I am disabled. I have a disability. The word disabled is not one that needs to be whispered and winced at; it is not something to be ashamed of.

I have a muscular disorder that is caused by my overactive nervous system. This means all of my nerves are reacting all the time, even if there is nothing to react to. The scientific details aren’t the important focus, but rather how my disorders affect me. In addition, I have what is called a ‘cardiovascular autonomic disorder’, also known as dysautonomia. That’s a fancy way of saying that my autonomic nervous system—the one that controls heart rate, blood pressure, anything involuntary—malfunctions.

My muscular disorder is called Fibromyalgia (Fibro.) and my autonomic disorder is called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS. 

Fibro. is a misfiring of nerves. The pain center in the brain sends out signals rather than just receiving them, making my body think it’s in pain when it isn’t. The main symptom I struggle with that is exclusive to Fibro., are muscle contractions, meaning my muscles lock up and render that part of my body basically useless. This affects my legs, hands and wrists since I use them the most often. I also struggle with numbness, weakness—meaning my legs often give out on me—and a tingling sensation spreads throughout my body.

POTS is a malfunctioning of my autonomic nervous system. Basically, my nervous system needs a software update pretty much all the time. While POTS by itself is pretty difficult to manage, in conjunction with Fibro., it can be pretty exhausting to just be alive. The main symptom that I struggle with is the tachycardia aspect, meaning my heart rate is almost never under three digits, which causes me to pass out quite often. On a good day, I may only pass out one or two times, depending on what I’m doing. On a bad day, it can be between five to seven times. 

POTS also causes what is known as brain fog. Due to my elevated heart rate, my brain is overloaded with oxygen. It makes it hard to focus, keep thoughts straight and overall creates confusion and overwhelmed feelings.

Dealing with all of these symptoms as well as trying to balance extracurriculars, classes, homework, doctor appointments, hospital visits and more while struggling with chronic fatigue caused by my disorders makes it hard to enjoy school. 

The difficulty in enjoying attending school is only furthered by how inaccessible our school is. Although I have been to many places that are far worse to navigate and less disability friendly, school is a place that I spend a lot of my time in and takes most of my energy and focus. Essentially, there’s always an extra level of fight I have to put up with.

 On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed by former president George H.W Bush, making people with disabilities federally protected from discrimination in the workplace, public and private businesses, etc. The ADA law talks about the different types of discrimination as well as the accommodations that businesses and schools are required to provide. 

Most able-bodied people look at Bonita Vista High’s (BVH) wide hallways and even ground and think, “There’s no way that this isn’t accessible.” The campus may seem easy to navigate, but as someone who has to fight against inaccessibility everyday, there are several issues with accessibility on campus. The hallways are wide and the ground is relatively level, but that’s just on the outside of campus. The real problem is inside the classroom. 

I want you to imagine one of your classrooms with the basic layout of desks, chairs and