Point Loma High School this week for the second consecutive year held “The Wheelchair Challenge” to give students a greater appreciation for logistical problems associated with being disabled.
“Yes, we often see wheelchair users, but student Valerie Crisci, a junior and wheelchair user, challenges her classmates to do more than just look,” said Anthony Palmiotto, the event’s faculty advisor and a theater arts instructor.
The disabled-awareness event was the brainchild of Crisci, who spoke of her motivation for starting the event. She said it was rudeness — and lack of understanding — about the problems involved with being wheelchair-bound that prompted her to come up with a way to educate her classmates on the subject.
“At school during passing period, people would jump in front of me or merge right in front of me and then blame me for accidentally running into them,” she said. “In the bathrooms, someone would always be in the accessible stall when all the other ones were open.”
Crisci noted it’s hard for the able-bodied to understand the difficulties involved in just simply getting around in a wheelchair, until they actually do it.
“Navigation in classrooms is hard because of how close together teachers place desks, and in science classrooms participation in labs is nearly impossible because of the height of lab tables,” she said. “I thought, ‘What if there’s a way for students to spend their whole schoolday in a wheelchair, and be aware of all this?’ And I made it happen.”
The Point Loma High junior said that she wants those participating in The Wheelchair Challenge to experience “the differences and commonalities between people. There are a lot of different routes I have to take, and ways I have to think about doing activities, but I can still do them just like my peers. I want my peers to learn this and take away a sense of empathy, too.” Crisci added, “Even using a wheelchair for a single day will change the way you view wheelchair users forever.”
The campus event is open to any student willing to take the challenge of using a wheelchair for an entire schoolday. The chairs and main-quad obstacle course used at the school for the special event were donated by event sponsor Harmony Home Medical and Remodeling (HarmonyHomeMedical.com). Harmony specializes in personal mobility equipment and home-access remodeling.
A student assembly featuring a guest speaker was held during lunch period at the high school on Feb. 18. At the conclusion of the day’s event, participants convened to discuss their experiences and insights with other participants, selected staff, sponsors and media representatives.
Dedicated in 1925, Point Loma High School is the third largest of 46 high schools in the San Diego Unified School District. The first graduating class consisted of just seven students, but today the enrollment has reached nearly 2,000, with a faculty of about 90.
Point Loma includes grades nine through 12 and boasts a 73 percent participation rate in AP (Advanced Placement) classes. In 2014, the school was selected by U.S. News & World Report for their Gold List of Best High Schools.
Notable graduates include “Happy Days” Marion Ross, and former city councilmembers Bill Cleator, Byron Wear and Bill Lowery, and Academy Award-winning editors Joe Hutshing (“JFK”) and Chris Innis (“The Hurt Locker”).