Donna,
I think I made this shorter without meaniing to. I tried to make it smoother. I provided to suggestions to make it longer.
I am assuming that someone else is writing a section about disabilities and the law. Your piece is supposed to be about your experience. Is that right?

Anyway, I hope this gives you some ideas of what you can do.

Mari

My son started having seizures in the first grade. When the seizures began our family felt overwhelmed. (add two or three sentences here about how bad things were) I became dispirited to learn exactly what a toll uncontrolled seizure and epilepsy would take on his learning. Later I learned how other students with epilepsy also face difficulty learning in school. The seizures affect behavior, attendance, and noticeable difficulty in other areas such as reading, comprehension, math, and IQ. My son’s IQ dropped 15 points after he started having seizures.

We know that taking even one medication can cause concentration problems; now consider the affect of how taking a combination of two , three, four or more medications can have on concentration levels. It is hard for us to watch children who were A and B students face the disappointment of low grades of C’s and D’s after the onset of debilitating seizures. Without intervention from advocates who can promote tolerance as well as specific teaching and learning strategies, these students might fall further behind. When schools fail in their responsibilities to their students by sending them home becauseo f the seizures, they fail in their responsibilities to their students and to all of us in the community.

(Perhaps add a paragraph about what schools can do,)

As advocates and parents, we need to remember how these young people are left behind. It’s imperative to work together to find good plans for these young people . For example if a student at one point wanted to be a veterinarian but cannot get a diploma, he or she could work as a veterinarian assistant in the office performing such tasks as cleaning, walking the animals, and other valued duties. Perhaps a student wants to be a chef but cannot because of not being able to use a stove. He or she can still do satisfying work in the kitchen by preparing the ingredients, getting things ready, and assisting the other people in the kitchen.
Together we act to ensure that all students can reach their dreams.