Fall is just around the corner, which means college students across the state are heading to campus. Whether you’re an incoming freshman leaving home for the first time or transferring to a new school, moving to an unfamiliar campus and city can be scary for any student. But with a few tips, resources and skills, students who are blind or have low vision can get what they need to make their college career a success.
Needless to say, moving away from home and going to college can cause a lot of anxiety for students with vision loss. But it’s important to remember that everyone else is moving into the dorms for the first time too. If you need help with something, just ask! Odds are that many of those around you are in the same boat as you in being new to the campus area and will likely be willing to help.
Once you leave for college, it’s important to be able to speak up about your own needs. Part of the college experience for any student is learning how to take care of yourself and your own needs, and that is especially true for students who are blind or have low vision. Being able to recognize what you need and advocating for yourself to get those needs met is critical to college success. For example, if you need your classroom materials early, talk to your professor and tell them why you need them in advance. Self-advocacy is a skill that needs to be built, and the sooner you begin building that skill the more successful you’ll be both at college and for the rest of your life.
One of the first things you should do, even before moving to campus, is get in touch with your school’s disability office. The disability office can help you work with your professors to get accommodations in the classroom. Even if you think you have everything figured out, it’s still important to reach out. “Sometimes you don’t know what you need for accommodations,” says Kaylee Mueller, a student at UW-Green Bay and 2024 Council Scholarship recipient. “They have worked with so many different students with a variety of different disabilities and can suggest things to help you in the classroom.”
Knowing where to find your campus disability office can be difficult, as different schools call them by different names. If you need help finding what your campus’ disability office is called, ask your academic advisor.
Your school’s disability office won’t be able to help you in every case, however, and may not offer specialized services like Orientation and Mobility (O&M) training. It’s important to research all the resources that may be available to you before you move to campus. If you have one, refer to your transition plan created by your high school and the state’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to figure out what you need to do to successfully navigate college. You can also get in touch with the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) that serves your campus area. You can also contact us here at the Council; we may be able to point you toward other available resources.
Once you’re connected with the disability office and other necessary resources, it’s time to start learning the campus itself. While it’s great if you can work with an O&M specialist to show you the ins and outs of the campus, you might not be able to connect with one right away. If that’s the case, take a friend with you to walk around and learn the campus together.
If your school allows you to move in early, take that time to explore your campus. Many students will be transitioning from a small, one-building high school to a sprawling campus with many buildings to navigate. Taking a day to learn where all your classes are being held and how to get there can help make the first day of class go smoothly. Make sure to learn not only where your classrooms are, but the bathrooms, water bubblers, dining hall and other key locations as well.
Joe Tuttle, a recent Purdue University grad and former Council Scholarship recipient, says moving from a small town in rural Wisconsin to a campus of over 50,000 was a bit of a shock at first. But after getting in touch with the school’s disability office, they were able to give him a full tour of the campus before classes began. “We were able to map out the campus and walk around so I understood where I was going,” Joe says.
If you’re able, you should also learn the layout of your classrooms. Especially in large lecture halls, there may be several doors you can enter from and stairs and tables to navigate. This can help relieve at least a little stress on your first day of class. It’s also important to learn to navigate your community as well, like nearby restaurants and grocery stores. Learn the different intersections around your campus, and where any signalized crosswalks in your community are located. If possible, bring a friend with you to help get acquainted with the community while you learn what’s around your campus together.
Eventually, you will have to go somewhere that is not within walking distance, which means your next step should be to learn your local transit system. Many college towns will have some bus or public transit system that can get you around town. If your college town does have a public transit system, be sure to find out where the buses stop near your dorm and other buildings you will be spending a lot of time in.
Whether you are from a small town or have lived in a big city your whole life, you should reach out to the transit service to ask them for more information about how to use the bus system. Your town’s municipal transit system may have a mobility manager on staff who can provide individualized guidance on how to use the bus. If they don’t have a dedicated mobility manager on staff, they may still be able to provide travel training to help you learn about your local transit system.
Now that you know your way around campus and the community, it’s time to get ready for class. First, talk with your school’s disability office to get you set up with academic accommodations. They can help you work with professors on accommodations like priority seating in the classroom and a separate space to take tests. They can also help you a get digital reading device to assist with reading your textbooks and, if available, textbooks in an accessible format. You might run into some resistance from professors to get exactly what you need. Remember to firmly and politely advocate for yourself so that you can get all the resources you need for academic success.
You should also investigate the different technology you’ll need. For example, it’s important to find the notetaking app that works best for you. If you struggle seeing handwritten notes, using an iPad and a note taking app can be a huge help. Microsoft OneNote is a popular free app that allows you to take your own notes and annotate any PDF files your professor may provide. OneNote is also compatible with JAWS on Windows computers, VoiceOver on iOS and TalkBack on Android devices. No one piece of access technology is perfect for everyone. Talking with your disability office can help you find the one you find most helpful.
Finally, it’s important to remember to have fun! College is a unique time in your life, and while studying for tests is important, remember to take some time to make friends, try something new, and enjoy the experience!
