The family courts in the state of Florida decided that my mother was not capable anymore in order to take care of my siblings and I. Therefore, they ruled that my mother needed to sign away her parental rights. This, of course, made me sad, as well as angry. I knew why the courts ruled this way. However, I was sad and angry because I was rooting for my mother to get better, and that we would have the possibility of being with her again. I had to realize that this was no longer the possibility, and I was now put up for adoption.
While I was in foster care, I met a wonderful family. I became friends with their two biological daughters. When my foster mother had to work weekends, this family was willing to let me stay with them for the weekend. Those weekends would be really fun, as some weekends I would attend a birthday party, or they would have a pool party. Some weekends would just be going to the movies, then going out for ice cream! Some weekends, I would play with their two biological daughters and we would play “dress up!” 💄📿👘
In the late summer of 1999, I ended up moving to North Carolina with that family! It was very difficult for me to leave my friends, teachers, and other staff that I had grown a close bond with at Seagull School. I was able to have one last visit with them, when they threw me a surprise going away party! I was able to say goodbye to one of my best friends, and they also created a binder for me that included all kinds of facts regarding North Carolina, and the city that I live in now, Durham!
I Was Used To Learning From A Seagull… Now It Was Time For Me To Learn From A Falcon!
In the late Fall of 1999, I was enrolled in the Durham Public School System. I would be enrolled at Charles E Jordan High School, home of the Falcons! As a student with a physical disability, I was naturally nervous at first when I learned that I would be going to regular High School, with “normal” students. This meant that I would be going to a regular High School, like the ones that I saw on television. Those students had lockers, there was a bell that signified the beginning and end of each class period, and students went to different classrooms, and each student had a different subject. That would soon be me! When I moved to North Carolina, it did not fully sink in that I would not be attending a school similar to Seagull School, or perhaps that no such School existed in our new location.
My IEP included that the public school system was required to hire an attendant that was required to work with me one-on-one throughout the school day. This person would be responsible for helping me make sure that I get to each class safely, help with note taking, and help me when I needed assistance using the restroom during the school day.
My IEP also stated that I was required to have access to the school’s elevator. This meant that I was given a key to that elevator. Since my high school was two stories, we wouldn’t be sure which of my classes would be on the first floor, or the second floor. So this meant that I would have to learn how to use the school’s elevator, and also be able to physically operate it with the key that I now had. Some of my able-bodied peers thought I was cool because I had access to the elevator, meanwhile they had to walk up flights of stairs!
That is where physical therapy comes in! My IEP also required that I was given physical therapy during the school hours, twice a week. The physical therapist helped me with learning and practicing how to use the elevator key. I also completed sick to stand exercises during the time my physical therapist was at school for those two days. This meant that I was able to get out of my chair for an hour or two twice a week while at school. By the time I was in 11th grade I finally got the hang of using the elevator, going from first floor, to second floor, and vice versa.
On some occasions, as I got used to going from class to class on my own, it was a challenge some days navigating to different classrooms. Especially when I would have to navigate with about a hundred other students walking around me and shuffling to their lockers. It makes it hard not to accidentally run into one of those students! (There were some close calls, I will admit! 😅)
My favorite year of high school was 10th grade. This was when I was able to choose an elective for that school year! The elective class I chose was The Girls Treble Chorus! Trust me, I am nervous to public speak on my own, so I wouldn’t even fathom the thought of being a solo singer. However, singing together in a group was actually quite fun! And since I was part of the girls chorus, that meant that I was part of our school’s music recital! We had a Fall recital, Christmas recital, and a Spring recital. It was fun to be a part of something like that, especially since I was a student with a disability. That meant, it was my opportunity to show others without disabilities that those with disabilities can also participate in the performing arts! I remember when I went to Seagull School, we put on a couple of small plays, and I was a Seagull School “cheerleader” one year. However, the years that I attended and graduated from Jordan High School, we had over 1,200 students. Which meant that a lot of parents and families were seated in the auditorium during those recitals! Can you say, “nervous”? But, overall, I had a blast that school year! Especially, since our recital outfits were silver sequins! I can’t leave out the shimmer and shine part of it all! 🤩 I’m sure that year during recitals looked little different, with a girl in a manual wheelchair singing along beside everyone who was standing on the bleachers!
My 11th grade year, I remember I elected to take theater class! 🎭 Let’s just say…it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was never picked to be in any of the performances that year. As I was nervous during class, the teacher could probably see that I would not be a good fit for the stage. However, I did learn a lot of breathing techniques, and improv. I also learned what goes into acting and what it takes for someone to take on a specific role. What matters is that I tried something new. Whether I liked theater or not, it was a new experience.
My 11th grade year was the same year that September 11th happened, and changed our world forever. I was also taking United States History that year. When it was time for that particular class on that day, the teacher turned on the news and we just watched in horror. I remember a lot of the staff, faculty and teachers crying. I remember my United States History teacher telling us as we watched the aftermath, that “today will be a day that you will never forget.” And she was right.
