Dear Chiari Malformation, You came into my life six years ago now, when I suddenly developed a constant pain in the back of my head. I was a freshman in high school, and coincidentally it was Chiari Malformation Awareness Month, but I didn’t know that- […]

Every year, students participate in school picture day at least once, where they have their photos taken for the yearbook, student IDs, graduation, and more. Here are some of my tips for having your picture taken when you have low vision. Do not remove your […]

While attending public school in Virginia, I had many opportunities to go on field trips with my class. This included historical sites, museums, special events, and many other places. Even though we didn’t know how bad my vision was, my teachers always were great about […]

My mom and I were walking to the check out area at a popular chain retailer when suddenly, it seemed like strobe lights popped out of nowhere. The store was selling rapidly strobing fidget spinners, which were all flashing asynchronously, and at a high frequency, […]

My freshman year of high school, I had the opportunity to participate in a school wide play competition. Each grade presented a student-written and directed one act play and competed against the other grades to see who had the best performance. While I don’t remember […]

Living right outside of Washington DC means that I am just a short Metro ride away from visiting one of the coolest places in the United States.  Some of my favorite places to visit are the Smithsonian museums, which have free admission and are amazingly […]

This post is dedicated to Mr. S, who will never see a flashing light or a light switch the same way again. In November 2011, two months into my freshman year of high school, I began getting chronic migraines, with one of the triggers being […]

As a student with low vision and chronic illness, my dorm room looks a little different than a typical room. I live in a single room, meaning I have no roommate, and share a bathroom with one to three people, as opposed to with the […]

The year is 2011, but I’m in too much pain to remember that at the moment. I’ve forgotten a lot of things- my own name, the name of my cat, what town I lived in, and who the president is. All I can sense is […]

About a month ago, my friend recommended an application to download on my phone. I wasn’t sure if they had thought about this, but there are many apps, even popular ones, that are inaccessible to people with low vision or photosensitivity. Right as I was […]