As a neurotypical able-bodied woman, I never gave accessibility a second thought. In 2012, all that changed in a matter of 10 minutes. While on vacation in Las Vegas, I experienced excruciating pain in my lower back which lasted a few minutes, then I couldn’t move my right leg. A few minutes later, my left leg went prickly from my hip to my toes, leaving me fully paralyzed from the waist down. I could feel everything but couldn’t move anything. I couldn’t even sit up due to the loss of my back and core muscles, and I lost all control over my bowel and bladder. These were all things I had taken for granted before my injury. In that moment, I couldn’t imagine how I would navigate a world not designed for people like me.
