When I was in middle school and high school, I frequently experienced anxiety related to receiving IEP disability accommodations for visual impairment. There were times where I felt my disability made me stand out a lot and that it was obvious that I had trouble seeing, and other times where I felt like no one knew that I had a disability and that I felt that I had to mask or hide the fact that I have trouble seeing as much as possible— it was not uncommon for me to experience both of these feelings on the same day.
Overcoming anxiety about disability accommodations is not something that happens overnight, but it did get better as I came up with different strategies that helped me to feel more comfortable with having low vision and receiving disability accommodations. Here is a list of tips and strategies for dealing with anxiety about disability accommodations that can help students with low vision, based on my own experiences.
Sit next to friends in class
There were a few incidents during middle and high school where I would sit next to a student I didn’t know in class and they would make teasing remarks or ask me a bunch of questions about why I used large print or why I had trouble seeing. Even more frustrating, there were instances where students would copy what I was writing, and sometimes teachers would accuse me of copying the work of another student, even if I couldn’t see it.
I know that most teachers don’t like to have friends sit together in class, but this was a huge help for decreasing my anxiety about receiving disability accommodations because I didn’t have to worry about them making comments about my vision or asking a bunch of questions about why I was using assistive technology. This was especially helpful for classes with high visual demands like math and science, as I felt comfortable asking friends to serve as my lab partner or read something from the board if I had trouble seeing it.
Related links
- How I Talk About Disability With New Friends
- How To Describe Science Experiments For Visually Impaired Students
- How I Respond To Questions/Comments About My Glasses
- How I Respond To Questions/Comments About My Eyes
- Having An Undiagnosed Chronic Illness In High School
- How I Respond To Children’s Questions/Comments About Low Vision
Find ways to access information independently
When I was taking a state test that did not permit the use of a screen reader or text-to-speech, I was approved for an accommodation to have a person read the exam to me upon request. I noticed that the proctor would often get annoyed if I asked them to read a question more than twice, and as a result I tried to guess what the questions said instead. This almost definitely led to me receiving a lower score on the test, and one of my college professors later explained that it is not uncommon for testing software to be incompatible with screen readers, meaning that students have to rely on a live reader or person to access information.
Even though human-read content can be helpful, one of my favorite things about text-to-speech is that I can replay it whenever I need it without having to repeatedly ask someone to read me information. Learning how to use tools like text-to-speech, screen magnification, and large print reading tools helped me overcome a lot of anxiety about disability accommodations because I did not have to rely on someone else to access information— I could do it myself!
Related links
- A to Z of Assistive Technology For Low Vision
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- Disability Accommodations For Fluctuating Eyesight
- Math Test Accommodations For Low Vision
Customize and personalize assistive technology
As a student with low vision, I frequently use different types of assistive technology like a laptop, eReader, magnification aids, specialty devices, high contrast markers, a cell phone, and (starting in college) mobility aids like a white cane. These often would make me “stand out” because other students either did not own these items or were not permitted to use them during class times, so I felt like everyone could tell that I was “different.” I actually preferred to use mainstream technologies like tablets or a cell phone over specialty tools like a video magnifier for a long time because I didn’t want to call more attention to my disability.
It’s worth noting that I wasn’t interested in avoiding the use of any technology at all, because I loved using mainstream technology devices and exploring accessibility menus and third-party apps to find new ways to access information. But at the same time, I wanted to add my own personal flair and customizations so that I was excited to use this technology. Some examples of personalization I have incorporated into my assistive technology include:
- Customizing device wallpapers with images I enjoy or art that I created.
- Decorating devices, cases, or tools like markers so they are easier to locate.
- Selecting fonts for my devices, even if they weren’t always the easiest thing for me to read at first. Just having the freedom to try something new or experiment was exciting!
- Choosing fun, high-contrast designs that didn’t blend into common surfaces like the floor or my desk.
- Designing custom icons and themes to make it easier to access applications.
- Ordering blindness canes (white canes) with custom colored segments— I love my white and purple cane!
- Naming devices that I use frequently. For example, my video magnifier in high school was nicknamed “the dinosaur” because it reminded me of a vintage computer and moved very slowly.
- Whenever possible, I would incorporate my favorite color (purple) into different items to add a personal touch.
My color vision is largely intact, so I use color a lot for conveying information, as a labeling tool, and for decorating. This should come as no surprise to anyone visiting my website, which incorporates lots of vibrant colors, purple accents, and strategies for personalizing assistive technology!
Related links
- How To Customize Icons For Windows
- How To Create Custom iOS Icons and Custom Home Screen Designs
- Apple Pencil Customizations For Writing With Low Vision
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Covers and Cases
- My Favorite Free Fonts For Print Disabilities
- High Contrast and Low Vision
- How To Order Custom Colors for Blindness Canes
Stay in the mainstream classroom as much as possible
When I was in sixth grade, I was exempt from gym classes for the entire school year following eye surgery that was the result of a volleyball accident. One of the suggestions for an alternative to gym class was having me sit in the office for 90 minutes every other day while other students participated in gym class, and my parents vehemently objected to this idea. Instead, I ended up taking double the number of electives classes, participating in choir, art, drama, band, and Latin with other sixth-grade students. Nobody noticed I was taking double electives, but they likely would have noticed that I was going to the office every other day.
Whenever possible, students should be permitted to stay in the mainstream classroom for completing activities, instead of having to go to another location on their own in order to access assistive technology or other accommodations during class time. While there were instances where I had to leave the classroom for practical reasons (e.g. watching a video with strobing lights), I generally felt more comfortable staying with other students than I did being isolated because of my disability.
Related links
- Gym Classes and Low Vision: My Personal Experiences
- Art Classes and Low Vision
- Modifying Assignments To Remove Flashing Lights
- Ten Lessons My TVI Taught Me
- My Talk At A Future Date: What I Wish I Learned About AT Before Starting College
Get out of toxic classroom environments
Even though a lot of my teachers were awesome about following disability accommodations, there were some teachers that were frustrated about having a student with low vision in their class and would openly tell me that they did not have time to provide large print or make classwork accessible. Some of them even told me they wished I wasn’t in their class or that my disability was inconvenient to them, and that would cause my anxiety about receiving disability accommodations to spike, especially as this went on for weeks or months.
I know that I mentioned in the last section that it is good to stay in the mainstream classroom as much as possible, but something that helped me tremendously was getting out of these toxic classroom environments and switching to a new teacher or a virtual class where I could receive digital copies of my assignments that I could enlarge myself. Usually, this was a mainstream classroom with other students in it, but there were also instances where I finished the rest of the semester in a small-group setting with another trusted staff member. Although it is important for students to develop resilience, I also wanted to have the opportunity to learn the material that was being taught.
It’s worth noting that after I got out of these toxic classroom environments, I was able to understand that my teachers did not have the resources or support they needed to have a student with low vision in their class— they were frequently overwhelmed and had no idea how to make things accessible, and took out that frustration on me. However, these situations were not going to improve if I stayed in the class, and I deserved to be in an environment where I would not be viewed as a burden.
Related links
- How To Transfer To A Virtual Class Mid-Year
- Tips For Handling Academic Ableism In The Classroom
- Low Vision Accommodations For Print Materials From My Low Vision IEP
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
- My Experience With Virtual Classes in High School
Explore hobbies and interests that can be adapted for low vision
I attended one middle school and two different high schools, which meant that I had to learn how to navigate different environments with low vision, make new friends, and also work on developing independent living and other compensatory skills for accessing information. My family and support team emphasized that I should explore hobbies and interests that I could engage in with low vision, which would help me with making friends and becoming more confident with accessing technology. Some of my favorite hobbies and extracurriculars that I participated in included:
- Band, including marching band, honors band, pep band, and other ensembles. This was huge for making friends, and I still talk to many of my band friends 10+ years later!
- Learning to bake and bringing treats for various class events, which was helpful for learning how to access cookbooks, blogs, and developing cooking skills.
- Student IT group, which helped me with learning how to troubleshoot technology and understand educational technology applications.
- Participating in a high school mentorship program.
- School news programs and various videography projects.
- Freshmen one-act play, which helped me connect with students my own age after being in classes with mostly upperclassmen.
Some other interests I explored outside of school included dance, volunteering, writing, creating digital art/graphic design projects, cooking, and experimenting with fashion.
Related links
- Marching Band and Low Vision
- Concert Band and Low Vision
- Baking Banana Bread With Assistive Technology
- Ten Skills I Learned During My High School Mentorship
- School News and Low Vision
- Participating In Drama and Theater Programs With Low Vision
- Dance Classes and Low Vision
- Ten Cool Things You Didn’t Know About Bookshare
Understand how disability accommodations are useful
When I was sixteen, I went through a period where I felt like I didn’t really “need” an IEP or to receive disability accommodations, and that I was better off masking my disability and pretending it didn’t exist. I didn’t fully understand the reality of having a progressive low vision condition and secondary neurological condition, or that vision loss can fluctuate and change based on environmental factors. When teachers suggested that I just needed to try harder to see something and that they couldn’t be expected to provide disability accommodations, I accepted this as truth and then would strain my eyes and get frustrated when I still couldn’t see something.
Something that helped me better understand my disability accommodations and improve self-advocacy skills was going through my disability accommodations with a parent and understanding why I receive a particular accommodation and how it helps me. It also helped to talk to my eye doctor and better understand why I could see some things and not others.
Related links
- I Don’t Need An IEP!: Overcoming Internalized Ableism
- Ten “Odd” Things I Do With Double Vision
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
- Learning to Self-Advocate
- How I Explain My Brain With Chiari Malformation
Understand that there is no “right” way to live with disability
I didn’t meet another student with low vision until I was in college, and now I have several friends that have varying levels of usable vision or no usable vision at all. It wasn’t until I started meeting other people that I realized that visual impairment isn’t a binary (sighted/blind), but rather a spectrum of different experiences. While some of my friends do have similar access preferences to me, we all have different ways of interacting with the world around us and using visual/non-visual strategies to access information.
One of my best friends who also has low vision told me about how when they were younger, they had no idea if they were acting like someone with a visual impairment or if there was some way that “blind kids” were expected to act. They sometimes felt odd mentioning that they loved graphic design or going to art museums because of the stereotype that people with visual impairments can’t enjoy art, and I shared the same sentiment about wondering if people would believe that I had low vision if I mentioned going to the movies with friends.
Meeting other people with visual impairments and reading their experiences has helped me a lot with dealing with anxiety about disability accommodations, because it shows that no two experiences are alike, and that I should not feel trapped by what other people believe I can do.
Related links
- Questions To Ask Other Students With Low Vision
- Why I Study Assistive Technology
- Tips For Visiting Art Museums With Low Vision
- Tips For Creating Art For Visually Impaired Friends
- How To Write Alt Text For Amateur Art
Other tips for dealing with anxiety about disability accommodations
- It doesn’t bother me if someone who is “less disabled” uses the same assistive technology as I do, as long as it is useful for them. People shouldn’t worry about what other disabled people might think of them if they use assistive technology— chances are, they will be thrilled you have access to the tools you need!
- Worried about what other people might be saying or thinking when navigating college campuses with a white cane/blindness cane? I share some more strategies in Dealing With Imposter Syndrome: College O&M and Dealing With Paparazzi/Unwanted Attention: College O&M
- Something else that helped me a lot was getting involved in advocacy work. Learn more at Tips And Advice For New Accessibility Advocates
Published May 23, 2019. Updated May 2025