Dorian Taylor

Q&A'S

• What happened, why are you in the Wheelchair?

  On September 8, 2011, my life took a dramatic turn due to a complex medical and physical situation involving lupus and neurological complications. I had been dealing with worsening symptoms, and at the time there was uncertainty about whether my condition was related to lupus, possible myelopathy, or another non-organic neurological cause. During this period, I was mischaracterized by a neurologist who did not fully evaluate my condition and dismissed my symptoms as psychological in nature. During a hospital visit, a situation escalated when campus police were called to escort me out. I asked to finish a phone call before leaving, but the interaction escalated, and I was physically restrained and tased multiple times. Following this period of medical and traumatic stress, I developed significant neurological impairment, resulting in a T8 incomplete spinal cord injury diagnosis. Today, my condition is understood as lupus with possible myelopathy versus other contributing neurological factors, and I continue to live with the lasting effects and challenges that followed.