CW: Death, & Gun Violence
When someone has a gun, survival can come down to seconds. At school, students are told to run, hide and get to safety as quickly as possible. But “run and hide” is not an option for many disabled people.
That is what I keep thinking about after the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, where three children and a 25-year-old teacher were killed in a special education classroom. I think about the disabled students inside that room, one of whom is still in the hospital and about what getting to safety might have meant for them. I think about how hard running, getting on the floor or keeping up with a crowd would be for me.
School shootings are terrifying for every student, but disability can add another layer of vulnerability. Emergency plans can look straightforward on paper, yet often depend on a person’s ability to move quickly and independently. Some disabled students use mobility aids. Others need physical assistance or more time. Those needs do not disappear during an emergency.
For disabled students, this is not a hypothetical question. Last year, during the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, seventh grader Ryan Palattao, who uses a wheelchair, could not run. His teacher, Becca Heer, shielded him. His experience stayed with me because its central question feels deeply personal: What happens when everyone around you is told to run and hide, and you cannot?
That fear is not new for me. Growing up, I was told in advance when emergency drills would happen so I had enough time to reach the designated safety area. The advance notice helped me, but it also reminded me of something frightening: During a real emergency nobody would wait for me. I was afraid I would be left behind.
During one fire drill, an adult told me, “Pick a cute fireman to carry you.” I was appalled. This person thought my safety was a joke. I never considered being carried by emergency personnel to be a privilege. I wanted to know that if I could not get myself out, there was a plan for getting me out, too.
Years later, I still ask the same questions. Would I move quickly enough? Would the place everyone else was supposed to hide be accessible to me? Would someone realize I needed help, and would there be enough time?
That is part of what makes Silver Rail particularly difficult for me. The violence happened in a special education classroom, a place for students who already needed different kinds of support. Those needs do not suddenly become less important when something goes wrong.
School officials have also said the suspected shooter had once been a special education student at Silver Rail. As a disabled person, I worry about what people may think about that. Receiving special education services does not explain why someone commits violence, just as needing accommodations does not make someone dangerous. I do not want speculation about the shooter’s disability to distract from the disabled children, their classmates and their teachers.
Those students are where my thoughts keep returning. School safety cannot assume every student can run, crouch, hide or evacuate independently. For some of us, safety requires assistance, an accessible route or more time.
A scheduled drill comes with warning. A real emergency does not. Disabled people deserve plans that account for our needs before an emergency, rather than leaving someone to improvise during the worst moment imaginable.
Sources:
Barnett, Sofia. “He Couldn’t Run. So They Covered Him Instead.” The Minnesota Star Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025,http://www.startribune.com/he-couldnt-run-so-they-covered-him-instead/601464488 .
Botelho, Jessica A. “16-Year-Old Shooter Attacked Oregon Classroom for Special Needs Students: Police.” The NationalNews Desk, 17 Oct. 2026, https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/16-year-old-boy-attacked-oregon-classroom-for-special-needs-students-police-shoot-shooting-silver-rail-elementary-school-guns-weapons-bend-silver-rail-children-teacher-killed-murder-homicide-death-investigation-shooter-true-crime .
Brynelson, Troy, et al. “More Details Emerge about Fatal Shooting at Bend Grade School.” Oregon Public Broadcasting,16 Oct. 2026, https://www.opb.org/article/2026/10/16/bend-grade-school-shooting-details-unfold/ .
Crombie, Noelle, et al. “Dad Who Killed Shooter ID’d, Police Share Names of Victims: Bend School Shooting FridayUpdates.” The Oregonian/OregonLive, 16 Oct. 2026, https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2026/10/live-updates-bend-man-who-stopped-16-year-old-shooter-identified-as-36-year-old-elementary-school-dad-shooter-targeted-special-ed-classroom.html .
Yang, Maya. “Oregon Shooting Victims: Three Boys and Female Teacher Killed at Elementary School.” The Guardian,16 Oct. 2026, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/16/bend-oregon-shooting-victims .