 31:30.9)
(Instrumental Music)
(31:31.2 - 31:34.1)
This whole episode actually reminds me about
(31:34.2 - 31:36.8)
a poem that you wrote years ago.
(31:37.4 - 31:38.5)
What was it called?
(31:38.6 - 31:40.7)
It was actually called Dear Pioneer,
(31:40.8 - 31:42.3)
I can't believe you remember that.
(31:42.4 - 31:44.5)
Yeah, I think you should read it so everybody
(31:44.5 - 31:46.6)
could listen because it was a great poem
(31:46.9 - 31:49.2)
Well, you are so lucky that I have it on me.
(31:49.3 - 31:51.0)
And it's actually on my phone.
(31:51.4 - 31:52.9)
So here it goes.
(31:53.0 - 31:54.3)
Dear Pioneer.
(31:54.4 - 31:56.6)
We were always taught that a pioneer means
(31:56.7 - 31:58.3)
being the first to do something great.
(31:58.4 - 32:00.1)
That gets a top ten rate.
(32:00.2 - 32:03.0)
Dear Pioneer, that definition I just gave you
(32:03.1 - 32:05.4)
above is as superficial as a Dove flying
(32:05.4 - 32:07.6)
high and passing by in the sky.
(32:07.7 - 32:08.7)
And here's why.
(32:08.9 - 32:10.1)
Because being a pioneer
(32:10.2 - 32:12.1)
symbolizes something more profound.
(32:12.2 - 32:14.4)
You are not just the first to do something great.
(32:14.5 - 32:16.4)
You are the first to create the blueprint.
(32:16.5 - 32:18.5)
You are the pillar for others to stand on.
(32:18.6 - 32:21.1)
You are the first to set the path for others to follow.
(32:21.3 - 32:23.5)
And if one of the others gets off track, you
(32:23.5 - 32:25.3)
take them by the hand and bring them back.
(32:25.4 - 32:27.5)
You are a leader and you must lead.
(32:27.6 - 32:29.5)
Trust me, you are doing a good deed.
(32:29.6 - 32:30.6)
How do I know?
(32:30.7 - 32:32.4)
Because I am a pioneer.
(32:32.5 - 32:33.6)
Dear Pioneer,
(32:33.7 - 32:34.9)
You don't know it yet.
(32:35.0 - 32:37.3)
People will not dare say you are a pioneer.
(32:37.4 - 32:39.6)
It just has a certain air to it.
(32:39.7 - 32:41.7)
People will be flustered, but mustered up
(32:41.8 - 32:43.9)
attempts to find solutions to the problems.
(32:44.0 - 32:46.3)
At first, you won't mind being a pioneer.
(32:46.4 - 32:48.1)
However, over time, you will become
(32:48.2 - 32:50.6)
tired of creating those blueprints, becoming
(32:50.6 - 32:52.4)
the pillar and setting those paths.
(32:52.4 - 32:54.0)
And you just want to be fired from
(32:54.0 - 32:56.7)
this job asking, God, why can't you just
(32:56.7 - 32:58.5)
follow someone else's path for once?
(32:58.7 - 33:01.0)
Because you are just so tired of creating the
(33:01.0 - 33:03.6)
blocks for the flocks of others that will follow.
(33:03.7 - 33:04.5)
You don't want to go
(33:04.6 - 33:06.1)
through the trials and tribulations.
(33:06.2 - 33:08.9)
You just want things to be easy peasy for once.
(33:09.0 - 33:11.4)
You deserve that, right, because with all
(33:11.4 - 33:13.0)
of your might, you are a pioneer.
(33:13.0 - 33:15.0)
That put up a long and arduous fight.
(33:15.1 - 33:17.4)
A break is all you ask for before
(33:17.4 - 33:20.2)
that mask and shielded strength begins to break.
(33:20.3 - 33:23.3)
But news flash, pioneers don't get breaks.
(33:23.5 - 33:25.4)
Dear pioneer, here's why.
(33:25.5 - 33:28.3)
Because through your blueprints and past laid along
(33:28.4 - 33:30.7)
the way, there are stories, stories that at
(33:30.7 - 33:32.4)
times may not brighten your day.
(33:32.5 - 33:34.2)
But hey, they say another man's
(33:34.3 - 33:35.7)
pain is someone else's gain.
(33:35.9 - 33:36.8)
And that is what you do.
(33:36.9 - 33:39.8)
Pioneer, through you, people can gain hope.
(33:39.9 - 33:41.3)
You are someone's inspiration.
(33:41.4 - 33:43.2)
You are the catalyst for motivation.
(33:43.4 - 33:45.2)
When the tunnel seems dark, you get that
(33:45.2 - 33:47.2)
beam of light needed to see and make
(33:47.2 - 33:49.1)
it to the end of the meandering tunnel.
(33:49.2 - 33:52.0)
At times, you may ask yourself, Well, Where's my help?
(33:52.1 - 33:53.7)
Make no mistake about it, you
(33:53.8 - 33:55.1)
are not doing this by yourself.
(33:55.2 - 33:57.0)
God is with you through every tunnel,
(33:57.1 - 33:59.2)
helping you create those blueprints and pillars
(33:59.2 - 34:00.5)
with the cards you've been dealt.
(34:00.6 - 34:03.2)
Dear pioneer, you may not know it yet, but
(34:03.2 - 34:05.5)
you have the job of being that blueprint, that
(34:05.6 - 34:09.0)
pillar, that light that fights for and guides others.
(34:09.1 - 34:12.0)
The very important job of being a pioneer.
(34:12.3 - 34:22.1)
(Clapping sound)
(34:22.1 - 34:23.7)
Wow, that is incredible.
(34:23.8 - 34:25.9)
I think the part that sticks out to me
(34:26.1 - 34:28.6)
is when you say another man's pain is someone
(34:28.6 - 34:31.6)
else's gain and that just matches you because that
(34:31.7 - 34:33.8)
means you were meant to be a pioneer.
(34:34.0 - 34:35.7)
Your pain, your struggle that you had
(34:35.6 - 34:38.6)
to go through will open doors for
(34:38.6 - 34:40.3)
people with disabilities in the future.
(34:40.4 - 34:42.4)
So it just matches you.
(34:42.4 - 34:44.0)
So I think that's awesome.
(34:44.2 - 34:47.4)
Awww Thank you, Luis. Thank you. Of course. You're welcome.
(34:48.2 - 35:13.1)
(Instrumental Music)
(35:13.1 - 35:14.7)
So it's that time, guys.
(35:14.8 - 35:17.7)
It's time for the quote of the episode.
(35:17.9 - 35:19.4)
And Luis is going to leave us
(35:19.4 - 35:21.0)
with the quote of the episode.
(35:21.1 - 35:23.1)
So the quote of the episode is,
(35:23.2 - 35:25.1)
don't judge a book by its cover.
(35:25.9 - 35:29.1)
That's why I started this podcast in the first place,
(35:29.1 - 35:33.5)
because I wanted to bring awareness and let people who
(35:33.6 - 35:36.8)
are able body see that we are people too.
(35:36.9 - 35:39.5)
And just like you wouldn't judge
(35:39.5 - 35:41.5)
someone else, don't judge us either.
(35:42.7 - 35:46.0)
So thank you for being here with me today, Luis.
(35:46.1 - 35:47.3)
Thank you for having me.
(35:47.4 - 35:49.2)
Thank you guys for listening.
(35:49.3 - 35:50.8)
You guys are amazing because
(35:50.9 - 35:53.5)
we have over 200 downloads.
(35:54.4 - 35:58.3)
So this thing is just skyrocketed in less than a month.
(35:58.4 - 35:59.4)
It will make a month on
(35:59.4 - 36:01.9)
May 16, my one month anniversary.
(36:02.0 - 36:03.5)
So excited for that.
(36:03.9 - 36:05.4)
You guys have been amazing.
(36:05.6 - 36:09.0)
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(36:26.9 - 36:32.0)
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(36:32.1 - 36:35.2)
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