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Show Notes:
You’ll be amazed by the tech, grit, and self-advocacy that a blind student uses to thrive in a sighted world.
In this powerful episode, we welcome back Olivia Wilkerson, a bright and resilient college student who first joined us on episode 3. Now in her junior year of college, Olivia shares an honest, unfiltered look at her journey navigating a large university campus with her visual impairment, LCA (Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis).
Beyond academics, Olivia dives into the unexpected social dynamics and daily challenges that come with college life—from the logistical hurdles of crowded chapel services to the emotional toll of dealing with well-meaning but invasive strangers. She offers invaluable advice on self-advocacy, the importance of “self-care” for students with disabilities, and the essential role of the Disability Services office.
Olivia also provides a fascinating look at the technology she can’t live without, including affordable adaptive tech like the Meta Ray-Ban glasses, and shares her top tips for middle and high school students preparing for their own college journey. This episode is a must-listen for any student considering higher education, and for parents seeking to equip their children for success and independence.
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Olivia Wilkerson is a courageous and resilient college student with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), a visual impairment. A junior in aviation administration, her journey is a testament to the power of self-advocacy and determination. She openly shares her experiences with campus life, from navigating crowded spaces to leveraging innovative technology like Meta Ray-Ban glasses. Beyond academics, Olivia is a talented musician pursuing a brass performance minor. Her story is an inspiring guide for students with disabilities and parents seeking to empower their children for success in higher education.
Episode #133: Navigating College as a Visually Impaired Freshman?
You’ll be amazed by the tech, grit, and self-advocacy that a blind student uses to thrive in a sighted world.
(Recorded July 28, 2025)
Full Transcript of Interview:
Tonya: Imagine navigating a college campus with thousands of students, flashing lights, and loud noises, all while depending on a white cane for safety. Now, imagine a stranger suddenly grabbing your arm to pray for you. This isn’t a hypothetical, it’s been a real-life experience for our guest today. Her story will challenge your assumptions about what it means to be a college student with a visual impairment.
Welcome to The Water Prairie Chronicles, a podcast for parents of children with disabilities. I’m your host, Tonya Wollum, and I’m glad you’re here.
Today we’re catching up with a very special returning guest, Olivia Wilkerson. Olivia was one of my first ever podcast guests, and her story resonated with so many of you.
Now a junior in college, she’s back to share her unfiltered, often surprising, journey through campus life.
Olivia, welcome back to Water Prairie.
Olivia: Thank you so much for having me.
So Olivia and I have been trying to figure out when we could catch up, and it was episode three was when Olivia was first on, you were in high school. I’ll link in the show notes back to that episode. It was actually broken into two pieces of Part A and Part B.
She had some great information. It’s been one of our top, episodes that have been listened to. So at the end of that one, Olivia, I asked you what your plans were for after graduation, and you may not remember it, but at the time you said your goal was to attend NC State University. Did you do that?
I did not. I would say in terms of what I wanted to do back in junior year, I’ve gone about, I don’t wanna say as far as possible, but pretty close to it. I now attend a, it’s a good-sized college. Got about 20,000 students on campus. So not quite as big as NC State, but definitely a good size.
I find it manageable. I like the bigger campus. but no, so I’m actually studying aviation administration now, so keeping with kind of my aerospace, I think it was like aerospace or electrical engineering or computer science that I was thinking about back then. so I’m kind of, I’m not really still in that realm, but I get to kind of work with it.
my computer science goals lasted one semester and I discovered I don’t enjoy computer programming as much as I thought I would. So, but it, again, it definitely still gave me some good experience and kind of taking the skills and the knowledge that I’ve gained from all the experiences in high school.
Into what I’m doing now. It it’s surprising at how those things can help you, even though they’re not directly related to what I’m doing.
Well, it sounds like you found your people when you got there.
It’s really interesting ’cause I thought cybersecurity is where you were gonna land.
I thought it was too, but, I don’t know. It just kind of got to the point, it didn’t excite me anymore.
What year are you now in school?
I’ll be a junior this year.
and for those who haven’t met you before, can you remind us of what your eye condition is?
Yes. So I have, LCA, Lebers Congenital Amaurosis. It affects the retina, the rods and cones specifically. Some of the rods and some of the cones just don’t work. So I have no central vision, all peripheral, and, even that is limited and I’m colorblind as well as part of the condition.
Is this a sister condition to RP?
Yeah. So it’s the in infant form of RP. Yep.
Okay. I was trying to remember from what you had explained the first time. yeah, so parents that are listening, we may have some who can connect with that.
I have to ask one question before we talk about just the regular experiences that I think everyone’s that logged in wants to hear about. You just had a music recital, correct?
Yeah, that was probably a couple months ago now, but I definitely had a few of them this past semester.
So where does music come into play with, aviation administration?
So, if you’ve seen the previous podcast, I’ve probably talked about, doing band and I played the euphonium, so it’s like a, a cross between a tuba and a french horn. Kind of looks like a small tuba. I really enjoy playing and I didn’t wanna give that up in college.
And so, First semester I just started, I joined the band and I heard people talking about having, taking private music lessons, and they were like, yeah, you can add on a music minor, take lessons, or, you know, music theory, and a couple other courses. And so I was like, well, you know, might as well, I have the credit space.
And so I added on, a brass performance minor. And so I take, six semesters of private music lessons. So I meet with an instructor, and we’ll go over like, selections and, work on a piece and then I’ll do a recital. this past semester was actually my first time playing with an accompanist, which was really cool.
this semester I’ll actually get to learn all the woodwind instruments and then next semester, all the brass. So I get to kind of do a little bit of everything.
it’s, I mean, it’s obviously work, but it’s nothing too difficult. Like I would say on average it’s maybe 30 minutes a day in a practice room, which really is nice. You get to go into this soundproof room, shut the door, do your own thing, you know, it’s a nice kind of decompress, be alone, just you and the instrument, you know, doing whatever.
So I really enjoy it. and I would definitely recommend adding on a minor of something that you enjoy, whether it’s art or music or, you know, anything else.
All right, so let, let’s get into what, what some of your experiences have been. So you and I have talked a couple times since you started college and early on, I think it might have been that first summer that you came home. We talked about, you had shared some about, some requirements on school, on the campus where you were having trouble because it was almost like an unfair situation.
And it was a, I believe it was a chapel situation where you were required to go, but you had to check in with someone when you got there.
Yeah, so we’re required to go to a chapel, service twice a week.
I mean, if you were a residential student living on campus, you had to attend. So there was easily 10,000 to 12,000 students in that arena. and yeah, you have to go find your RA in person and tell them that you’re there basically.
and then on top of that, you have to find your seat or a seat, in your section. And then the music is loud. There’s flashing lights. I mean, for me, at first I was like, oh, this will be fun, you know, and I was like, by the second week I was like, I cannot do this. I would get out of there and be so exhausted mentally from just everything, the stimulation, the, the people, the noise, the lights, the flashing lights actually started to bother me a little bit just ’cause they were so bright and bright in your face. and so, yeah, I got an exemption at the end of that semester and so, and now I’m living off campus, so fortunately I don’t even have to worry about that anymore.
To kind of help our listeners catch up a little bit on this, you explained earlier that that central vision is not a strong point. so navigation has a few challenges in certain situations for you. So you’re going into an arena with 10 to 12,000 people and you have to find one specific person in that arena.
Listeners, do you hear the unfairness of this and this, this is the part that that bothered me when she first told me about this. So how did you find your RA each time?
So I was fortunate enough to kind of be talking about that, to some people. And I was like, how does this work? You know? and one of the girls who was kind of like a, she was a community leader on the hall and she had said, well, I have a class in this building, which was right next to the building that I had to be in for a class.
and she was like, I’ll meet you and we will walk in together. And so we would always meet up, go in. It was still, it, I mean, it was still very difficult because you have to go, through the metal detectors. You obviously have your backpack and everything from class, and then you have to find this one person.
and I’m a cane user and anyone who’s ever tried to use a white cane in a crowd of 10,000 people knows that it just doesn’t work. There was always a spare cane in my bag because, I mean, you know, it’s just about near impossible, to navigate in that crowd and, you know, so it just, it was honestly, for what it was, it was just more trouble.
and I was just like, you know, this just isn’t, you know, it’s just, it’s too much. when I got on campus, I definitely, I wanted to be doing things like everyone else, and I wanted to participate in the campus culture. but I would say I definitely gave it a try and I think that’s the biggest thing.
if, if you think you can handle something like that, definitely try and go for it. But there’s no shame in saying, look, I, I just have to have this accommodation. Like, there’s just no way. If there’s a day that I’m feeling really up for it, I’ll go and then I have the exemption so I don’t have to find anyone.
But at the same time, sometimes it’s just, you just gotta, you just gotta do it.
So your advice would be to talk to your disability coordinator on campus ahead of time about things like that?
Yeah. Yeah, for sure. because they’re gonna know how everything kind of runs on campus, and they can kind of give you some pointers.
And that was definitely a big thing for me starting off in college is like, sometimes it’s not about, it’s definitely about fair and equal access, but sometimes you just have to do what’s best for you. and so for me, that was tuning in online versus going in person. and at the end of the day, if I, if I’m completely out of energy by like lunchtime, you know, well, I’ve got two or, you know, one or two more classes, so.
It was definitely affecting more than just that one event. And so I would say definitely prioritize what you need to do for your health and wellbeing, even if it is different than what everyone else is doing,
Olivia’s not going to a small school, but if you’re going to a small school, sometimes they have these rules that are pretty rigid that are in place and they may not have considered that.
Sometimes there does have to be a deviation from that rule for this one situation. and I know that can be intimidating at times, especially if you’re a freshman coming into school, but I would encourage parents and students together when you’re first talking to a school, go ahead and start finding out what that life is like and thinking through like, like Olivia said, it’s not just that moment in time that affected the rest of her day.
So you still had a couple more classes by the time you’re out, plus you have all your study time and you still have to deal with mealtime and stuff like that, that are gonna be more crowds and more chaos happening.
Speaking of which, how did you learn to navigate the cafeteria on campus?
Yeah, so the cafeteria, I’ll get into this, after I lay down the foundation, but past my first semester, I didn’t end up going to the dining hall very often. at first when I got on campus, I had orientation, mobility and they oriented me to the dining hall. and I just found the places that I could go up, tell them what I wanted.
I could look ahead, online to see what each station was serving that day. I’m a creature of habit. I go to the same place and I get the same thing every time. like if I’m going, I don’t know, to Chick-fil-A, I get the same thing. If I’m going somewhere else, I always get the same thing at the dining hall.
it was the same, like if I’m going to the deli, I know I’m getting a Turkey and cheese sandwich with mayonnaise and tomato and that’s literally it. It will not change. That’s just how I am. and so I already knew ahead of time at certain stations and everything, what I was gonna get.
You know, I could plan ahead and be like, okay, I’m getting pasta today. There’s a, I’m walking and I see a thing with silverware. I know I’ll need a fork. You know, I’m a planner. I do things like that. But, in terms of. Finding things. It really wasn’t that difficult. And again, it’s a college campus, there’s always people around.
at least especially for my school, the dining hours, the dining hall was open all day, but they really didn’t have food except for like from seven to nine, 11 to one, and like five to seven. other than that, it was just like the one remaining hot dog that’s been out for four hours, you know, so you had to go when everyone else was there, otherwise you just were out of luck.
but as for the reason, I didn’t really go to the dining hall after that first semester. it was honestly just personal safety. I would sit down, I’d fold my cane, and people would come up to me. And a lot of the times it was, I wanna pray for your healing. but they would always do it in very inappropriate ways.
and, you know, it was always when I was seated, I was cornered. and in a dining hall situation, someone coming up to someone else and talking is not an uncommon thing. And so no one’s really going to think twice about, you know, what that person could be doing or saying. And so for me it was just easier to go to the independent locations on campus.
They had like a Chick-fil-A, a Dunkin Donuts. there was about six other places. And so some of them were on my meal plan. So it was like, you know, I might as well, like, to me, it, it was a no-brainer. It’s like, this is on my meal plan. I don’t have to, you know, deal with these people. You know, it was just what I did.
So, yeah. But again, everything is pretty much on an app now, so you can order ahead. The people are pretty understanding, like some of the places had those kiosks and I’d just be like, look, I can’t use the kiosk. I’m just gonna, you know, tell you what I want. And they were able to put it into the thing and, you know, I’d swipe my student ID to pay for the meal or whatever, and it was, it was fine.
Okay. So that, and there should be some type of orientation, wherever they’re going to school to at least. I would hope that they’d have the cafeterias open so that they could go through while their parents are with them before, before everybody goes home and they’re they’re left by themselves.
Yeah. ’cause that’s what I did. I had orientation and mobility and then my mom was there with me for like another, like day or so, and so that, that evening she was like, okay, we’re gonna go into the dining hall, you’re gonna do everything independently. And then if there’s any issues or something we need to work on really quick, I’m still here and we can work on it.
and so yeah, just like a test run before, you know, I was there by myself. but yeah, it’s definitely usually open by the time you get there, so there’s like no reason you shouldn’t be able to go in and get oriented. and again, that’s something you can talk with the disability office about.
Just be like, look, I need to become familiar with this area. Is there any way I can get in here? And, you know, nine times out of 10, there’s no reason why you can’t. And so they just we’re like, sure. You know, and it’s fine.
So your, your vision and Emily’s vision, listeners, my daughter is, is Emily. you’re very different in, in your amount of functional vision, but with Emily, even with low vision, we did the same thing and it was too intimidating for her to just be left and figured out on her own. So she and I went through and did those things the same as we had done every year in school before she graduated, to kind of, kind of figure out the layout of, and for her to start problem solving.
When I get to a menu that I can’t see, how am I gonna do this? So, and a lot of it is online now, which helps a lot.
Yes. I would say of all the places I had to get oriented to on campus, the dining hall was definitely the hardest because I mean, people are just going in every direction. They’re obviously looking at the food choices rather than what’s in front of them.
There’s signs and line things and chairs and cones and about, you know, it’s just, there’s a lot going on and there’s a lot of noise. yeah, it’s, it’s definitely a bit of a chaotic environment.
Because a lot of our listeners may be looking at smaller campuses, and some of those campuses may be Christian campuses.
I’d like to, if you’re okay with, ask you a little bit more about. Those well-meaning students who wanted to pray for you. How did you, how did you handle that situation? Because I believe it happened more than just in the cafeteria for you, didn’t it?
It did. Um, it happened all over campus and I would say I, I like to think the best of people, and I actually ended up going to a school counselor about this because I was like, I just have no idea how I’m supposed to even go about this.
Like someone would come up to me and say that, and it’s like, I’ve had it happen before, but it’s so unexpected. And you know, just out of the blue, and she’s like, yeah, you’re, what’s happening is you’re getting your fight or flight response because, you know, it’s, again, it’s unexpected.
Um, and to you it’s a little odd you know, because it’s not how you see your yourself and your vision, but to them it’s a perfectly. You know, something that they wanna ask. And so I was like, okay. Um, and she was like, you know, in that situation, just like take a breath, kind of. We talked over some things that I might wanna say.
Um, and for the most part it is just a curiosity or they think that they’re, you know, meaning well. Um, and so then that’s an opportunity to kind of educate. And then there are the ones who I’ve had follow me, and I had one guy use it as a way to ask me out, which I thought was very interesting.
He cornered me in the dining hall and he was like, do you wanna see? And I was like, it took me a whole five to 10 seconds to even process what he had said. ’cause it was very obnoxious. And I was like. And so he said it again and I was like, I’m sorry. Like, you know, I was like, whatever conversation we’re about to have, if you can’t even ask me a normal question, we’re not gonna have a conversation.
And so I was just kind of like, I’m sorry, I’ve got someone to meet. I need to go, and then later he, he, he lived in a dorm building close to mine and he saw me as I was walking to my dorm and he was like, yeah, sorry about earlier. I realized that was kind of awkward, but I just think you’re a really cool person and I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me.
not with that pickup line.
It was just so random. Um, but no, with that I would say most people want to just kind of. Understand, and they think they’re meaning well. Um, but I would say like, it’s easy to get kind of defensive, but I would, as long as you’re in an open area, um, I’ve definitely had the people who have followed me, like from Starbucks into the student union and then sat down beside me, and that, that’s a whole nother level.
But I would say, keep it simple. Keep it short and sweet you know, whatever that is for you. Like for me, I’m just like, you know, I’m a Christian. I have a relationship with Jesus, and this is something that, you know, this isn’t what I’m interested in. I’m not interested in being healed, but you’re welcome to pray on your own time.
Um, but right now, you know, I need to get going or whatever. Um, and that way. One, I’m kind of hoping that prayer is the only thing that they want to do because there definitely are the people where I can tell that they’re kind of using it as a way to get my attention. Um, and so just kind of being careful about the information that you give and what you’re willing to share, and obviously that’s different for each person.
Um, and then just kind of, my thing is always make it like you have, if you’re getting uncomfortable, just say, I’ve gotta meet with someone, you know, someone’s expecting me, things like that. Uh, just be smart. But if it is someone who is genuine and wants to have a conversation, then by all means go for it.
But I mean, you’ve got weirdos on every campus, so just, just be careful not to scare you. But I mean, I. It does happen and you can’t pretend that it doesn’t.
Yeah. Well, and it’s important ’cause I, I mean, every student needs to know that they’re safe and and you’re talking about a different type of safety here, but it’s still the same.
It’s very invasive because they’re coming at you almost whenever they come in with those comments. So it’s more like a personal attack, but maybe not physical, but it, it’s like, like you were saying, that fight or flight, you’re responding the same way.
Yeah. I mean, it’s, it’s any blind listener can, or any blind person in general can tell you that, you know, you don’t walk around constantly thinking about. How blind you are, and you know, it’s just part of, part of who you are. But unfortunately, when people see the cane or they see the guide dog, or you know, they, they know, oh, you know, they have trouble seeing.
Um, and so what, what is obvious to them is not something that you’re consciously thinking of. And so a lot of the time, that is one of the first questions I get from people is something about my vision. Um, which it definitely is a good conversation starter, but you definitely kind of it’s good to be prepared and go in with some ideas of what you wanna say.
Um, because I found if you start kind of stumbling around, people get afraid that you’ve, they’ve offended you and you know, then it’s just even more awkward. So.
Right. Well, in, in your case, you’ve used a cane since you were in preschool, pretty much.
You’ve had enough years of experience knowing that that is a conversation starter a lot of times. Um, if, if someone does, doesn’t know you and doesn’t know anything about, about blindness at all. Um, and so those conversations, you’re well equipped with handling.
Did you ever have this happen before you got to college or was that your first experience with this?
I’ve had it happen maybe like once or twice.
But again, my parents were with me, and so the situation was very different than, it was in college. Um, but I would say it definitely picked up at college. And again, being at a Christian school, probably does at least increase the likelihood of that happening. but I would say that’s probably been the biggest thing is going from high school to college is like you definitely, you know, when you’re with your parents, everyone looks to the parent to ask questions, even if it’s, you know, what does she want to drink?
And they look at the parent instead of me. Um, which still happens to this day. And you know, I think it probably will, unfortunately, at least a little. As I get older. Um, but I would say at college, because I’m not always with someone, I do now have to face the full kind of brunt of the question. Um, and not only answer the question in a way that, you know, satisfies them without giving too much information or, you know, too little depending on the situation.
But also ensuring my safety of like I had this one guy like grab me and try and talk to me. Um, and that was a quick, I need to be somewhere. Someone’s expecting me walking out, making sure I’m not being followed. Um, you know, taking a, a slightly different path than I typically would just to be safe and then going to wherever it was I was going.
Um, and so yeah, just kind of things that you now have to think about that. I had thought about in high school, um, but haven’t given much thought or even some things that I just had never considered.
Right; it actually brings up a question I wanted to ask or maybe just take advantage of the opportunity here.
Our listeners who are parents who are fully sighted, or just listening ’cause they’re curious. What would you tell them is the best way to approach someone grabbing you like, that was not the right answer.
Yeah, no, please do not touch either me or my cane. To me, my cane is, I mean, it’s, it’s always in my right hand if I’m going somewhere. So it’s basically just a second limb or, you know, another limb I guess. Um, and if anything, if you touch my cane, I’m gonna be really upset with you because. You know, just don’t, um, I would say like, yes, you’re trying to get their attention, but I wouldn’t say like, Hey, person with the cane, you know, say like, Hey, you know, person with red hair.
You know, some distinguishing characteristic. Um, and again, if you’re within somewhat close contact with the person, we can usually tell by the way the voice is directed if someone’s talking to us.
And again, if we don’t respond, just say hey again. And then. At least for me, that’s kind of my cue. Like, okay, no one else responded. You know it, they’re probably talking to me. Um, and then again, if you know the person’s name, obviously saying, Hey, it’s so and so, and even a couple times after you’ve met them because on a college campus, especially, you meet so many people, in such a short amount of time.
And for me, I recognize people based on their voice. And so that’s a lot of voices to learn and keep track of. And so kind of being like, Hey, it’s so and so, at least for the first few times you meet, helps build that connection, and then eventually, you know, I’ll have it. Um, but yeah, I would say starting out.
Distinguishing characteristic or name if you know it.
And then if they, if you’re entering a building at the same time, how can they best assist, um, going in and not be in the way?
I would say the biggest thing is with the doors, if you’re holding the door, for me especially, I’ve noticed it a lot more if I’m coming out and someone’s coming in or if I’m coming in and someone’s coming out.
Um, because then it’s typically for me it would be the left-hand door rather than the right. Well, sometimes I don’t see that it’s open until I’m already halfway through the door. Um, and so saying, Hey, I’ve got the door on your left open for you, or, Hey, I’ve got the door in front of you, open for you.
It is nice because, you know. Some people, I’ve had some people get kind of offended that I haven’t gone through the door that they open. Right. And I’m like, I literally can’t see you. Like, I’m sorry, but you’re trying to open the door for me and, you know, thanks for the thought, but I had no idea you were doing it.
You know? Um, especially for me, I wear sunglasses when I’m outside and so I’m usually like flipping them up or pulling them down and, you know, unless I’m actively looking for the, the left door that’s typically open, you know, I just by habit I go out the right door. Um, but yeah. Right. Exactly.
Okay, so, we talked about the cafeteria, we talked about chapel time.
Your freshman year. Did you have a roommate in the dorm?
Um, yes, I did my freshman year and then this past year I did not. Um, and the reason for that was I had a great roommate. We weren’t like best friends or anything, but we got along, um, and worked well together. It was just being on campus is very mentally draining.
Um, I will say going to college, I’ve definitely noticed the overstimulation and the mental drain way more. Um, it was kind of the first time I was really introduced to overstimulation, than being in high school. And so that was a huge adjustment, just kind of even just identifying, okay, I’m getting overstimulated.
What can I do in this environment, you know, to help cope with that. Um, and so having this single occupancy dorm room helped because, so for the building I was in both years, the bathroom was attached to the room, so I didn’t have to share the bathroom with anyone either. Um, they called a hotel style. No, it was just, yeah, it was basically like a hotel room is about kind of what it was like.
Um, and so having kind of my own space that, you know, I knew exactly where everything was. I, ’cause even in my dorm room, like if I was studying and I heard my roommate get up, I was at least a little bit aware of where she was because it was like, okay, if I need to get up to use the bathroom or get a snack, I now have to be aware of where my roommate is in relation to where I am.
Um. Then, you know, we kind of had our own sides. And this fortunately was never an issue of like her removing my things or anything. Um, like I said, we, we worked well together and it was really, it was great. Um, but I will say kind of having my room to myself, it just, it took some of the mental strain off that, it just made life a little bit easier.
Um, and I was able to just come in, decompress, have it completely quiet, you know, if I need it or whatever, without worrying about disturbing someone else.
So you’re reminding me of when Emily was in preschool, I would pick her up. Was it preschool or kindergarten? It was, it was kindergarten. It was a a half day kindergarten.
I would pick her up from school at at noon and she would. She’d be fine until I would get her and then she would be screaming all the way to the car from there. And it was, it was so out of character for her. And I ended up calling the woman who had worked with us when she was in the infant toddler program at Perkins School for the Blind, and asking her if she could help me understand what was happening, and she summarized it in a way that we will connect with what you just just said.
She said when she was in, in the classroom, she was having to use a hundred percent of her energy to find her teacher, to find her toys, to find her friends with all the colors around the room with all the stimulation happening around her, that it was taking all of her concentration to just be a kid and to participate.
And so by noon as a four or 5-year-old, she was exhausted and could, couldn’t hold it together emotionally anymore after that. And that sounds like what you’re, you’re describing at an older age, but that same situation
and it was, and it’s like some days, I mean. I obviously wasn’t screaming or anything, but
No, no one was dragging you across campus.
There were definitely days. I would just go back to my room and it’s like, you know, I’d just start crying or whatever. ’cause it’s just some days. I mean, let’s face it, we all have. The bad days, but some days there’s just a lot going on. Um, and obviously Chapel did not help with that.
That’s what I’m thinking.
If you started with Chapel, then you go into all this too.
Yeah. It’s like, let’s start with overstimulation and go from there and it’s like, this is just, this isn’t gonna work.
And then, then you’re having lunch and peace and somebody attacks you while you’re having lunch.
Right? Right, exactly. It’s just, it’s like, it’s funny, it’s like some days or some weeks it’s very quiet, nothing happens and then one day or one week, it’s like one thing after another and it’s like, it all just happens at one time and it’s just like, if one more thing happens, I’m going to my room and I’m not coming out for four days, you know?
But at least with the single occupancy dorm you have that you can just go in there and just decompress. For me, I just put some music on, you know, I had my diffuser, just something to kind of relax. Um, which I would say was kind of. Probably one of the hardest things was just with everything that was going on.
And then there was a common room, which is where the group I used to hang out with, uh, would hang out a lot. It was like, oh, I don’t have anything to do. Let me just go hang out in the common room. And it’s like, there’s this constant stimulation. And so sometimes it, I mean, it was kind of like the 2-year-old putting the 2-year-old to bed.
It’s like, no, you’re cranky, you’re tired, you need to go to bed. Um, but you know, it’s like, I’d recognize that, but I’m like, no, I don’t really wanna be alone. I’ll just stay out here. And it’s like, I would just get more and more exhausted and more and more overstimulated. Um, and so I would say recognizing that and then just taking a step back and taking the time to unwind and decompress and take the time to myself just to read something I wanna read or, you know, whatever I love to read.
That’s kind of my thing. And so recognizing that and remembering to kind of do that, I would say, I mean, it’s something I still struggle with and, you know, I probably will this semester, but, um, I would say that’s definitely a big thing is just remembering to take the time for yourself.
But to today, people talk a lot about self-care and, and it’s, it’s real.
It’s not just for moms who were stressed out. Um, you know, our kids that are going off to college, they’re, they’re reaching a milestone where they’re becoming independent adults now. They’ve gotta figure this out and for, for you.
Right. And it’s definitely not easy. Yeah.
Yeah. And for you, you needed more, more downtime, more quiet time.
The next student. Who is blind may need more conversation time with their peers. So for them, that common room might be their safe place that they need to go to. So listeners, it’s not gonna be the same for everyone, but help your child figure out where their safety net’s gonna be while they’re still getting adjusted to campus so that they can not get to the point where they’re just on, on that total meltdown as my daughter was in kindergarten.
Yeah. Because no one on campus is going to to deal with that for them, so.
Right. Right. Exactly. Um, but no, I would say it’s like, for me at least being in an online school, I would go to band and swim and stuff in the afternoons, but it’s like, okay, I was out for four, maybe five hours and then I would just come back home and I’d read or do whatever.
I wasn’t really forced to face that. And if I was exhausted or overstimulated, okay, it was one day I go to bed, I wake up, I’m fine. But when it’s day after day after day after day, it starts to build and kind of, you know, it becomes pressure. And when you’re trying to study and, you know, think clearly and everything, you know, it just, it kind of snowballs.
And so, just kind of finding that space and, you know, just kind of taking the time to yourself or with a few friends who are, you know, who understand and who get it and who you can just be like, let’s go for a walk or something, you know, or let’s go, I don’t know, listen to music or whatever. Um, just to kind of, kind of break things up, it’s.
It’s also just very easy to get into kind of a monotonous routine of wake up school study, hang out, go to bed, you know, you gotta mix it up a little bit.
So we’ve talked about everything but school so far in this conversation. So we, we have to get, get to actual school things. Um, so did you meet with disability services or whatever the name of that that office is for your school?
Did you meet with them before you got to school or did you wait till you got there?
I did, so I met with them. Um, I would say for me, I went in as a cybersecurity major, so I definitely had to deal with like the calculus and the computer programming and all this stuff. Um, and. The disability services at my school has been absolutely incredible.
I would, I mean, I, I know I’ve told them a couple times, I’m like, it’s almost unheard of in the blind community to have such supportive people working with you. Um, and now that I’ve switched to aviation administration, I really haven’t needed them that much. A lot of the courses all have a canvas course.
Um, so kind of like in online school, all your classes are on an online platform. Well, it’s kind of the same way at college, except now you just go to an in-person lecture. Um, but like all your homework and stuff is on that learning management system, whether it’s like Canvas or Blackboard or whatever.
Our school uses Canvas, and recently now a lot of their textbooks are also on the Canvas platform digitally. And so they’re accessible, which even like a year ago was probably my biggest struggle was finding the accessible textbooks. But a lot of them are now digital, either on Canvas or some other platform.
Bookshare, you know, Kindle. I’ve found Kindle to be very useful. Um, it’s a little quirky with the screen reader sometimes, but you’re at least able to read the textbook, and get the information. Um, and so, but I would say talk to the disability services from the beginning. Tell them kind of what you wanna do.
Um. Maybe talk to them about some of the courses you’re going to have to take, especially if it is a STEM computer, science, engineering, technology, math, where there’s gonna need to be a lot more preparation, like tactile graphics for math or, things like that. Um, alternative testing software, thing, you know, that’s obviously gonna take more preparation, but for me it hasn’t really been that difficult.
I would say really the only accommodation I use is like the testing center for exams. And even that, I haven’t really had to use that much because a lot of the exams you have plenty of time. Um, and it’s obviously gonna look different for each person. But yeah, I would say plan ahead at least for the first couple semesters.
For the most part it’s, it, I would say it’s easier than high school in terms of accommodations, just because if you miss a PowerPoint or something, you know, in high school, you know it’s gonna be on a test, you know it’s gonna be, you know, on the final exam or whatever.
And yes, that is true for college, but a lot of it is just papers and research. And so, you know, I, and a lot of the PowerPoints are even now uploaded in Canvas, so I don’t even really need that accommodation even. Um, and if I do, I just communicate directly with the professor. “Hey, I noticed you had a graph on this PowerPoint, would you be able to go over that with me really quick?”
And then they’re just explaining it and I’m just taking notes and, you know, then I have the information I need and it didn’t take three weeks or, you know, however long through the professor in the disability office. You know, whoever else. So
now you are, you’re a Braille reader. Have you used Braille in school?
Not a lot. Only for sheet music.
Well, ’cause, because you were talking about the screen readers and all, I wondered how much was just using the digital versions of everything.
I do a lot of that auditorily. I can connect even like a braille display to my laptop. Um, I do use my braille display for note taking in class because it’s a braille note taker, so I don’t have to listen to a screen reader and a professor at the same time, which is really nice.
Um, but in terms of reading a textbook, completing coursework, taking exams, that’s all on my laptop because I mean, you may have, like, there were some weeks I had four chapters to read in one class times six classes. That’s a lot of reading and it’s way faster to do that. Auditorily with a screen reader than trying to do it in Braille.
As a college student, talking to kids that are in middle school and high school, what skills do they need to be developing now to be ready for college?
Definitely computer skills, number one. Um, and just some, you don’t have to be an expert, but getting, or at least understanding a basic OCR software. Um, how to kind of at least figure out or, understand different softwares.
I’ve had to do like some videos for my music theory and then compile them into a single video. Um, being able to just figure out things like that. Because sometimes it’s just gonna be easier for you. Like for me, I stumbled across the Kindle books, because I discovered the way I was doing a textbook, wasn’t really working.
And I was like, okay, I am, you know, a week or so into the semester, I’m just gonna look around. And I found a Kindle book and I had, I must have sat there for probably an hour and a half figuring it out. But once I figured it out, I, you know, I was good to go. Um, and so having kind of an understanding of the different options out there for things like that, ’cause sometimes it’s just gonna be easier for you to troubleshoot on your own and figure it out because you know what’s best for you.
And when it has to go through an office, sometimes it just takes longer. Um, and when you have assignments and things, it’s gotta be done. So I, I would say, yeah, just. Being familiar with what’s out there, staying current on it, and kind of just learning what works best for you and playing around with different, formats or techniques or, you know, things like that.
Um, while, like, especially in middle school or early high school, while things are still going slowly because college courses fly by for sure. Um, and so you definitely kinda wanna be more efficient and know what works best for you because the disability office isn’t gonna send a TVI to be like, okay, it looks like you’re doing this, this, and this, and this class.
I brought this, you know, I’ve got this software work. You know, this is how you’re gonna do these assignments. You know, no one’s gonna do that. So you. Kind of need to know what works best for you. Have a basic understanding of like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and if, if your school doesn’t use any sort of learning management system, maybe take an online course just to become familiar with it.
Canvas I would say is a big one and it’s definitely the most accessible. I haven’t run into hardly any issues. and if I have, there’s been another workaround, so it hasn’t been that big of a deal. But yeah, I would say definitely just kind of being familiar with some of those things.
I wanna move into our day with the life segment because we have some special questions I’m gonna ask you at the end. This season, listeners, we’ve been asking each of our guests just to talk about some things about things that they do on a daily basis.
And it’s, it’s a way for you to get to know the, the guest a little bit better, but also a way for us to address the topic a little bit more too. So, Olivia, what’s one essential piece of technology or adaptive equipment that you can’t live without for your daily college routine and why?
Definitely my laptop. I mean, but that’s, that’s kind of a no-brainer, and that’s kind of every college student. Um, I would say second, probably. I personally love the Meta Ray-Ban glasses, um, because they can do so much. They can read, Earlier I was talking about the way I was reading a textbook wasn’t working out, and that’s how I found Kindle.
Well, I was actually using the Meta Ray-Ban glasses to read one of my textbooks, and it worked great on one of them because it was kind of more, it was a smaller little like booklet type thing. And it was, um, the pages were smaller, the print was a little bigger and it wasn’t so chaotic. But then this other book was like a bigger textbook, and there was just too much going on and it kind of just, it couldn’t handle the load.
so it just kept crashing. And so, that’s what prompted me to have to look for an alternative format, but I found them useful. Anything from like, planning an outfit, like, putting an outfit on, standing in front of a full length mirror. With the glasses on and saying, Hey, does this go together? Or, you know, what shoes could I wear with this outfit?
because then it can just see your reflection and look at the outfit and go, you know, yes, this goes together. No, those colors don’t compliment each other or whatever. and then, and just reading different signs and things like that, I would say they can do so much and they’re constantly updating them, so, they’re definitely very helpful.
Is that a product that’s easy to get today or is it still hard to find?
Yeah, you can get them at almost like, Sunglasses Hut or like Target has them. I think that’s where I got mine. they’re only like $300, so they’re. Compared to some of the other technology out there specifically designed for the blind.
I mean, it’s, it’s relatively cheap. I know like OrCam is $4,000 and it’s, can’t even do half the things. For the longest time I wanted an OrCam. and then, you know, I talked to DSB about it and, you know, it just fell through. And then a year later these came out and I was like, oh my gosh, this is perfect.
You know, it’s like way, way more, capabilities for a fraction of the price, you know, so. I would say that’s def it’s definitely worth investing in.
So I’ve got one more question for you on your campus without giving away where you are, because for security reasons, we, listeners, we’ve decided not to share where she’s on campus.
What is your favorite spot on campus, and what makes it special for you?
Oh my goodness. that’s hard because I definitely have quite a few favorite spots for different reasons. I would say this past year I really liked my room because I had the, the handicap room. So it was like twice as big as a regular dorm room, and it was all mine.
That was very nice. I had the second bed, and I put like a comforter in some big squishy, comfy pillows up on it. I had a beanbag chair. It was, it was quite the plush room. I really like the deep, quiet section of the library because it’s super quiet. Um, I found trying to study in a noisy area with a screen reader is just, doesn’t work well because it’s really hard to hear the screen reader over 15 other conversations.
And, and sometimes I’ll just go in the deep quiet section and go in one of the little study cubicles and just kind of sit there for a little bit because sometimes you just need that quiet. Um, and then there’s a lot of balconies on campus as well, which can be really nice. Um, and I really like the music building, the practice rooms.
It, it’s just such a different environment than the rest of campus. It’s, it’s very happy. There’s always someone singing or playing an instrument or, you know, it’s just, it band has always been kind of my happy place. And so, being in the, the music building is nice too, so. I have, I have quite a few favorites, but I would say those are kind of my top.
Okay. So are you ready for some questions that I found online that people are asking?
Okay. So first one, can you go to college if you’re blind?
Obviously. Yes. Yeah. I, there’s, I feel like you almost should go to college ’cause it just, you meet so many people and it opens up so many opportunities.
Yeah, I, I agree. I mean, it’s, it’s for any student, it’s a good stepping stone before being out as an independent adult, but even more so, you’ve had to, you’ve had to deal with some things that you were gonna have to deal with anyway, but you’ve had a chance to figure it out with having school counselors there and with having people around you.
Okay. Can you get a scholarship for being blind?
Yes you can. So there’s the ACB and the NFB. I personally am part of the ACB students. Which is, it’s a nationwide group and it’s college students from all over the US. We meet and have different discussions, and just kind of meet and talk to other blind college students.
I think we have a Zoom meeting like once a month or something, but yes, they have scholarships and stuff as well. And then obviously convention in the summer.
And then, I’ll add to that, depending on the state that you’re in, you, your vocational rehab services may have scholarship monies for you as well.
I’m not sure if every state provides that or not, but I know some states do. So, that’s something in high school they should already be connected with. But if they’re not, parents, ask me and I will tell you how to get in touch with them.
Okay. Is being blind classed as a disability?
It’s a reasonable question because you have disabilities, but you also have people that are collecting disability.
Let’s clarify that. So it is a disability, but you’re not necessarily going to collect disability, social security insurance.
Right? You can. but you know, obviously if all you are is, if all you have is just blindness, there’s no reason why you can’t go to college and, you know, get a, get a career.
I would encourage you to get the career o over collecting disability.
You’ll have a whole lot more to do and more to work with if you do that.
All right. So, you’ve already surprised me on one of these ’cause I had no idea about your career choices, but what can blind people major in?
I would say, I mean about anything, obviously some of them are going to be harder than others.
And for me, like when I chose my college, it came down to just disability services, what the college offered. Starting out, I applied to probably 10 or 12 different colleges because I wasn’t sure, what I knew, kind of where I wanted to end up, but I didn’t know, you know, a hundred percent. And obviously even that, you know, I didn’t end up at NC State, which is where I thought for sure I was gonna end up going.
So, giving myself the options, to really look at, okay, I don’t exactly know if I want to stay in cybersecurity. This school has a lot of other options that I can think about, look at, and they’re pretty accessible campus and their disability office is great. For some of the other, and it’s a big campus for some of the other colleges that didn’t have a lot of.
Majors or, you know, didn’t even, didn’t really have a great disability office, things like that. I would say yes, some of the majors are definitely gonna be more difficult, and you’re gonna have to just consider some different things. But, just sitting down, thinking about what you wanna do, writing down the most important things when looking for a college, understanding what your degree is going to require so you can anticipate those accommodation needs, and then making the best decision from there.
I would say too, if you’re looking at a field that may not seem like an easy path, talk to people that are already in the field, even if they’re fully sighted, to find out what a daily life is like. Just to, to get an idea of what types of accommodations you might need to learn to work with to be able to do it.
I would challenge listeners to not let anything stop them from trying anything. ’cause with today’s technology, there’s a lot of open doors that weren’t there 10, 20 years ago. It, I mean, you’re just, the glasses that you were talking about are enough to open a door for a few careers that may not have been possible, so, okay.
Um, how do blind people take exams in college?
Um, so at least for me, all the exams have been online, so I would just take it like anything else. And again, when you talk with your disability office at your specific college, they’ll kind of be able to tell you yes, all of them are on Canvas. No, all of them are pen and paper.
That’s how it was at my community college. They were all pen and paper and then it was just, okay, put, let’s put it in a Word document. I’ll go to the testing center, the disability office, and take it there. And, you know, that’s what we did, and it wasn’t a big deal. So yeah, again, it’s just talking with the disability office about kind of what things are like.
not just discussing accommodations, but what is the primary learning management system, you know, are there any required things I’ll have to attend? and again, doing research on the college as well. you know, ’cause obviously chapel was a thing and, you know, different things like that. And so,
Just kind of scoping out the campus just like anyone else would, figuring out is this gonna pose a challenge or a barrier or, and if so, how are we gonna work around it? Or if you’re narrowing down the colleges, is this something even worth trying to figure out? Or should I just go to this university? You know, sometimes it’s just choosing your battles.
Each college is gonna have its challenges, but you just gotta figure out what you’re willing to work with and, you know, what, what you’re able to handle.
Do blind people struggle with math?
I would say not in the sense that blind people just don’t have the math brains, but it’s more of the sense of access to the material.
If a school isn’t willing to provide the graph or the, the problem is asking. but if they’re, you know, they have access and are able to read the equations and the graphs and everything, then it’s just a matter of learning the material and understanding it like anyone else.
Charts and graphs are what always come to mind if they can accommodate those or not. And the question isn’t if they can, but will they?
There’s definitely organizations out there. even if it isn’t the university itself, they can ship it off to a independent contractor, something like that, and they can do it and send it back.
And the last one on the list was how do blind students write?
I, I mean, again, it just. It goes back to the, the word PowerPoint, Excel skills, technology skills. And um, all papers are submitted electronically, at least at my university. And so it’s just type it in a Word document, convert it to a PDF if that’s what they require, if not just submitting it.
So they need to have all those skills ready. You were saying that, that you’re taking your notes on a braille writer.
Braille display. So braille note taker. Um, I use the Mantis Q40, so it has a QWERTY keyboard and then a 40-cell Braille display. so I can type like I would on my laptop, which is way faster for me than typing in braille, and then it pops up in braille so I can see what I’ve written, navigate all that without having to listen to a screen reader.
Well, Olivia, thank you for, for catching up with me today. For sharing so much information about your experiences, but also your advice for students that might be getting ready to head off to college in just the next couple of weeks.
Yeah, yeah. Thank you for having me. it, it’s been fun to kind of talk about everything.
I’m so grateful for Olivia’s candor and courage in sharing her story. I know she’s provided some incredible insights for parents and students alike. If you have a student heading off to college this year, let me know in the comments what your biggest challenge is right now. Everyone else, check those comments and leave them an encouraging note.
We’re here to support each other as we parent our incredible kids. And for those who are interested in learning more, I’ve put links to the specific tools that Olivia mentioned, including her meta Ray-Ban glasses, her braille display, and the OrCam she originally considered. They’re in the show notes if you wanna check them out.
And I’ve also included the link to Olivia’s first interview where she shared tips for middle school and high school students who are visually impaired. Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you next time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Blind College Students:
Q1. Can you go to college if you’re blind?
A1. Yes, absolutely. In the interview, Olivia, a blind student with LCA, shares her experience and says that college is a great opportunity for personal and professional growth. With proper planning and the support of a good disability services office, blind students can thrive in a college environment.
Q2. Can you get a scholarship for being blind?
A2. Yes. There are several organizations that offer scholarships specifically for blind students. Olivia mentions the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) as great resources. Additionally, state Vocational Rehabilitation Services may have scholarship funds available.
Q3. Is being blind classed as a disability?
A3. Yes, blindness is considered a disability. The term ‘disability’ refers to a condition that may limit a person’s movements, senses, or activities. Olivia clarifies that while blindness is a disability, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a fulfilling career and life.
Q4. What can blind people major in?
A4. Blind people can major in almost anything. While some fields, like STEM, may require more specific accommodations for things like tactile graphics or alternative software, Olivia’s journey from cybersecurity to aviation administration shows that many doors are open. She advises talking to people already in the field and choosing a college with a supportive disability services office.
Q5. How do blind people take exams in college?
A5. The method for taking exams depends on the university and the class. Most exams are now administered online through learning management systems like Canvas, which are compatible with screen readers. For in-person or pen-and-paper exams, students can often use a testing center or the disability services office to receive accommodations, such as a digital version of the test.
Q6. Do blind people struggle with math?
A6. The struggle with math for blind students is typically not with the concepts themselves, but with accessing the material. The key challenge is ensuring accessible formats for equations, charts, and graphs. With proper accommodations and resources, such as tactile graphics or accessible digital platforms, blind students can excel in math.
Q7. How do blind students write?
A7. Blind students write using a variety of technologies. Olivia mentions using a laptop with a screen reader for most coursework and a Braille display/note taker for more efficient note-taking in class. These tools allow them to type and read in digital formats that can be easily submitted for assignments.
The post Episode #133: Navigating College as a Visually Impaired Freshman? appeared first on Water Prairie.
