The Hidden Elevator

by Chad Van De Griek

It was early Tuesday morning, and I was eagerly making my way to my first class of the day. It was the first week of my freshman year of college, and I was experiencing every emotion that came with that. But, more than anything, I was excited to start this new season of life! However, my excitement and eagerness quickly vanished as I made my way to the building that my class was scheduled to be in. I was confronted by an obstacle that I wasn’t prepared for.

I was told the building that my class was in had an accessible entrance, but I couldn’t find it. All I could see

were stairs. I circled the building—no luck, just stairs. I was stranded outside of the building with no way in. I was in a full-blown panic. On the verge of tears, I called my mom to try to figure out what to do. She encouraged me to call the Disability Services Office to see if they could help. I did, but I was so frazzled that any direction they gave added to the confusion. I asked other students if they could help, but that didn’t work either. More time went by as I continued to circle the building. But despite my best efforts, I was clueless. Just when I was about to give up and head back to my dorm in defeat, I saw a man walking in my direction. He was wearing a suit and holding a clipboard. As he passed by, I thought to myself, “Hey, he looks official!” I chased him down and asked if he could help me! Thankfully, he knew exactly where I needed to go. There was an elevator on the outside of the building that was hidden behind some bushes! I would have never found it! With this newfound information, I made my way onto the elevator, into the building, and to my class. I was late, I was exhausted, and I was relieved!

This is one of those funny and thought-provoking stories that I love to look back on. Living with a disability has taught me a lot. One particularly difficult lesson is that I’m living in a world that wasn’t designed with people like me in mind. I am reminded of this reality when I look back on this story from freshman year and others like it. Buildings with stairs, stores with high shelves, and restrooms with narrow doorways are just a few of the many obstacles that I have to face. These are usually small inconveniences that I easily overcome. But there are some days or weeks where this simply isn’t the case. This week was one of those weeks. Physical pains and mental stressors made inconveniences feel insurmountable. On top of that, it can be difficult having conversations like this because I feel like people, even those that care deeply about me, don’t understand how it feels living in a world that isn’t built for them. All of these realities can leave me feeling isolated and unsure of where to turn, similar to how I felt on that Tuesday morning.

I can’t help but feel like some people are reading this who deeply resonate with my experiences. And if that’s true, my hope is that I can be an encouraging voice that says that you are seen, loved, and not alone. Life is hard, and disabilities don’t make things any easier. We will encounter obstacles that those around us won’t even see as obstacles. But yet we fight on, we do our best, and we tell our stories.

About The Author

Chad Van De Griek lives in Nashville, TN! He loves Jesus, hockey (Go Preds), and is a big Bible nerd. Chad was born with Cerebral Palsy and is very passionate about using his writing as a way to show God’s love to everyone! You can find more of his writing at chadvandegriek.wordpress.com.

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