There are certain things that one takes for granted every day. Having a ski injury and navigating with crutches has made me aware of how dependent I am on my mobility. My experience has been akin to living in a foreign country that does not speak English or learning to drive on the opposite side of the road. It is doable, but everything is just a little more difficult.

ACC has done an admirable job of enabling the handicapped to maneuver around campus. Prior to my injury, I had never noticed all of the automatic opening doors. The big square buttons are conveniently located low enough for someone sitting in a wheelchair and can easily be tapped with the end of a crutch. An added bonus, the doors stay open long enough for even a slow poke like me to make it through before getting squished. The hallways throughout the building are flat and wide enough for those students who are faster than me (everyone) to comfortably pass me and my flailing crutches.

The outdoor ramps would be much faster in a wheelchair, but do suffice for my use with crutches. Although, when I am late for class, the ramps seem to add an extra 5 minutes to my “walk” – the never ending journey. Again, I’m slow; I’m pretty sure that I got passed by a snail, with his house and a backpack on his back. There are also numerous wide handicap parking places close enough to the door that I don’t have to pack a lunch for my slow journey into school. Ever noticed the little sidewalk depressions when crossing the street? Those are amazing. Now there is no need to navigate a curb, an insurmountable accomplishment for me at the moment. All of these things I had never noticed before and am overly appreciative of now.

Did you ever wonder what life would be like for the handicap without ramps and automatic doors? Imagine that you are standing at the base of a building with 15 steps and crutches in hand, what do you do? I can only imagine the feelings of frustration and futility. I did some research and learned that it wasn’t that long ago that this was a normal occurrence. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) wasn’t signed into effect until 1990!

Thank you to the people that spent the time and effort to push for handicap access to all public buildings. And thank you to all of my fellow students for your acts of kindness – the held doors, the understanding smiles, the backpack carriers. I wish that I could give you all big hugs of gratitude, but I must hold firmly onto my crutches or I might take you down with me.