Brandi Goodwin | Opinion Writer

I reported BGSU Firelands to the Ohio Department of Civil Rights, let me tell you why.

Being disabled comes with many challenges, but feeling like a burden shouldn’t be one of them. Per the law, we as disabled individuals have rights, ones that we are legally entitled to. In Title III, Section 12182 of United States law, it states, “No individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases (or leases to) or operates a place of public accommodation.”However, even with those rights, we still have to fight.

I am a disabled student at BGSU Firelands who is facing discrimination. According to the University’s Division of Diversity and Belonging page, “our hope is to continue to build a campus climate that fosters an inclusive environment, that promotes and nurtures diversity, empowers and supports people, and builds up a community where all are welcomed, valued, and affirmed.”

My story starts at BGSU Firelands in the Fall 2020. This was the peak of COVID-19 and classes were completely remote. While attending school as a full-time student, I also worked full-time at a local hospital, where I contracted COVID-19.

The CDC states that the recovery time is two weeks, but that wasn’t the case for me. I went on to be a COVID-19 long-hauler with a multitude of health issues. I felt it was best to take a year off of college while I fought to get answers. 

Eventually, I was diagnosed with Long Haul Covid, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Cognitive Deficit, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Adjustment Disorder with a depressed mood, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and more, after my COVID-19 diagnosis.

Each condition comes with its own set of symptoms and issues. 

Long-haul COVID-19 affects your ability to get better after the initial infection. It creates a wide variety of conditions and health issues. Every person will experience different long-haul symptoms and there is no length of time or answer that can be given on when a person will fully recover. 

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome affects your autonomic nervous system. According to John Hopkins Medicine, “The symptoms of POTS include but are not limited to lightheadedness (occasionally with fainting), difficulty thinking and concentrating (brain fog), fatigue, intolerance of exercise, headache, blurry vision, palpitations, tremor and nausea.”

Cognitive Deficit Disorder affects your understanding and memory. According to Medicinenet.com, symptoms for this disorder include, difficulty remembering stuff, changes in behavior, difficulties with typical everyday duties and trouble learning and retaining new things.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Adjustment Disorder with a depressed mood, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder are mental health conditions and can have some serious effects. According to WebMD, they can cause fight or flight responses, depressive episodes, suicidal ideations, panic attacks, and more. They require medication, cognitive behavioral therapy and working one on one with a psychologist or psychiatrist. 

Specifically, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice published a guidance document on “Long COVID” as a disability under the Americans with

Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act.So, why are we acting as though it’s not?

Fast forward into Spring 2022, I decided to return to BGSU. I registered as a part-time student because I wasn’t sure what returning to college would look like as things were different for me now. However, I was determined to not let this situation dictate my destination.

Getting back into the swing of things was extremely difficult. School can be stressful, but personally speaking, it’s even more stressful when you’re chronically ill. A regular student may struggle with being away from home for the first time or trying to make new friends. Whereas chronically ill students struggle with the overwhelming sense of classes, homework, doctor’s appointments, therapies and finding enough time to rest and recover before having to wake up and do it all over again.

My body becomes easily exhausted and if I push myself too much, then I may put myself through flares, which then exacerbates my symptoms. In turn, that means I may end up paying the price and having to miss class, potentially falling behind and receiving failing grades. 

Luckily, my classes for Spring were strictly remote and this was very helpful as I physically and mentally would not have been able to attend in-person classes. 

Considering remote classes have been implemented since COVID-19, I assumed that option would always be there specifically for individuals like myself who truly needed it. Knowing they figured out ways to deliver classes in such a fashion made it accessible for people with chronic illnesses or disabilities. However, these very helpful accommodations have stopped. 

According to BGSU’s Accessibility Services Department, it states, “The mission of Accessibility Services at Bowling Green State University is to provide equal access and opportunity to qualified students, faculty, and staff with disabilities. Our goal is to increase awareness of disability issues and support the success of students with disabilities by providing opportunities for full integration into the BGSU community.” 

While that sounds very validating, once it comes time to make accommodations they make you feel as though you’re a burden or just simply impossible.

For the summer semester, I had three core classes left to take with BGSU Firelands and then I would move on to Lorain Community College to finish my degree. Unfortunately, I ran into challenges. Even though my doctors filled out and completed the accommodation forms illustrating I do remote only, Accessibility Services said no. Even with the numerous diagnostic testing as proof, they still said no.

It didn’t matter where my disability fell in severity, Accessibility Services would not provide accommodations. Their responses were as follows, “You have requested that BGSU change the format of the Firelands class from an in-person class to an online class. I’m writing to let you know that BGSU will not be changing the format of this course” Lea Anne, Assistant Director of Accessibility Services, said.

Peggy Dennis, the Director of Accessibility Services said, “BGSU acknowledges that during COVID-19 restrictions, there were online and hybrid classes, but what you are asking is not a reasonable accommodation.”

I expressed that my accommodations weren’t a request to change the format of the in-person class, but instead to allow me to fulfill the course online. I submitted proof and stated that the professor uploads everything online, we have assignments we have to do online and even some of the lectures were delivered in an online format. The course I was trying to be accommodated for was more like a blended course instead of a complete in-person course like they were trying to portray. I questioned their answer as they have provided classes in this format before, so I didn’t think I was asking for anything out of the ordinary or totally unachievable.

While Accessibility Services were not budging on their decision, I kept pursuing any and all avenues that I could per my own research. I reached out to the Division of Diversity and Belonging Department because their page specifically states, “We acknowledge that diversity has not always been understood or embraced in our society, yet, at BGSU, we will strive to understand and embrace diversity by breaking down barriers to meaningful participation to ensure that individuals are treated with dignity.” 

I reached out to this department with hopes that they would be able to help. BGSU’s Equity and Compliance Officer Dan Powell and James Katzner, Equity and Compliance Coordinator were involved in launching an investigation and reviewing things further. The investigation concluded and they sided with the university.

Not once was I ever asked to conduct a phone or zoom meeting to discuss things further by any party. 

After searching through websites and talking to various departments, I came to the realization that I was going to get nowhere with Firelands. So, I filed a complaint with the Ohio Department of Civil Rights, with hopes of having a neutral party to equate equality and fairness. Based on the review of the evidence, they decided to open an investigation, which is still underway.

If I had the opportunity to ask university officials a few questions regarding my situation, I would have too many that needed answers. But, I would start with why did it have to be like this? It is confusing why I have to sit here and fight for the rights to which I am entitled to. 

I would also ask, why is it that classes can only be made remote when BGSU deems them fit but not when a student is disabled and medically needs these accommodations to be made? 

Though all of my questions would bring me back to, why does the university ignore these issues rather than address them? 

Well, it’s simple. I believe the university I pay for doesn’t care about me. I believe they don’t care if I succeed or fail like they state they do. Most of all, I believe they could do better, but don’t want to and that is what needs to change.