When I was in high school, I spent a lot of time debating about whether I would be disclosing my disability in college applications. While my low vision has always been a major part of my life, I was not open about living with low vision or a chronic illness because I was worried that people would have different expectations of what I can do, or that they would discriminate against me based on my disability even though that is illegal.
I’ve since become much more open about my disability after starting a low vision and assistive technology website (which is literally called Veroniiiica/Veronica With Four Eyes) from my dorm room during my second year of college. Through Veroniiiica, I have met many students with visual impairments and other disabilities from around the world, many of whom have asked me about disclosing disability in college applications and whether I would disclose or not disclose my disability if I had to apply to college today. Today, I will be sharing my thoughts on disclosing disability in college applications and how to come to a decision that works well for each individual.
Background information about me
For those who are new to Veroniiiica, welcome! I am a white woman from Virginia in her 20s that was diagnosed with visual impairment around the age of three. My vision loss is influenced by both an eye-based condition alongside a brain-based condition that contributes to frequent vision fluctuations and decreased acuity, and I had an IEP for visual impairment for receiving disability accommodations at school. My vision loss is progressive, meaning it has gotten worse over time, but I still primarily access information visually and use things like color, large print, and simplified displays to access visual information. I started using a white cane (blindness cane) in college, but was not using a cane when I was working on college applications. I was also the only student in my local public school that had been identified with a visual impairment (as well as the only person in my family with low vision), and didn’t meet anyone else with low vision until I was in college.
I share this at the beginning of the post to provide more context for why I was unsure about disclosing disability in college applications and the experiences that would help inform this choice of whether or not to disclose. This post primarily focuses on my experiences as a high school senior and my college freshman applications, though I also have experience with graduate school applications.
Some background on my disability as a high school senior
When I was in high school, I had a confirmed diagnosis of low vision from an eye condition and was living with an undiagnosed neurological condition/chronic illness that caused several different symptoms including chronic pain, migraines, light sensitivity, trouble walking, and more. Doctors were not sure if my vision would continue to get worse as I got older, and while they suspected that my neurological symptoms were caused by a Chiari malformation, this diagnosis was not confirmed until my first semester in college.
These two conditions impacted every part of my life, including my academics, but I wasn’t very comfortable with people knowing I was disabled at the time. A lot of people would tell me that they had no idea I had low vision or a neurological condition just from looking at me or interacting with me, even though I felt like both conditions were hard for me to ignore!
Related links
- How I Respond To Questions/Comments About My Eyes
- How I Explain My Brain With Chiari Malformation
- Disability Accommodations For Fluctuating Eyesight
- Ten “Odd” Things I Do With Double Vision
- Managing Chronic Migraines in College
- Disability and Classroom Accommodations For Chiari Malformation
Should I mention a disability on my resume?
While my resume does not mention explicitly that I have low vision or Chiari Malformation, I do mention my relevant professional experience that connects back to my vision loss. This includes talks/lectures I have given on these topics, talking about an internship in an accessibility-related position, and working on accessibility projects. Some of my friends also wrote about internships with organizations for visual impairment, vocational rehabilitation placements, events that they organized or volunteered at that were related to disability, or summer camps that connected to disability.
My advice to students is that they shouldn’t avoid sharing their professional experience just because it is connected to disability, and that it’s okay to mention experience with working with various disability organizations— they don’t necessarily have to self-identify as having a disability if they do not feel comfortable doing so. I wouldn’t recommend mentioning disability in a personal statement or cover letter, as those paragraphs are typically used to summarize work experience and other professional information.
Related links
- College Interview Tips For Disabled Students
- Ways To Support New Accessibility Advocates
- Places Every Visually Impaired Student Should Visit On College Tours
- Online Safety For Visually Impaired Users: Safer Internet Day
- Vocational Rehabilitation for College Students
Writing two college admissions essays
All of the colleges that I applied to required that students submit two different essays with their college application— one essay that talked about something that was not academic and one that talked about academics. For my non-academic essay, I chose to write about my experiences with a volunteer therapy dogs group and how my experiences in the group inspired me to want to improve technology for people with disabilities— I did not disclose that I had a disability myself. I wrote my second essay about my experiences as a student with low vision, and didn’t feel like I needed to mention my disability in both essays because I wanted to focus on the amazing experiences within my volunteer group.
It’s worth noting that at this point in my life, my undiagnosed Chiari Malformation had a largely negative impact on my ability to attend school and participate in extracurriculars, so I did not want to acknowledge any other part of my disability beyond visual impairment— I don’t think a college essay called “I Missed Half Of My Band Concerts Because Of My Brain Condition” would be particularly motivational or exciting to read!
Related links
- Therapy Dog Reading Programs and Low Vision
- Concert Band and Low Vision
- How I Talk To Professors About Photosensitivity
- Modifying Assignments To Remove Flashing Lights
- How I Explain My Brain With Chiari Malformation
Why I disclosed my disability in one of my college essays
One of the primary reasons I became interested in studying assistive technology and accessibility in college was because I endured years of academic ableism and wanted to invent the tools that would have helped me to succeed in the classroom. However, I was scared to talk about those experiences with academic ableism, because a lot of the advice about writing college admission essays that I read said that students should avoid talking about negative experiences, bashing teachers, or similar behaviors.
Since my experiences in school are the foundation for why I chose to be in this field, I took the advice of one of my favorite teachers and learned to put a more positive spin on these negative experiences. I focused on talking about how my teachers had inspired me to create tools and resources that could be used to help other students with vision loss and print disabilities. One major point that I made was that my lived experience with vision loss would be an advantage for making technology better for people with visual impairments, which is something that was very important to me (and still is!).
Related links
Don’t worry about sounding “inspirational enough”
A lot of students with disabilities may feel more pressure than students without disabilities to sound “inspirational” or feel like they have to stand out even more because they have a disability or chronic illness. While students should make an effort to show off how awesome there are, there’s no pressure to talk about how a disability is a superpower, or make it sound like their disability doesn’t keep them from accomplishing things on their own. I do not do things “in spite of” low vision nor do I “overcome” my low vision through the use of assistive technology or other accessibility strategies— in many cases, I do things because of low vision.
Related links
- My View On The Word See And Other Disability Language
- Having An Undiagnosed Chronic Illness In High School
Uploading supplemental or optional content to college applications
Some colleges and universities allow students to submit optional materials or supplemental content to their application, such as a video essay/video application, photos, or additional essays. I personally used my video application as an opportunity to disclose my visual impairment in my freshman application by sharing that I wanted to be a member of the class of 2019, even if my vision wasn’t 20/20.
I shared how my experience with low vision had inspired me to study assistive technology and help people with disabilities like my own, while also sharing other reasons why I was excited to attend this college such as continuing to participate in extracurriculars and getting involved with campus organizations. I felt comfortable disclosing my disability in the video because I wanted people to see me walking around a familiar environment and my outgoing personality that helped me feel comfortable on camera or when talking to an audience.
When it comes to photos, I usually attach a headshot that does not include my cane or any obvious mobility aids, though I do wear my tinted (non-polarized) prescription glasses that have a lined bifocal. I didn’t use a cane at the time of filming my college application video, but I did shoot the video from an angle so my legs were not visible— I had recently broken my ankle and did not want to draw attention to the cast!
Related links
- School News and Low Vision
- School Pictures and Low Vision
- Taking Selfies With Low Vision
- Veronica’s Four Eyes: All About My Glasses For Low Vision
How proactively disclosing disability helped me in college
After receiving an acceptance letter from my top choice university, I was able to get in contact with Disability Services and get approved for disability accommodations several months before the first day of classes. This made it easier for me to get accessible textbooks, ensure that I would have continued access to large print materials, and that I could have priority registration for classes. It also helped me ensure that I would have access to disability housing accommodations, which were not related to low vision as much as they were the then-undiagnosed Chiari malformation. Taking a proactive approach made it easier for me to get the accommodations and services I would need to be the best student possible!
When it came to graduate school, I did not hesitate to disclose my disability because I was applying to get a M.Ed. in Assistive Technology and then a PhD in Education, specializing in special education and assistive technology. Since I had also been writing Veroniiiica for years, it felt unnatural for me to avoid mentioning how my personal and professional experiences with disability had played a central role in my research interests, especially since I was interested specifically in low vision research topics.
Related links
- Why You Should Register With Disability Services in College
- How To Create A Disability Services File
- How To Choose A Dorm And Pick College Housing
- How To Explain Disability Accommodations To Professors
- How I Talk To Professors About Photosensitivity
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
- Disability and Classroom Accommodations For Chiari Malformation
- Disability and Classroom Accommodations For POTS
Other tips for disclosing disability in college applications
- Disclosing disability is a very personal choice, and it’s okay to choose not to disclose. It doesn’t make you a lesser member of the disability community, or make your disability any less valid. There are so many factors that go into disclosing or not disclosing, and it can be helpful to talk through this decision with others prior to submitting an application.
- Wondering why I didn’t talk about this decision with a teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI/TSVI)? It’s because I didn’t interact with one regularly at the time. Learn more at Ten Things I Wish My TVI Taught Me About Transition and Eight Things I’m Glad My TVI Taught Me About College Transition
- Looking for tips for college interviews? Read College Interview Tips For Disabled Students
Published October 23, 2017. Updated April 2023