![]() I often struggled with eye fatigue and light sensitivity from overhead lights, and would put my head down and close my eyes when the pain got overwhelming. I did go to the DMV to get a state-issued ID when I was 16 though, so I still got to experience the rite of passage that is sitting for hours waiting at the DMV, and got to celebrate with a few friends who took their permit/license tests on the same day I got my ID. However, I have low vision and a secondary medical condition that makes it impossible for me to safely operate a motor vehicle, and I would tell people that it wasn’t safe for me to learn to drive. This question was extremely common during sophomore and junior year of high school, as many other students my age were getting learner’s permits, taking driver’s ed, and getting their licenses. “Are you getting a driver’s license/learner’s permit?” ![]() Assistive Technology For Fluctuating Eyesight.How I Use My Phone As Assistive Technology In Class.How I Respond To Questions/Comments About My Eyes.A to Z of Assistive Technology For Low Vision.Often times, the answer to the question “why can you do x but not y” is “I use assistive technology for x.” Related links One teacher tried to convince my case manager that me being able to use my phone was proof I didn’t actually have low vision, so I showed them that my phone had large print and I could hold the screen closer to my face, or zoom in on what was written on the board with my phone camera. I got this question frequently from teachers who were confused by the fact I could see my phone screen but had difficulty reading information on the board a few feet away. ![]() “Why can you read your phone but not the board?” Explaining Chiari Malformation in Seven Words or Less.However, I always made a point to share that I did not have these conditions to avoid confusing people. During this time, I told people that I had suspected Chiari Malformation and would share some of the ways it affects me, sharing symptoms such as photosensitivity, low vision, chronic pain, chronic migraines, and others.Įven though I don’t have epilepsy or Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, these are two conditions that people are familiar with and I would sometimes draw comparisons to them because they have similar symptoms to Chiari Malformation. “What do you have?” or “what’s wrong with you?”Ībout six months after I first started experiencing neurological symptoms, my doctor suspected that I was dealing with the effects of Chiari Malformation, which can be challenging to diagnose on medical imaging in some cases- in my case, it took three years of MRIs before it finally “popped” and the doctor was able to make a definitive diagnosis. Here is how I would respond to questions/comments about my then-undiagnosed chronic illness, which was later diagnosed as Arnold-Chiari Malformation, also known as Chiari Malformation. ![]() Since my symptoms affected my ability to learn and participate fully in the classroom, I often got a lot of questions from curious students and teachers, as well as doctors who were sometimes surprised that I was able to attend school regularly while dealing with multiple health issues. I began experiencing several unexplained neurological symptoms shortly after starting high school in ninth grade, and did not receive a diagnosis for my condition until my first semester in college four years later.
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