Low Vision

I’m a huge fan of the Bookshare accessible online library for people with print disabilities, and have been using the service since I was a freshman in high school. I interact with Bookshare in some capacity every day, whether it’s checking out new books, reading…

As an undergraduate student living with an unpredictable medical condition, I often relied on college scheduling hacks for students with chronic illness to put together a hybrid schedule each semester that would provide options for flexible attendance and easy access to course materials online. This…

Before I started attending college, I had very limited assistive technology education, as most of what I had learned had come from reading articles online. My school had extremely limited funding and resources for assistive technology, so I never got the chance to explore different…

Recently, I received a question from the parent of a middle school-aged musician with low vision asking about options for watching the conductor with low vision. The student said that they have trouble seeing the conductor from where their section is located, and it often…

When I interned for a major technology company in 2019, one of the most important “soft” skills I had to learn in my first few weeks was how to navigate my internship building and hallways independently with low vision. Like most corporate buildings, this building…

As a student with low vision who uses a blindness cane/white cane to navigate unfamiliar environments, I find it helpful to use either a human guide or a visual interpreter when I travel to conferences, walk around exhibit halls, or attend fairs and smaller events…

When I am introducing students and clients with low vision to iPad accessibility settings, one of the features we often end up discussing the most is Zoom Magnifier and low vision use cases. This screen magnification software is a great example of assistive technology that…

One of my favorite things to shop for online is jewelry, because I often struggle with shopping for it in-person. A lot of jewelry racks tend to be visually cluttered or crowded with small price tags, and it can be challenging to visualize how a…

One of my favorite things on the internet is described videos and pictures of animals on social media, especially when people are sharing their own pets or favorite animals. While I can see many details of a video or image when I zoom in, I…

When I was in high school, I sometimes had difficulty explaining how common technology behaviors or other technology in the classroom would hurt my brain, also known as give me a migraine. Many teachers assumed that I was refusing to participate in class, but the…

While many people associate assistive technology with specialized devices that are expensive or hard to find, many mainstream technology devices have started supporting accessibility features and built-in assistive technology that can make specialty tools more financially and publicly accessible for all. Even though these devices…

Between tech internships/events and flash sales at the college bookstore, my collection of backpacks and tote bags has grown to include multiple items, all of which were chosen with my visual impairment in mind. Choosing a backpack with low vision isn’t just about making sure…