My vision is speckled with shooting stars and sparks. Flashes go off in my peripheral. Images burn quickly into my eyes. I prefer dim rooms, but the dark brings more symptoms to light. A kaleidoscope of squiggles swirl behind my eyelids when I shut them, and cobalt blue dots pepper the ceiling when I open them. It makes me dizzy. Seeing hurts.

~

I first experienced vision changes in the spring of 2022 when I awoke with a gray spot in the middle of my right eye. The ophthalmologist diagnosed me with a case of optic neuritis—inflammation of the optic nerve. Over time, my vision worsened in my left eye too. I received few answers from doctors besides an eye prescription to correct the blur.

School is important to me. I wanted to succeed. But as my vision changed, so did the way I navigated the world.

At first, I could deal with my developing symptoms. My floaters weren’t that distracting. Wearing glasses was fine. It was the newer symptoms that made academic success in my second year challenging.

It became difficult to sit through a lecture because of the harsh fluorescent lighting and reliance on screens to learn. I dealt with eye strain and headaches daily. I missed classes for doctors appointments and had trouble submitting assignments on time. Last semester, I figured it was time to prioritize my health and figure out some solutions.

My counsellor at VIU recommended I register with Accessibility Services (AS). AS is a facility for disabled students to receive accommodations to make their university experience accessible for varying needs.

AS provided me with an accommodation letter that I shared with my professors. It allowed me extra time on exams and assignments, and no penalty for missed classes due to medical reasons.

This year, I’m still without answers from doctors as to why my vision is deteriorating. I developed an unexplained hole in my retina and have been recovering from recent laser repair eye surgery. I’m still waiting to see specialists and doing my best to take care of my eyes as much as I can.

I spoke with Accessibility Services access specialist Alea Mills, who holds a Master’s degree in inclusive education and has worked at VIU since 2018. We met in her office in building 255, where she was able to turn off the lights for me.

I asked Mills what services are provided for visually diverse students. Students can gain access to software that allows increases in text size, different contrast of text-based documents, as well as a text-to-speech screen reader called Kurzweil.

But understanding how to operate new tech can be difficult for those who already face visual barriers. I asked Mills if AS offers training for students.

“We have Access Technicians,” she said. “That’s someone who can support students with technology. In my office, I can support basic training, but students then can meet with our Access Technician to have a one-on-one training session.”

Mills highlighted that every student is different. “The very best way to provide accommodation is when it’s tailored to an individual student’s needs, versus a cut and paste solution,” she said. And accommodation plans are flexible. “Students can reach out to us at any point in their journey and have a follow-up meeting,” Mills assured.

Be sure to get into contact with AS as soon as possible for support. Be prepared for long wait times for appointments. It’s best to contact AS before the semester begins, but they are available all year round to support accessibility needs.

As Mills explained, there are a range of technical support options for visually diverse students. Attaining my accommodation letter has been crucial for my academic success and I am grateful for the support I’ve received.

A 2022 University of British Columbia study shared narratives from visually diverse post-secondary students across Canada. The 28 student participants shared their experience of belonging on campus.

Kendra, a participant in the UBC study and a student, felt stigmatized.

“The fact that we need to self-advocate, to fight to be here in this university, tells me that I don’t really belong,” she said.

The feeling of estrangement is something I’ve faced increasingly because of how my vision challenges affect others’ classroom experience. I grappled with asking a professor to turn down the lights because it felt embarrassing and intrusive. It’s not always a realistic request.

Most classrooms at VIU do not have lighting that can be selectively adjusted throughout the room. It’s either on or off, and with the rainy island weather, windows do not always provide enough natural light.

People generally need light to see their notes, and others with differing visual diversities might even need bright light to see as best they can. It’s tricky, and I’ve felt inclined to suffer in silence for the sake of others. But I’m learning that it doesn’t have to be this way.

I asked Mills for her advice on ways to make learning comfortable for everyone. “It’s about supporting students to brainstorm with their professors,” she said. “Book a meeting, go to their office hours and chat through how you can make this work in the class. Everyone’s needs may not have a totally reasonable solution, but you have to start the brainstorming.”

Open conversations with professors have been crucial to my success this year. There is indeed a balance to be had in terms of privacy and disclosure, but honesty truly is the best policy.

Some solutions that work for me are lamps or Christmas lights in classrooms that replace overhead lighting. There’s often designated seating for students registered with AS, and I’ve become confident in asking someone if I can take their seat if it’s where I need to be.

I recently took a web production course, and because I was honest with my professor, he understood why I couldn’t look at tiny lines of code on a screen for long periods and didn’t make me feel rushed or ashamed for needing extra time.

It can become emotionally taxing to have to continuously explain yourself as a visually diverse student. It’s also up to the campus community to educate themselves and to be mindful of their behaviour when it comes to disabled people.

Because of my lighting preferences, I’ve been called a vampire, and although my celebrity crush is Edward Cullen, I’m not always flattered. The first time I spoke up and asked a professor to dim the lights, another student said it was too gloomy. I felt discouraged.

Generally, I’m able to have a sense of humour about things. But comments like these can add up, especially when I’m dealing with higher pain levels. It’s important to be mindful of how the conditions of others may differ from yours in a learning environment. Do research and ask questions to those who are willing to answer (like me!).

I’ve felt alone in my struggles because my disability is invisible to others. I’d never met anyone else on campus who struggled in a similar way—until I met Emerald Ayres.

Emerald is a second-year standing Creative Writing student. She can be seen around campus in her bright pink leg warmers and wide-brim gardening hat, which aids in protecting her eyes against the harsh light.

Emerald experiences pain related to light sensitivity. “I also have pain when just using my eyes, so any kind of eye-focusing activity like reading or writing,” she said. “Which are very integral to the university experience, so that can make things very challenging.”

Emerald is registered with AS and has similar accommodations to myself. I originally connected with her for an assignment, but we quickly became supportive in each other’s health journeys. Having a friend who understands the challenges I deal with has been monumental.

It was not until I met Emerald that I truly felt I had the right to speak up for my needs and was inspired to advocate for myself.

Emerald offered advice to students dealing with similar challenges. “Just be kind to yourself,” she said. “What you’re dealing with is really hard. But if you’re pursuing your degree, and it really matters, the work will be worth it.”

I’ve also connected with Marina McDonald who is a third-year Creative Writing and Journalism student. She described herself as having poor eyesight. “I fluctuate between a prescription of -8.5 and -8,” she said. Marina also experiences intense astigmatism.

Marina’s visual challenges understandably affect her learning experience in classes. It’s difficult for her to see lecture slides or writing at the front. Marina’s solution seems simple: request class material from professors in advance so she can print or resize them on her laptop to view during lecture. However, it’s not always that easy.

“So far I’ve been told that if they released them for me, then they’d have to release them for everyone,” Marina said.

Marina also struggles significantly with auditory processing, which makes notetaking even more strenuous. “I’ll stress out in class trying to process and catch up and look forward to being able to properly immerse myself in the posted material afterwards.”

Other academic hindrances Marina described include professors writing in funky colours on white and black boards and scanning documents as images which cannot be adjusted. “I’ll have to zoom in so closely on my computer that I scroll to each word,” she explained.

Marina’s story is yet another example as to why the campus community must be more mindful of visual diversities so students with them can succeed.

This semester, I’m enjoying the little victories that I achieve in my health journey. I most recently got contacts, which have significantly improved my pain levels. I have professors who are gracious when I request extensions and friends who understand if I must cancel plans to recover or allot my good eye time (those golden few hours of pain-free seeing) to assignments.

When it comes to visually diverse students at VIU, self-advocacy is crucial for academic success. If you experience vision challenges or a disability of any nature, I encourage you to access the support that is there for you. Be vocal about when something works, and be critical of things that don’t. Remember: you are not alone. Make friends with people who are empathetic to your situation.

But please, perhaps most importantly, remember that you deserve to be here no matter how strong the harshly lit conditions of academic institutions beg to differ.

~

Accessibility Services is located on the second floor of building 255 on the Nanaimo Campus. Reach out to them via email at AccessibilityServices@viu.ca or by phone at 250-740-6446.