Disability Highlight: Visual Impairments

Until I came to college, I was unaware of visual impairments that were more severe than poor eye sight, but not as severe as being completely blind.

I now know four people who have visual impairments at KU. Some of them use the aid of white canes or guide dogs, and some of them do not. It just depends on a case-by-case basis. So many disabilities follow this theory, which is why no one--not even someone with a disability--can ever really understand the complexities of another person's disability. Never assume you know what a person is going through and never assume that you know what they can and cannot do because it varies with each individual.

People with visual impairments have a range of accommodations that are made for them in certain situations. For example, the most common accommodation among students with visual impairments is that they sometimes require texts to be larger in format. Other helpful accommodations for students with visual impairments are:

• They may need to be seated closer to the front of the classroom so they can see the chalkboard.
• They may be affected by very bright lights, so warning them of any is helpful.
• Verbal instructions and details are beneficial to a student whose eye sight is very poor.
• Tactile familiarization with a classroom or other detailed areas of a room or objects can help a student with a visual impairment be an equal alongside the other students in their class.

These helpful hints may seem only applicable to people who are blind; however, it should be noted that people with visual impairments need accommodations, too, and they should be allowed to receive the same rights to accessibility throughout their life.