Three months later, the letter arrived in the mail: the New York City Board of Education had determined that I was unable to teach. It wasn’t a surprise. The reason: “Paralysis of both lower extremities, sequela of poliomyelitis.” I was officially considered a danger to children because I couldn’t walk. I wasn’t contagious, but somehow I’d been deemed a contaminant. It didn’t matter how smart or capable I was, or how good my grades were, or how much experience I had. None of that mattered to the Board of Ed. Because I couldn’t walk, I wasn’t considered qualified teach second graders.
