One way to make a Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts title holder feel old is to send them back to their elementary school and make them realize how small the children actually are. In all seriousness, I had the honor on May 2nd to go back to the North Pembroke Elementary School. What is special here is this is the same school I attended as a child. Why it holds special memories is because I was the first student wheelchair user to attend. One huge difference is seeing how much the ADA affected the accessibility of the school. You see, when I attended I had to enter the school through the back boiler room as there was no ramp access.to allow me to get to my classes. Now the school is paved with ramps, has accessible doorways, and the bathrooms go beyond meeting standards. So Pembroke has come a long way since the mid eighties.
At my event I, along with nurse Judy, who was my nurse in school, got to speak to four separate classes of 5th grade students. Not only did I get to share my experiences about bullying, friendships, and academic successes, but nurse Judy made sure she brought out the old pictures of me when I attended. The children even convinced me to sing the smoke free class of 2000 song, and for those of you who do not know me very well, my singing voice is less than stellar, and that shows my commitment to disability advocacy.
Until next time, Advocate, Educate, and Empower.
