When I Was Discriminated Against By My College Roommates Because of My Epilepsy

On April 28, 2017, I was driving to school. The last thing I remember was turning right onto a road, and the next thing I knew, a man was swinging open my door and asking if I was OK. I had a tree on top of the hood of my car.

After a stay in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU), I was diagnosed with focal epilepsy with complex partial seizures. That ended my time living at home and driving to school. So I found a nice deal living with five other girls in an apartment building right across the street from campus.

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All the girls were random roommates. I took to them nicely, but they treated me differently because of my epilepsy. They would see me having a seizure on the floor, and if I was in their walking path, they would push me out of the way with their feet. How do I know this? I woke up out of a seizure while it was happening not just once, but multiple times.

They made it a point not to invite me to a party they were throwing in our apartment. They told me, “We don’t want to have to take care of you if you have a seizure. It will ruin the party.” I had never felt more insulted in my life.

I’ve never felt so small. To be treated less than human — who disregards someone having a seizure with a push of their foot? Needless to say, I spent all my time in my room, only going outside to use the bathroom and make food that I would eat in my room. It got to the point that I would rather risk having a seizure all by myself than have it in front of my roommates.

You may think people are usually kind towards people with disabilities, but honestly, I’ve seen the lowest of the low. I eventually moved out of that apartment and moved back home. I have been on a medical leave from school ever since. I am eager to get back to school, but hopefully I will have better roommates this time!