Shortly before my second year of college, I received a few orientation and mobility lessons for learning how to navigate with low vision and a blindness cane. These lessons were helpful for learning general travel skills, but I noticed they didn’t get into specifics about navigating college campuses or using university resources available for students with vision loss. One lesson that would have been really helpful is how to receive on-campus deliveries and order items to my building as a blindness cane user, so I’ve created the College O&M series to share my most-used tips and strategies for learning about this topic and others. Here are my tips for how to request and receive campus deliveries for food, grocery pickup, and other same-day delivery services.
Disclaimer
I am not a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS), and I strongly recommended working with a COMS from the state department for visual impairment or vocational rehabilitation to determine the appropriate mobility solution for individuals. The tips and strategies shared throughout this post are informed by my lived experiences using a blindness cane (white cane) on my college campus.
Why I prefer getting items delivered on-campus
Even when public transportation is available, delivery services can be a more accessible and practical option for many students with visual impairments. Although it is important to learn how to navigate college campuses and surrounding areas independently, I preferred to get items delivered to campus for the following reasons:
- Orders can be placed at any time, including late at night. Users can also add items to an online cart or delivery service over time or as they remember them.
- Items can be scheduled for delivery at a specific time, making it easier to plan for trips
- Carrying multiple bags while using a blindness cane can be unsafe or impractical
- Buying items in bulk or larger quantities is often cheaper. While I might not be able to carry heavy items from the grocery store back to my dorm, I don’t have to walk as far if I am getting items delivered.
- Short walks from nearby buildings are more manageable than trips from stores off campus and require less advance planning
- Restaurant delivery allows access to more food options, especially at night when independent travel may not be ideal
- Online shopping makes it easier to compare prices, read ingredient labels, and track inventory/existing purchases from the dorm.
For many students, delivery services are not a convenience, they are an essential accessibility service.
Related links
- How I Learned To Use The City Bus System With Low Vision
- Navigating Campus In The Dark: College O&M
- Organizing A Dorm Mini Fridge With Low Vision
Can packages be delivered to dorms?
For students living in on-campus housing, package delivery works very differently than it does for off-campus apartments or houses. Most colleges do not allow packages to be delivered directly to dorm buildings for security reasons, and students are typically not permitted to use their dorm’s physical address as a mailing address unless their building has a mailroom or package service. For deliveries that do not use the postal service (e.g. food deliveries, groceries, same-day deliveries), students will need to arrange to pick items up at another location.
My college has a centralized mailroom where packages and mail are delivered, which is located in a student union building. Students are assigned a personal mail box, which is different from a PO Box or virtual mailbox, and have the same mailbox number as long as they are continuously living on campus. When a package is ready for pickup, students receive an email notification so they can pick up the package from a smart locker. At most colleges, perishable items cannot be delivered to the campus mailboxes unless they come with ice packs.
Some colleges may offer an accessible package delivery service for students with disabilities who cannot travel to the mailroom independently, or may offer an option to hold packages behind the counter so students can pick items up. While learning to manage mail is an important independent living skill, I would sometimes help my friends who could not operate the smart lockers by typing in the locker codes or retrieving small items.
Related links
- College Mailrooms and Low Vision
- Campus Addresses Every Student Should Know: College O&M
- How To Create Dorm Door Signs and Decorations For Low Vision
Delivering medication to dorms
Medication delivery can be especially challenging on college campuses. While many national pharmacy chains offer local delivery, those services may not work well with on-campus housing if there is a narrow delivery window, delayed delivery notifications, or if the mailroom cannot accept non-postal deliveries or temperature-sensitive medications.
For students with visual impairments who need to have medication delivered to campus, consider using mail-order pharmacies that ship via USPS or similar to the campus mailroom, and request 60-day or 90-day refills when possible. For short-term medications, identify at least one pharmacy near campus that can be used for filling prescriptions. Student health services can often assist with helping students identify local pharmacies or may even have their own pharmacy for filling prescriptions on campus.
Related links
- Assistive Technology For Medication Labels
- Managing Chronic Migraines in College
- Supporting Patients With Low Vision In Medical Environments
Paying for subscription services
Delivery-related expenses can add up quickly, especially when rideshare services are required to reach off-campus stores. In many cases, paying for delivery or same-day shipping is less expensive and less stressful than paying for transportation or round-trip travel costs, especially for stores that are further from campus. Same-day delivery services that offer monthly subscriptions or annual memberships often offer reduced per-order delivery fees, options for consistent service or ways to store delivery preferences, and a wide variety of stores that may not otherwise be accessible by public transportation. Examples of delivery services I have used in various locations over the years include Uber Eats, DoorDash, Shipt, Instacart, and same-day Amazon Prime.
Because availability and service quality varies by location, it’s impossible to recommend the best delivery service for college students with visual impairments. That said, it is better to choose one or two services that cover a wide variety of stores and restaurants that are located in the delivery area near campus, instead of subscribing to multiple delivery services. Some services even offer student discounts for annual subscriptions!
Ordering items for same-day delivery
Many dorms are set back from the road, poorly labeled, or inaccessible to vehicles, which can make it challenging for delivery drivers to locate the correct address and can lead to delays or canceled orders. A more reliable strategy is to use a nearby business or campus landmark that can be located with GPS, and that can be reached safely and independently on foot. When I lived on campus, I would use a nearby Starbucks that I could easily navigate by myself and that had a well-lit area that didn’t require me to cross traffic.
Related links
Adding delivery instructions
Another helpful strategy is to enable delivery notifications that can let users know when the driver is five minutes away so they can get to the pickup location on time. In busy or dark environments, adding additional instructions to delivery notes can be helpful for students with visual impairments who are retrieving packages or same-day deliveries. Here is an example note that I would include:
“I have low vision and use a blindness cane. I will be standing in front of Starbucks with my blindness cane and am wearing a green shirt. Please announce my name and identify yourself when approaching me, e.g., ‘hey Veronica, this is your grocery order, I’m right in front of you.’ Thank you so much!”
Related links
Carrying items to my dorm
Using a white cane or other mobility aid can make it difficult or impossible to carry items with two hands, and there are many situations where students may need to have at least one hand free. When carrying packages or mail back to the dorms, some strategies to consider include
- Placing items in a backpack
- Using a tote or reusable bag worn over the shoulder
- Asking a friend or resident assistant to help carry larger orders
- Using a small handcart or rolling crate for heavier items
In some situations (such as very short, familiar routes without traffic), I would collapse my cane and carry it in the fold of my arm, or leave it in my dorm if I was just walking to a building next door that didn’t have stairs. That said, it is better to still bring a cane when walking in areas with poor lighting or lots of traffic.
Related links
More tips for receiving campus deliveries
- At my college, students can also get campus deliveries via robot! Learn more in Campus Delivery Robots: College O&M
- For on-campus students, most colleges offer a “sick meals” program which allows students to get pre-packaged meals from dining services delivered to their dorm by an employee or another student, and is included as part of student meal plans. This is another option for getting food delivered for students who can’t leave their room due to illness.
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Published August 31, 2020. Updated August 2025