During in-person classes and lectures, I often have trouble seeing videos presented on the projector or on other screens, and find myself asking a lot of questions about what is going on or becoming disoriented due to unexpected flickering or flashing lights. I know that I can’t control how my instructors show videos in class or tell them not to share videos, so I’ve had to come up with several strategies for watching videos in class with low vision so I don’t miss out on important information. Here are my tips for how to make classroom videos easier to see for students with low vision, including movies, YouTube videos, and other streaming video content. I also include several tips for photophobia (light sensitivity) that can affect students with visual impairments and other disabilities as well.
Allow flexible seating for viewing video content
With preferential seating accommodations, I typically choose a seat/desk in the classroom that works best for tasks like taking notes or viewing information on a dry-erase board that are part of day-to-day classroom activities. However, sitting at my desk or sitting directly in the front row may not be ideal for movies, especially if I can’t see the entire screen or adjust my head to view content more easily. In these situations, I might need to move to another location to view longer video content or movies, which can include:
- Sitting on the floor or in a beanbag chair so I can look up at the screen
- Moving towards the back of the room or even closer to the screen
- Positioning my desk or chair near a light source such as the hallway or an overhead light that is still on
- Watching the video as it is played from my instructor’s computer/device. I would ask permission in advance and then typically pull up a chair and sit next to them as the video is played. No students ever seemed to notice/acknowledge that I was sitting somewhere else, and this decision was made by me and not by someone else.
Related links
- Preferential Seating and Low Vision
- High School Hallways and Low Vision
- Tips for Going To Movie Theaters With Low Vision
Provide links to video content to view on personal devices
Personally, I find it easier to view video content on my iPad or laptop computer instead of looking at the projector or a screen positioned at a distance. Sometimes my instructors would post video links on the class website for anyone to see, while others would share a link via email or in a shared folder so I could access it. I would usually mute the audio and follow along with the video as it played on the projector. As a bonus, I could also enable captions on my video, which were easier for me to read compared to the captions on the projector.
Related links
- How I Use Blackboard With Low Vision
- How I Use Canvas With Low Vision
- How I Use Moodle With Low Vision
- Free Digital Bookmarking Tools For Low Vision
- Implementing Shared Folders For Accessible Materials
Play videos on a larger display with AirPlay/Chromecast
Sometimes, I want to share a video or my screen with a small group of people, or my instructor is showing a video on a smaller screen and I can’t see it. In these situations, using a screensharing or casting tool like AirPlay or Chromecast is helpful for wirelessly displaying content on a larger screen, and helps to reduce or eliminate “hovering” over a smaller screen. Another option is to duplicate a computer display on an external monitor or use screensharing tools to stream directly to student devices.
Related links
Adjust classroom lighting
Overhead lighting and surface lighting can play a significant role in making classroom videos easier to see, especially for students with light sensitivity. To reduce the intensity of bright lights, the majority of my instructors would keep at least one dimmed overhead light on in the classroom or adjust lighting to make it easier to view video content without shadows or washed-out colors. Some instructors will turn off overhead lights in front of the projector but keep lights on in the second half of the classroom so that students aren’t sitting in the dark and can still see their desks.
For students that need additional lighting for their workspace, task lighting or clip-on lights can be used to provide additional illumination, which can be helpful for taking notes or completing activities while videos are playing.
Related links
- Lighting And Low Vision
- Reduce Glare In The Classroom For Low Vision Students
- How I Set Up My College Desk
Consider enabling audio description
Audio description is an additional narrative track that provides verbal descriptions of visual content during natural pauses in dialogue. This is extremely helpful for students with visual impairments or light sensitivity that can make it difficult to pay attention to videos visually, and audio description content can also be useful for auditory learners that find visuals or other graphics distracting.
Sources for finding classroom videos with audio description include:
- Described and Captioned Media Project, which is targeted at K-12 audiences and also includes captions
- Video content available with audio description is listed on the Audio Description Project maintained by the American Council for the Blind
- Audio described YouTube videos can be created and shared on the free YouDescribe website, which can be accessed from a computer web browser
- For audio description tracks only (no video), AudioVault offers audio tracks for several titles and requires a free account for access
- For Spanish audio description tracks, Audiocinemateca offers audio tracks (no video) for several titles, and requires a free account for access
- At my university, professors can submit videos to the accessible media coordinator/assistive technology office to have audio description added. This requires at least 2 weeks advance notice.
Another option is to provide students with the option to watch audio description tracks with their own headphones or on their own devices, instead of using “open” audio description tracks that anyone can hear. It’s worth noting that the majority of audio description tracks are not captioned, so a transcript of audio descriptions will not be shown within video captions.
Related links
- Described And Captioned Media Program Review
- The Audio Description Project (ADP) (acb.org)
- How To Create Audio Description For YouTube With YouDescribe
- Audiovault.net
- Home | Audio Cinematheque (audiocinemateca.com)
- What To Know About College Assistive Technology Specialists
Arrange alternative viewing options for students with photophobia
Photophobia and photosensitivity are terms used to describe adverse reactions to bright lights, strobe lights, or flashing lights, which can include eye pain, headaches, nausea, seizures, dizziness, discomfort, or other symptoms. Some people may have photophobia or photosensitivity but will involuntarily fixate on flashing lights or bright lights, making it difficult or impossible for them to look away.
In these situations, students may prefer to watch videos in their own environment, have someone else screen the video for them, or engage with video content nonvisually by either reading a transcript or listening to audio description. In my case, I would usually ask instructors to screen content for flashing lights in advance to see if there was a significant amount of flashing content. If there were a lot of flashing lights, I would usually watch video content outside of class time, search for an alternative option for viewing content, or ask to complete a different assignment that covered the same topics. Since I was proactive about sharing my sensitivity to flashing content and making suggestions for alternative activities, my instructors never had any problem with me modifying activities or videos so I could access them without triggering a medical issue.
Related links
- How To Check Videos For Flashing Lights
- How I Talk To Professors About Photosensitivity
- Avoiding Flashing Lights On Social Media
- Learning to Self-Advocate
More tips for how to make classroom videos easier to see
- Creating videos or recorded lectures for class? Read my tips on creating accessible videos in Recording Video Lectures For Visually Impaired Students and How I Take Notes During Video Lectures With Low Vision
- While they aren’t videos, many of my instructors would also use digital whiteboards that would extend across the screen, and I would ask for a link to view the whiteboard on my own device. I share more in How I Use Microsoft Whiteboard With Low Vision
- I’m sensitive to loud noises and sometimes have trouble focusing my eyes in loud environments, so being able to watch content with headphones so I can control the volume on my own terms is helpful. Read more about headphone options in Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Headphones
- Sharing videos for science class? I share more ideas in How To Describe Science Experiments For Visually Impaired Students
Published October 4, 2019. Updated September 2024