Here are specific ways that I find media descriptions and tools like image descriptions and audio description helpful as someone with low vision.

I rely a lot on color for labeling information, so highlighters and colored overlays are a helpful tool for locating text or making it easier to see, especially when it comes to making information stand out against a bright white background. Here is a list…

Discussion board posts are a key part of college experiences, especially in online classes and in graduate school programs. I love discussion boards because I often learn so much from students and instructors alike about different topics, problem solving ideas, and areas of interest, but…

As a student with low vision, I sometimes have trouble reading the PowerPoint slides that my instructors post on the course website or share with me so I can follow along with class. Things like small font sizes and multi-column layouts are great for presenting…

My first introduction to Padlet accessibility features was when I was in high school and realized I couldn’t see any of the text or images that my instructor had just shared for a virtual class, and they told me I had to figure out how…

I write about a lot of different websites and apps I use for in-person and virtual learning, but there isn’t a single website for college that I spend more time on than the Blackboard Learn LMS portal, which hosts websites for all of my classes…

How to use OneNote, a free note taking software that allows users to create multimedia notebooks and use accessible materials

During my senior year of high school, I went from having a few virtual classes each year to a truly hybrid online class schedule, where 50% or more of my classes were online. This continued throughout undergrad in college, before I transitioned to having all…

As a student with low vision and an unpredictable chronic illness, I spend a lot of time learning asynchronously outside of the classroom. Even when I do attend classes in-person, I often search for study resources online to explore topics in-depth or get explanations about…

Learning how to write research papers and essays can be overwhelming for students with low vision or print disabilities that impact access to standard print. Research databases, search engine results pages, and even just webpages in general can be extremely overwhelming visually, making it difficult…

I started using the free Kanopy streaming service as an undergraduate student when my professor played a documentary in class and I realized I couldn’t see much of what was going on. It’s not uncommon for me to have trouble watching videos in classrooms as…

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…