I was born with bow legs. As I grew up, one leg straightened out, but the other didn’t. About 13 years ago, I had surgery at the orthopaedic hospital in Igbobi, Lagos, to straighten the second leg. But the surgery didn’t change anything. And I’ve been living with it like that. Last year, I started using a walking stick.
I am a freshman in the English Department at the University of Ibadan. With my mobility situation, coming to school is very stressful. The distance between classes is far, and they require the use of a staircase. It is painful for me; there are barely any ramps in the school. I don’t go to my departmental library because of the staircase, though the university library, KDL, is a bit more accessible.
Moving around school is not easy. Due to the cost of transportation, I find it hard to go out. I have not done my faculty registration because it is physical and there is a lot of going back and forth. At the gate, I often beg the Keke drivers to lift me to the bus stop. Inside school, I have to spend more on transportation; most of my hostel mates trek from class to the hostel, but I have to take a drop (to and fro), which is expensive.
In my hostel, Idia Hall, I was allocated the ground floor, which makes things a bit easier. However, there are still some limitations. I can’t do laundry myself because the washing and drying area is not so accessible. Water doesn’t run in the hostels, so I have to pay people to fetch for me. To avoid stressing myself, I spend more money on transport and outsourcing chores, even though I don’t have much.
My roommates, classmates, and even my lecturers have been receptive to me and very helpful. Last month, I needed to sign my course form. Instead of going from lecturer to lecturer, I submitted to just one person and others signed there. Sometime last semester, I had an oral test and my lecturer’s office was on the fourth floor. He came down to meet me so I wouldn’t climb the stairs.
I can’t think of any support or policy that the university has provided to make my academic journey easier, though the clinic always gives me the prescription gel for my leg. I wish there were associations that could stand up for students with disabilities. I also wish the environment were more conducive.
As narrated by: Mercy (Ibadan, Nigeria).
This snippet is published as part of the series, Beyond What You See.
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