As a high school and college student, I have taken a total of four online English classes with low vision, including two required English classes and two writing-intensive classes that involved writing an extensive research paper. While I enjoy taking English classes in-person, I have found it easier to participate in hybrid and online asynchronous English classes when it comes to courses that require a lot of reading or in semesters where I have several other visually demanding classes. Here is a list of must-have tech skills, assistive technology ideas, tips, and strategies for taking online English classes with low vision in high school and college.
About my online English classes
Online high school English
During my senior year of high school, I took English 12 online through my school district’s public virtual high school program hosted on Moodle. I had taken AP English Language and Composition the year before as an in-person class, and I decided to take the option for virtual English 12 so that it would be easier for me to get materials in digital formats.
Another consideration for taking virtual English was that I wanted flexibility for when I would work on schoolwork. I always had a lot of eye fatigue by the time fourth period came around, so I liked the idea of having an asynchronous option I could work on outside of school hours or at other times of day. I had a dedicated class period in the computer lab to work on my virtual English class, though I could also work on my other virtual classes if I wanted to during that time.
Taking online English classes in college
As an undergraduate student at George Mason University, I took an online upper-level English composition class (ENGH 302: Multi-Disciplinary Composition) as an online asynchronous class, since I had several other in-person classes that semester that were more visually demanding (two math classes, programming, etc.). I also took a writing-intensive elective online that involved writing a final paper worth the majority of my grade in another semester because the in-person section was offered later in the day when it was harder to focus my eyes.
Even though the education research class for my master’s degree wasn’t technically an English class, it revolved a lot around learning to write and format research papers and a literature review. Having the class online made it easier to pace myself when writing as well as provide access to video lectures with transcripts— it would have been more difficult for me to watch demonstrations of how to navigate library databases on the projector/board compared to up close on my own screen.
Related links
- My Experience With Virtual Classes in High School
- Tips For Taking Online Classes As An On-Campus Student
- Online College Library Resources For Digital Access
- Why I Prefer My Schoolwork Digitally: Updated Edition
- Implementing Shared Folders For Accessible Materials
- How I Write Research Papers On Accessibility Topics
- How To Get Disability Accommodations In Community College
- The Best Study Tips For Visually Impaired Students
What to expect when taking an online English class
While each class covers different material and topics, each of my online English classes in high school and college consisted of the following components:
- Assigned readings and required readings to be done each module. These would come from the assigned textbook, PDFs that the instructor would post online, links to websites, or text embedded in modules. Some professors would also assign specific books to read— this would often be different from the books assigned for in-person sections of the same class.
- Discussion board posts: Students would be expected to answer a question about the required readings or a prompt posted by the instructor, writing anywhere from two to five paragraphs each week for their own posts. Most instructors also require students to respond to other classmates with 1-2 paragraph posts expanding on the ideas they shared in their original post.
- PowerPoint slides that contain information from lectures, sometimes re-posted from in-person sections of the same class. Many instructors would post a recording of them presenting information from the slides.
- Video lessons that cover a topic in-depth and include images, interviews, or lectures. Some videos would be posted with transcripts of spoken content, though these were not a substitute for watching the videos.
- Weekly quizzes on readings posted on the course website. For my English classes, these are normally very short (5 questions or less) and can include questions about a book or information from the textbook. It was rare for quizzes to include free-response questions, but this varies from professor to professor.
- At least one or two weekly assignments, which could include answering questions about a book, writing a short essay, taking notes on research sources, or making progress on writing a longer essay or research project.
- Projects and essays that students were expected to write on a specific topic, usually chosen by the student with some guidance from the professor.
- For my literature class, tests were proctored and taken in-person and covered information from one or more books we read for class. None of my composition classes had tests/exams, and projects or essays were considered our “finals” or “midterms” for the class.
- Meetings with the instructor over the phone, video chat, or via email to discuss progress on writing and to receive feedback.
Similar to an in-person English class, I would spend at least three to five hours each week doing required readings for class and completing assignments, and additional hours writing papers or working on projects. Some of my classes incorporated group projects where I worked with one or two other students to put together an essay or other project, or I would do a peer review of someone else’s writing and provide feedback.
Related links
- Low Vision Assistive Technology For Discussion Board Posts
- How I Use Moodle With Low Vision
- How I Use Canvas With Low Vision
- How I Use Blackboard With Low Vision
- Taking Online History Classes With Low Vision
- How I Receive Accessible Quizzes and Tests in the Classroom
- Implementing Shared Folders For Accessible Materials
- How I Organize Digital Files For My Classes
Finding accessible textbooks and required readings for English classes
English classes involve a lot of reading, though most of my instructors didn’t use textbooks to teach material— we mostly had to read things like the APA Publication Manual or assigned books for literature classes. As a student with low vision, I would get accessible copies of books and textbooks from the following sources:
- As a student attending public schools, I received accessible textbooks through my state’s NIMAC organization, which provides accessible educational materials for students with visual impairments and print disabilities; this organization is known as AIM-VA in Virginia. They can also provide accessible copies of other required readings that students are assigned.
- Bookshare is a free online accessible library for students with print disabilities, and has over a million fiction and non-fiction titles. This is where I would get the majority of assigned books for my English classes, which I would read on my eReader or in another eReading application.
- For students that want to know if a book is available digitally or not, WorldCat and the Louis database are great places to start (see post on “How I Find Research Sources”)
- If the professor uploads a scanned PDF of pages from a book, I would ask what book/pages were posted and find a copy on my own. Since some scanned pages could be sideways or have random shadows/spots, it’s easier for me to find the original book in many cases.
- If a book is not available in an accessible digital format, I can submit a request to Bookshare or my college’s assistive technology office to get an accessible copy.
Other sources that I would use to download digital copies of books that I could read in large print included mainstream eBook retailers (e.g. Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble) and Libby/OverDrive eBooks from my local library.
Related links
- How I Find Research Sources In Accessible Formats
- Receiving Accessible Educational Materials With NIMAC and AIM-VA
- Ten Cool Things You Didn’t Know About Bookshare
- What To Know About College Assistive Technology Specialists
- Behind The Scenes: How Bookshare Books Come To Life
Accessing information in audio formats
Audiobooks and text-to-speech are fantastic for students with visual impairments taking online English classes, because they can be used in multiple contexts. Some students may prefer to read audiobooks all the time, while others may find it helpful as a way to give their eyes a break from looking at print. Another option is to pair audiobooks with large print or braille, listening to the book while following along with text. Examples of ways to incorporate audio access in online English classes include:
- Enabling text-to-speech or Read Aloud tools, which are frequently built into simplified reading displays (see next section)
- Using text-to-speech or Read Aloud to proofread text and catch errors
- Amazon Kindle and Audible offer bundle deals where users can purchase an eBook and audiobook together, listening to the audiobook within the Kindle app.
- Learning Ally is an audiobook library with human read audiobooks for K-12 students.
- Sora and Libby/OverDrive are eAudiobook services available through public libraries and schools— title availability may vary, but the audiobooks are often the same human-read tracks available for purchase elsewhere.
- Listening to or recording podcasts instead of watching or recording videos
- Bookshare also offers a selection of human read audiobooks available for download, as well as MP3 books read by synthesized voices.
- Anthology Ally provides options for converting files posted within online classes into audio formats, though this does not work for larger files.
To promote access to auditory formats, instructors should ensure that class materials can be read by screen readers and that text is structured with headings or in a responsive file format.
Related links
- The Best Study Tips For Auditory Learners
- How To Use Text-To-Speech With Low Vision
- Make Proofreading Feedback Accessible For Low Vision
- Amazon Kindle App and Low Vision Accessibility
- Using Anthology Ally With Low Vision
- How Amazon Alexa Can Help You Read
- Sora Free Audiobook Summer Reading Programs
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
Reading text in the web browser
All of my online English classes required students to read text from a web article or other web source at some point, which meant that I would have to enlarge text or find another way to access information. Strategies for reading text in the web browser with low vision that I would use in my classes would include:
- Using a simplified reading display to apply a consistent background color, font size/style, and single column layout to text. This was really helpful for enlarging text quickly, and I could also display fewer lines at a time to help with not losing my place when reading.
- Enabling a screen magnification tool like Windows Magnifier to enlarge text or icons on the screen
- Downloading research sources in my college database for offline use or opening them as an HTML file in the web browser, which offers more options for enlarging text compared to a PDF.
- Sideloading readings onto my eReader or another eReading application using a tool like Send-to-Kindle or saving files directly to the eReader. With this tool, I wasn’t restricted to reading at my computer and could go read somewhere else that wasn’t my desk.
- Enabling reading extensions that incorporate assistive technology like text-to-speech or enabling dark mode/high contrast mode.
- Bookmarking web sources or pages for later using a tool like Wakelet, which was helpful when working on a research project.
Another strategy that I would find helpful for my online English classes is to read text from my iPad, which is easier to position close to my face or under the bifocal in my glasses compared to the computer screen.
Related links
- Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
- Windows Magnifier and Low Vision
- Sideloading and Low Vision
- How I Use Send-To-Kindle With Low Vision
- How I Read Research Sources With Assistive Technology
- File Formats For Low Vision and Print Disabilities
- My Favorite Web Browser Extensions For Virtual Learning
Formatting essays and assignments for online English classes
All of my online English classes required students to turn in assignments with the Doc/DocX file format, and I would spend a lot of time reading and writing assignments in Microsoft Word. In addition to low vision, I also have dysgraphia which affects typing/writing, so I would incorporate the following strategies when formatting essays and writing in my online English classes:
- For discussion boards, I would type my responses in a Word document and copy/paste the text onto the discussion board, and add the Word document as an attachment so that other students could open it if needed. I found this especially helpful as a student with low vision, as I could more easily enlarge Word documents compared to viewing discussion board posts in the web browser.
- Using color and icons to highlight and outline sources, which included highlighting digital text and color-coding my own notes when putting together a paper.
- When writing in Microsoft Word, I would use tools like Reader View, Immersive Reader, and Read Aloud to help with proofreading text and reading what I have written so far in large print.
- For scripts and presentations, copying and pasting text into a teleprompter app would create a simplified reading display that also supported very large print sizes
- Inserting placeholder text when writing citations so that I could go back and add them later, which helped me ensure everything was formatted correctly.
The most important skill to have when taking online English classes is typing— strong typing skills are absolutely critical for succeeding in online English classes because students are constantly writing and having to share information. That said, learning to use dictation and other alternative input methods can also be helpful, and many students I have worked with use a mix of dictation for writing and then using their keyboard to make edits later.
Related links
- Low Vision Assistive Technology For Discussion Board Posts
- Learning To Type With Low Vision
- Highlighting Information With Low Vision
- Secret Microsoft Office Accessibility Features I Use Every Day
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- Ways To Use Teleprompter Apps As Assistive Technology
- How I Create Citations For Research Papers With Low Vision
- How I Outline Research Papers With OneNote
Getting writing help in online English classes
For students with visual impairments in online English classes that need more help with writing or that may not have super strong writing skills, there are several free resources that can help, including:
- Many colleges and community colleges have a writing center, which helps students learn how to structure text, organize their thoughts, and get feedback on assignments.
- Brainfuse is a free online tutoring service available through many public libraries that offers writing help for K-12 students and undergraduate students, along with help for English language learners.
- The National Homework Hotline for Blind and Visually Impaired Students is a free phone-based service that can teach K-12 and undergraduate college students how to use assistive technology for writing.
- Online instructors will offer office hours so students can get feedback on writing or ask questions. This is really helpful for students who have writer’s block or don’t know where to start when writing.
On my website, I have also shared several guides for improving writing skills as part of my Writing Success series, which is linked below.
Related links
- Choosing A Tutor For Low Vision Students
- Brainfuse Online Tutoring and Low Vision Accessibility
- National Homework Hotline: Free Tutoring For Blind and Visually Impaired Students
- Writing Success | Veroniiiica
More tips for taking online English classes with low vision
- I often read content on my eReader’s e-ink display to help with minimizing eye strain from bright screens. Learn more at How I Use My eReader For School and Online Classes and E-Ink Displays and Low Vision Accessibility
- As part of my Master’s degree, I created a list of strategies for accessing digital text— read it at A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- Need to improve typing skills? Check out Learning To Type With Low Vision, How I Manage Dysgraphia In Online Classes, and Assistive Technology For Dysgraphia
- Learning English? Browse Language Learning Tips And Resources For Low Vision
- Interested in browsing more posts on reading and writing with low vision? Check out Reading and Writing category
Published August 24, 2020. Updated January 2025