Over winter break I had surgery on my foot which left me on crutches for a month, including some time when I came back to Fairfield. Having never been on crutches before, I had no idea what a hassle they would be at home and I had no idea what problems I would encounter upon coming back to school.
I must say the security department was very helpful about giving me a temporary faculty parking pass so I could drive to my classes instead of trying to hobble my way from Claver. This has definitely made my daily routine much easier.
I did expect that I would need a parking pass once I returned to school so I could make it to my classroom buildings. What I did not expect is needing a friend with me practically every second so I could actually make it to class.
As if hobbling around with a medical boot on my foot wasn’t difficult enough to deal with, between maneuvering the ice sheet formally known as the doorway to Claver and trying to open the surprisingly heavy doors to Canisius and Donnarumma, each day became an exhausting and sometimes impossible obstacle course.
Then it snowed again. The official university website has an entire section devoted to weather emergencies and how to adapt for the physically disabled. In short, the site says that pathways from parking lots, walkways and stairs at building entrances should be cleared to ensure convenience for all students. As we’ve all seen, university policy and Fairfield reality are often two completely different things.
So as of last Wednesday I have been slipping and sliding my way through the snow and slush to get around campus (and no, medical boots don’t provide such great traction on ice, or protection from the snow ).
Not to say that Fairfield does not have any accommodations for the handicapped. There are automated doors in Bannow which are very helpful, and elevators situated around campus if you have time to wait for them. What I am trying to say is that no college is truly handicapped-friendly. Fairfield has hills, steps and snow, that’s reality and we can only change it to an extent (ahem, shovel…).
I can also say that I’m extremely thankful to everyone who helped me around campus while I needed it, and to those who are permanently disabled I now have a new-found sense of awe and respect. You are definitely much stronger people than I could ever be. So the next time you see someone having some trouble making it through the snow or trying to get into a building, handicapped or not, help them out – you never know when you might be that kid in the future!
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