I gave a talk about what I wish I learned about assistive technology before starting college a few years ago, based on my experiences preparing for transition from high school to college at the undergraduate level. Recently, I had someone ask me if there was anything I wish I learned about assistive technology before I started graduate school, and without hesitation, I answered “absolutely” and started drafting this post.
For those who have been reading for a while, it may seem surprising that there would be a list of assistive technology skills and strategies that I wish I had learned about sooner, considering that I have written about low vision and assistive technology for years, especially in the context of education, and that I have a Master’s degree in Assistive Technology. However, I have been grateful for the opportunity to learn and practice these skills in the context of my classes, and today I will be sharing what I wish I learned about assistive technology and low vision before starting grad school, from my perspective as a student with low vision.
It’s really easy to forget about vision breaks
My assignments and projects in graduate school involve a lot of reading, watching video lectures, application testing, and authoring documents with word processing software. While these are all tasks that can be done nonvisually as well, I consider myself a “visual learner” and prefer to access information in visual formats or use reading strategies like large print. I have a few different strategies I use for minimizing the effects of visual fatigue, but it’s impossible to avoid it entirely.
I noticed a few weeks into one of my courses that I was having a lot more trouble with reading and focusing my eyes- it was harder for me to track lines and I felt like my double vision was distorting text more than usual, which made me feel overwhelmed. It wasn’t until I talked with a friend that I realized that these reading sessions were lasting over 90 minutes, and that I was setting myself up for visual burnout and fatigue from staring at a screen for that long continuously.
While I was great about taking vision breaks during undergrad and acknowledging when my eyes were bothering me, it felt like I regressed with this skill during graduate school, and I had to set up reminders to take visual breaks and spend some time away from screens.
Related links
- Activity Ideas For Vision Breaks
- Ten Ways To Reduce Eye Strain From Screens With Technology
- How Tinted Glasses Help My Light Sensitivity
It’s okay to admit something isn’t working out
In my talk on what I wish I learned about assistive technology before starting college, I mention learning that technology isn’t forever, and that it’s important to learn how to use multiple devices and also how to ask for assistive technology by function. Even though I have several tools in my “AT toolbox” for accessing information, it’s easy to fall into a pattern where I spend time trying to figure out how I can access information with a specific app or software, instead of being open to trying something else, because I know that this other app is already “here” and I can make it work with some adaptations.
For a real-life example, I had to create an eBook for one of my assignments using an app I’d tried in a previous class. Technically, I was able to use this app with low vision, so long as I held the screen close to my face, frequently zoomed in and out on the page, copied and pasted text from another application, didn’t use text-to-speech, and uploaded all of my own pictures. But that meant that I was making myself adapt to the application’s features, instead of having the application’s features adapt to my needs as a user and taking on a large cognitive load in order to accomplish the basic requirements of this assignment.
Once I realized that I was spending more time trying to make my assignment accessible than I was actually completing it, I became more open to trying new tools I hadn’t used before that offered more features, and found something that worked for me. I had been so resistant to trying a new application because I felt like I could make the other one work for me, but being honest about these difficulties and the features/support I needed was valuable as I searched for recommendations and other alternatives to try.
Related links
- My Talk At A Future Date: What I Wish I Learned About AT Before Starting College
- Creating Audio Narrated Images For Low Vision
- How To Find Accessible Picture Books For Low Vision
Don’t rely on a single device for accessing schoolwork
A lot of online learning platforms have inconsistent low vision accessibility across devices, and I’ve discovered several instances where I can’t enlarge something on my computer and have to use my tablet, or I can’t turn in an assignment on my tablet and have to switch to the computer. If I only had access to a computer or only a tablet, I would encounter accessibility barriers due to issues with how display scaling or large print render on different displays, and would miss out on important information. Alternatively, I would feel like I had to do “everything” on my computer or on my tablet, which wasn’t the case at all.
This experience isn’t tied to one specific learning platform; I’ve seen it with Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard, and Desire2Learn in my various online classes over the years, and I’ve been able to find workarounds by using different devices so I don’t miss out on anything. But it’s something that became more frustrating in graduate school as I sometimes have to delay turning in or completing assignments until I can access a specific device.
Knowing how to use accessibility settings effectively across multiple operating systems has helped me a lot with accessing online classes, because I can look at an assignment description or instructions to figure out what technology I will need for them. For example, if I am taking a quiz, I know browser zoom on my computer can distort the display or formatting of text, so I use my tablet where I can use pinch-to-zoom to enlarge information without distorting the display. In the meantime, if I’m writing a detailed discussion post, my computer will work better because I can open the discussion prompt in a new window and enlarge the text in a larger size than I would be able to on the tablet.
Related links
- How I Use Blackboard With Low Vision
- How I Use Moodle With Low Vision
- How I Use Canvas With Low Vision
- How I Document Accessibility Preferences With Low Vision
- Assistive Technology For Fluctuating Eyesight
Ergonomics are underrated
One of the modules in the first week of classes was all about ergonomics, which focuses on designing and arranging things so that people can use them efficiently and safely while avoiding/minimizing discomfort or other health problems. With low vision, I often lean in close to see screens or turn my head in different directions to see something more effectively, which can lead to discomfort and muscle pain even without the influence of a secondary condition. Finding strategies for how to raise my desk to a comfortable viewing angle by adding risers underneath, adjusting my desk chair, and increasing the height of my keyboard to promote better wrist positioning all have made a significant impact on my workflow and helped me to be more aware of avoiding discomfort while studying.
Related links
- How I Set Up My College Desk
- How I Set Up My Tech Internship Desk: PM Intern With Low Vision
- How To Create Accessible Workspaces For Chiari Malformation
- The Best Study Tips For Low Vision Students
Accessible books can still be inaccessible
I took an online course through an extension program at another university, and downloaded what I thought was the accessible version of my textbook. This book had no images included or alt text/image descriptions, and I emailed the professor to ask if I could use a different edition of the book for their class. After some confusion, it turned out that I had requested the wrong type of “accessible” book, and my copy with image descriptions was sent a few days later.
I had assumed that the “accessible textbook for low vision” would have included images with descriptions or things like charts or tables, but I learned that it only contained large print and all non-text content had been removed; I would have to be more specific when requesting books in the future. After all, accessible means something different to everyone; large print and braille are both considered accessible formats for low vision, but individuals will have their own preferences about which format they prefer, and how they want it configured.
As part of field work, I worked with a student at another college who had been provided with books in a PDF format, which was difficult for them to read for long periods of time since they had to zoom in on the page and use horizontal scrolling to read text, which would get disorienting due to the constant moving around on the page. Even though the digital book was easier to read than the physical textbook, it still wasn’t a great format for them, and we found some other alternatives that were easier to navigate.
Related links
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- Using Anthology Ally With Low Vision
- Eight Things You Need To Know About Your Disability Accommodations
- How To Request Accessible Textbooks In College
Keyboards are easier to read than icons
For many of the applications on my computer, I rely on color-coded icons and motor memory to navigate between different functions. In order to develop this skill, I would spend time with a screen magnifier enlarging each of the features/icons on a toolbar or screen and learn what they do and where they are located. Later on, I would locate the function or tool I needed by remembering where the icon is located on the screen and selecting it without necessarily being able to see what it looks like.
I still use this strategy often, but something I have found even easier to master is keyboard shortcuts, which are helpful if the location of a feature changes or if I am having a bad vision day/lots of eye fatigue and find it more challenging to locate. Spending the time to learn keyboard shortcuts has been more valuable than learning to navigate computer applications with motor memory, especially since many of my most-used applications offer keyboard access options.
Related links
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Keyboards
- Choosing An iPad Keyboard For Low Vision
- How To Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows
- How To Customize Icons For Windows
When in doubt, read aloud
If I’m dealing with a lot of eye fatigue or a pain flare, it’s really easy for me to misread something because my double vision tends to be more difficult to control during these times. I’ll read things that sound like they make absolutely no sense, and it can be tempting to assume that I can trust my eyes and that I am reading something correctly.
Using tools like Read Aloud, Speak Text, and text-to-speech have helped me tremendously since I can still read the text with my eyes and have it read out loud with a synthesized voice, often with word-level highlighting to help with tracking. I starting using this strategy during undergraduate when reading through code and programming assignments, but it’s been especially helpful in graduate school when I have to read a lot of numbers and eye fatigue makes it difficult to tell the difference between a 4 and a 9. I don’t have these tools enabled constantly, but it’s nice to have them when I need them.
On another note, being able to use screen readers and text-to-speech tools for speed reading (600 words per minute or higher) is also a valuable skill to have for graduate school, especially when it comes to reading from textbooks or on timed assignments. However, I prefer to use a slower reading speed since I’m often reading unfamiliar terms or acronyms.
Related links
- How To Use Text-To-Speech With Low Vision
- Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
- Free Digital Bookmarking Tools For Low Vision
Making things accessible for myself helps others too
Structuring documents with headings and using flexible formats that provide options for users to enlarge text or customize the display on their own are strategies that have been really helpful for me as a graduate student with low vision, since I can avoid looking at a giant block of text. What I didn’t realize was that these document accessibility features also were helpful for my classmates and professors, who may also be using assistive technology to access class materials like I am. I was already comfortable with using these strategies in my own work prior to graduate school, but I didn’t realize how important it was until I realized I couldn’t read something for a peer review activity and had to find an alternative.
It can be embarrassing or awkward to ask classmates to add things like alt text to images or share something in another format, especially for students that don’t want everyone to know that they have a visual impairment, but I’m grateful that my professors share resources with students on how they can make their content accessible for assistive technology users. By proactively implementing good document accessibility practices, I can ensure anyone can read my content and engage with it in a way that works for them.
Related links
- How To Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the Visually Impaired
- Quick Ways To Improve Accessibility For Virtual Learning Materials
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- How To Create Accessible PowerPoints
More resources on assistive technology skills for grad school
- Students can start developing many of these skills as early as elementary school or as part of a high school transition program- there’s no need to wait until college! I talk about more tech skills in Ten Information Technology Skills Every College Student Needs
- All of my graduate school classes are online and provide assignments in digital formats (with some field work in a hybrid format), so the majority of assistive technology I use for school is high-tech apps, software, and devices. I wrote a post when I was in high school about why I prefer digital formats in Why I Prefer My Schoolwork Digitally: Updated Edition
- Want more posts on college prep and college transition? Read College Transition Archives | Veronica With Four Eyes (veroniiiica.com)
Published March 1, 2024. Updated May 2024