School Safety Drills as a Student with SMA

During my school years, active participation in safety drills, including fire and tornado drills, was mandated. For the average able-bodied child, these drills seemed straightforward. When the alarm sounded, students were expected to follow instructions: leave their seats, line up at the door, and exit through a designated safety route. It appeared simple enough. However, as someone who is wheelchair-bound with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), considerably more planning was required for emergencies or safety drills.

Safe evacuation requires extra planning

In elementary school, my power wheelchair was my primary mode of mobility, and I was accompanied daily by a dedicated aide who assisted with my needs. Her responsibilities extended to ensuring my safety during any drills or emergencies. Before the school year commenced, extensive discussions and planning took place regarding my safe evacuation in the event of a fire or another emergency. It was decided that I would be escorted by my aide to a separate, wheelchair-accessible exit, while my classmates used a different exit that included steps.

At the time, this arrangement did not bother me. However, reflecting on it as an adult, I now recognize the problematic nature of this plan. Ideally, a strategy should have been devised to allow me to exit alongside my peers, ensuring a similar rate and pace during these drills. In a real emergency, every second is crucial, and it is troubling to realize that I was required to exit at a point further away from everyone else.

Some drills impossible because of my wheelchair

During tornado drills, all students were instructed to move into the hallway, line up in front of the lockers, and crouch down, covering their heads to protect against flying debris. This exercise highlighted the disparity in safety measures. While my classmates crouched on the ground, I remained seated in my wheelchair. Even as a child, I could sense the difference in safety levels and fairness.

My aide, a remarkable woman, always assured me that she would protect me with her life in an actual emergency. Her plan during a tornado drill involved safely placing me on the floor and shielding me. I never doubted her commitment and know she would have acted without hesitation. She was the best aide and friend, deeply caring for me. I am in no way speaking ill of her or her abilities, but of the schools stance on the situation and lack of better planning and awareness.

Safety plans should be more tailored to my disability

Looking back the safety plans made could have been more thoughtful and tailored to my disability. I truly hope children coming up and going to school now make sure they have their safety plans in place and taken seriously. Have dry runs on actual scenarios that could happen. Alternate plans in place if one fails.

As I reflect on these experiences, I wish the school had implemented more thoughtful measures to protect me as a disabled student without isolating me from my peers. Now, as a disabled adult, I realize the importance of thoroughly trialing safety drills, including physically removing me from my chair and placing me on the floor, to prepare for actual events. Additionally, making the same exit used by my peers during fire drills accessible to me would have been beneficial.

I encourage parents of children with SMA to engage in open and thorough discussions with their child’s school about safety protocols. In today's world, with the threat of school shootings, I am concerned about how I would remain safe in such scenarios, unable to hide or get low to the ground. It is a grim topic but one that must not be avoided. Even as an adult I worry about safety precautions while out grocery shopping or going to the movies. It’s a small thing that not a lot of people think about because we generally don’t think about anything bad ever happening, until it does.