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!!!!!
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!!!!!
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(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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