Elijah Duckworth
“…
I switched to an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and began blending my traditional classroom instruction with some online courses through Edgenuity. I cannot overemphasize how much this blended educational approach improved my learning experience and mental health.
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– Elijah Duckworth
On November 12, 2019, Dr. Benjamin L. Handen of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine issued his official report to my parents, which included the following statement: “Elijah is currently exhibiting a number of symptoms that would support an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis.” It is amazing how much this single statement has played havoc on my psyche. Before I read it, I was a straight-A student with a QPA at the top of my class, afterward I felt like nothing more than damaged goods. Through the difficult process of reconciling these two dichotomous perspectives during my junior year of high school, I switched to an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and began blending my traditional classroom instruction with some online courses through Edgenuity. I cannot overemphasize how much this blended educational approach improved my learning experience and mental health.
I happen to fall on the cusp of the autism spectrum, which basically means that I straddle the threshold between ability and disability. On my ability side, I love the academic challenge of taking the most difficult courses in my high school curriculum. In doing so, I have maintained a 4.0 unweighted GPA through all four years, including 19 AP/honors classes. This would not have been possible without having the flexibility of taking approximately one-third of these classes online. More specifically, since the start of my junior year in the Fall of 2019, I have taken the following six online classes through Edgenuity: (1) HS Spanish III LMS Honors, (2) PA-Common Core ELA 11 Honors, (3) U.S. History Honors-SS331 H, (4) PA-Common Core ELA 12 Honors, (5) Physics Honors, and (6) AP Psychology.
On my disability side, my autism sometimes makes it difficult to stay engaged in the highly social and rigid structure of the traditional classroom setting. Having the ability to blend traditional and online courses has enabled me to maintain the difficulty of my coursework while decreasing the stress associated with it. As a result, I have performed well enough to gain admission into some of the best universities in the U.S., such as the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Having the privilege to study at one of these great institutions will further empower me to pursue my real passion: improving the lives of people with disabilities, just like me. Why? It is because millions of people with disabilities face discrimination every day and are often unable to fight against it. This injustice compels me to advocate on their behalf in two ways. First, I have a passion for debate and its philosophical underpinnings. As a National Speech and Debate Association Academic All American, I have spent countless hours constructing antidiscrimination arguments based on disability philosophies like crip pessimism and sanism. I want to study philosophy in college to build upon this experience, and then transform existing disability policy and law in practice. This transformation is desperately needed. For example, there is evidence that disability discrimination occurred in the rationing of COVID-19 treatment in some states. Formulating health care policy that intentionally gives disabled people lower priority in treatment decisions is simply unacceptable and must be vigorously challenged at all levels.
Second, I have a passion for computer science and robotics. Having beat 58 competitors to win the Western Pennsylvania VRC State Championship, I see how technology can improve the lives of the physically disabled, like my grandmother. She recently had a stroke, which caused significant paralysis on her left side. She has been forced to live in a nursing home for the past 18 months because my grandfather is not strong enough to safely lift her in and out of bed. He has tested numerous mechanical lifting devices but they are all too cumbersome for him to use in their home. Watching them live apart after decades of marriage is heartbreaking, and very frustrating. Their ability to reunite should not be held hostage by inadequate technology. I want to study computer science in college to improve such technology.
I am convinced that none of these accomplishments and possibilities would have materialized without the online learning options that Edgenuity afforded. Being able to blend traditional and online courses has enabled me to navigate a rigorous and demanding academic schedule while maintaining the mental health that my autism requires.
I am eternally grateful to my school counselor for introducing me to these online options, to my parents for believing in me despite the challenges associated with my autism, and to my teachers at both North Allegheny Senior High School and Edgenuity for their constant support and encouragement. Finally, I am thankful for the Future of School Scholarship Program for further empowering online learning through its generous scholarships, which are desperately needed.