All schools across the United States can agree that their main focus is ensuring that equal education and opportunities are provided for all students in school. Though this is a major focus schools have, it doesn’t necessarily mean all students feel that they are getting the education that others are getting. How are students with physical, vision, hearing, or learning disabilities ensured equal education as other students if they are excluded from activities the rest of the class is doing?

Bowie High School provides many resources and accommodation options to students with disabilities. Students with disabilities are provided with an elevator, handicap restroom stalls, 504 plans, and more, but in the big picture of it, there are many other ways to make our campus more accessible. Bowie should provide more ways to make their campus and lessons in class accessible to those with disabilities.

In the United States, it is a law that all public buildings need to have accessible parking spaces for people with disabilities. Although Bowie has handicap and accessible parking, it doesn’t mean that people are using it correctly. During school pickup, parents have been parking in the handicap spots without any sort of parking placard or license plate. Parking in these spots without any parking placard or license plate is against the law and can lead to being fined and receiving up to 50 hours of community service. Many don’t think about how they are affecting people with disabilities that need those parking spaces. Throughout our campus, students, staff, and parents need to be cautious where they park, to allow full accessibility for students with disabilities

Bowie has room for many improvements that can be made all throughout campus. For example, every door on campus is heavy and requires a good amount of force to open them. Because of this, the weight of the door may restrict people’s ability to open the door themselves. In order for everyone to have an equal education, we need to make sure all students can make it in the school building easily without struggling or waiting for help. Installing a button or an automatic sensor that opens a door would provide a much more accessible way for people to enter campus. Bowie’s campus bathrooms have a larger stall for those in need of it, but in reality, it’s the bare minimum. Small changes like installing automatic sinks and soap dispensers, rather than the ones that require physical force to use. These changes would provide better accessibility to those with disabilities, and help reach the needs of those who need that support when on campus.

In Texas, a 504 plan is a set of accommodations provided to students with physical and learning disabilities to participate in school activities and lessons. Although these 504 plans are taken into consideration, it doesn’t mean that students feel the same way. Many students face difficulties from their 504 plan with teachers and staff. Some teachers may not understand specific details of a students plan, resulting in struggles being encountered with their schoolwork and learning. Lessons taught in class may not educate all students due to the way it is being taught. Many students prefer visual learning rather than reading from a textbook. Our school should help plan lessons that meet everyone’s learning needs and students should speak up about their 504 plan to teachers and staff, to ensure they are getting the education they should be receiving.

Despite the fact that these resources would improve Bowie’s campus accessibility for everyone, many may argue the cost of many of these changes add up and can get very expensive. Some schools and their districts may not have the money or ability to pay the amount for these changes.

Although this may be true, these sets of renovations and changes would only need to be done once. The changes would provide students with accessibility to campus and prevent the feeling of being excluded from education.

Bowie should provide more ways to make their campus and lessons accessible to those with physical, vision, hearing, or learning disabilities.