Riley Boerger

The hardest part about college should be understanding the concepts and theories on a test, not taking the test itself. But for me, one of the hardest parts about college was the ability to take the test. I have been disabled my entire life, and in high school, while doing community college, I had an incredible team where my accommodations were immediately met without advanced advocacy needed. So when I moved to a huge university, I had not even worried about these necessary academic resources being met. At the time I was taking five classes, 18 credits, and had struggled with every classes tests as either the teacher had forgotten to send it or the instructions or access code were unclear. I would go to the testing center, and instead of feeling instantly calm and supported, I felt like I was waiting for something horrible to happen every time I checked in. In my Wish, I use the example of one of my Bachelor's of Medical Science classes, and though that was the most extreme example of neglect, I endured as a disabled student. It was not the only one. At a university as famous and well-known as this, students should not have to worry about their accommodations not being met, especially when they have done all that is required to access them. I felt unseen, unvalued and scared that this place was not for me. When you grow up disabled, you are constantly finding ways to make yourself seem normal, so when you are taking incredibly hard classes, and all you want to do is take the test like the other 158 of your classmates are, I struggled with the mental warfare that taking any sort of exam at the University of Arizona was. College needs to be accessible, and it needs to be accessible in a way that is equal and fair for all. I hope that by sharing my wish, the administration and leaders of our school will notice. A student should not second-guess their place at the university because of a lack of support. Students who make it to university are driven and strong and incredibly relentless, so it is heartbreaking to me that someone will leave the university over something as simple as sending a test. It's almost like cruel and unusual punishment for being disabled, but chasing a dream that others get to do so easily.