Suzanne: Hi my 16 year old son with autism has had 2 achilles surgeries over in the last 6 months for toe walking issues.He is now in braces and doing really well with them and getting around in general. He is having trouble though navigating up and down stairs. He has a class next semester that is out of his normal building which is on a hill with 3 sets of stairs to get to this building. The school does not want to provide him a bus to get to this class and back ( the class cannot come to him because it is a chorus class ). They want him to walk up and down these the sets of stairs to get where he needs to go. He is barely able to get up one flight of stairs and he has to have a lot of assistance. 3 flights is absurd.
Your state education agency may help you, but accessibility is covered by the Section 504 law that is enforced by the federal Office of Civil Rights. Your state parent training & information center may be able to help you. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center
Suzanne: Contact the doctor who performed the surgeries. Explain the problem, ask the surgeon to write a letter that explains the surgeries, what your son CAN do and CANNOT do, and what may happen if he has to walk up 3 flights of stairs. The doctor will advise the school when his patient is medically cleared to walk up flights of stairs. Ask the surgeon to describe the damage your son may experience if the school requires him to do this before he has been medically cleared.