Even though I have lived with a chronic pain condition for many years, it wasn’t until recently that I fully realized how my condition influences how I interact with websites, applications, and other digital content, and how there aren’t many resources available that talk about…

A little over a year ago, I was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome following a fall on campus and subsequent hospitalization. I’ve learned a lot about how to manage this condition over the course of a year, and my professors have been very supportive…

In 2019, my time living on campus came to a very sudden and unexpected close after I was diagnosed with a medical condition that made it impossible for me to continue living on my own. While this medical condition is now much better controlled and…

My tips for being successful in college admission interviews

I recently came across a conversation thread on social media talking about how difficult it can be to keep a dorm room clean with chronic illness and how having a messy dorm can be frustrating not only for visitors, but for the person living in…

Recently, I had the opportunity to give a talk at the Inclusive Design 24 Conference (ID24) called “Why Everyone Should Design For Chiari Malformation,” in honor of Chiari Malformation Awareness Month. This talk was especially meaningful for me, as I ended up giving it the…

The first time someone asked me if there was anything they could do to make my workspace more accessible for my chronic illness/brain condition, I wasn’t sure what to say, as I had never considered how it could influence how I configure my desk or…

I receive disability accommodations in college for two different medical conditions- an eye condition that causes low vision and a neurological condition called Chiari Malformation. Both my eye and brain condition cause me to experience light sensitivity, sometimes referred to as photosensitivity, and my accommodations…

I love the look and feeling of a freshly-made bed, but I’ve found that many of my Chiari Malformation symptoms like neck/shoulder pain, headaches, and poor strength/coordination in hands are aggravated when I make my bed using traditional methods. Over the years, I’ve received tips…

One of the main reasons that I am skeptical to try new devices or devices made by brands I’m not familiar with is because my brain condition can have a tremendous impact on how well I am able to use the device, or if I…

Dealing with medical emergencies while living in the dorm/on campus housing

As a college student with a disability and chronic illness, there have been times where I’ve been unable to attend my physical classes due to issues with my health or other factors. Luckily, my professors are awesome and allowed me to attend my physical classes…

In a perfect world, today’s post would have been about the awesome conference I was supposed to attend and interesting things I had learned about during that week. Unfortunately, instead of going to the conference, I ended up being hospitalized the day before my flight…

There have been a few conferences and talks that I have wanted to attend, but unfortunately couldn’t due to factors outside of my control, such as chronic illness, time, distance, or finding out about awesome stuff after the fact. Most recently, I had to miss…

Lately, I’ve been trying out some of the Alexa Skill Blueprints to create custom Amazon Alexa skills, and I was excited to find a skill to customize for navigating my dorm with Amazon Alexa. For many people with visual impairments, it can be helpful to…