I am totally blind and do very well in school and have an associates degree in english creative writing, political science and now going for computer science.

I would say for the non-stem stuff most easier classes, you would just listen in class, and read your book and write your papers. Your books will and can be made in to alternative formats for you. I am totally blind. I would say the most pragmatic and realistic and useful format is the common msword. I ask for .doc and or .docx. Rtf, or txt is too plain and bulky but word is not like so complex like pdfs and isn’t quite so blocky and plain and stuff like plain texts. It’s just the easiest to work with. And one of the most common formats. In so many cases pdfs are honestly sometimes hit or mis. Sometimes great and sometimes blah! And sometimes just ded outright awful!

If you are in a western country especially U.s. canada, or Uk you absolutely have the right to ask for an alternative format. I am in the united states.

You would have to buy the regular book and you have every right if you paid for it to be a alternative format they will either ocr it themselves and process it or they will ask the publishers for a pdf dependent on how accessible the pdfs are. If they are more accessible the work is easier. If not they will have to clean it up, retype things, make it more accessible.

Especially in the Us you have every right after you buy the book to ask for it to be in alternative format audio or braille or etext as I mentioned.

If stem courses especially involving a lot of math or graphics make sure you have your book in braille. At least for the sciences make sure all graphics are embossed for you to feel them.

Let’s leave stem out of it for a minute.

You are entitled to a in class note taker, and the person taking your notes can send those notes to you. Ask and make sure your note taker is typing up your notes or willing to go home and type them. Probably easier if they were to be typed in the first place.

An exception should be made if computers and electronics are not allowed that you should be able to use a computer or tablet to take notes or complete work or read your book along with the rest of the class.

You should and can ask your teacher to be more descriptive about the content on the projector or board, and not point and make it so visual. Do more lecturing and describing over pictures and pointing.


If you need to sit up front to see or to hear better you are entiteled and if you need to make a big deal about it do so.



If you are in the humanities or have to write essays or even lines of code have the professors e-mail commentary to you either in the file or as a separate file or in the e-mail body. You don’t need to accept writing on a piece of paper.

in certain cases if you need it or the content is so visual or challenging for blind people you can ask for in class aids. Mostly in stem though. But some other classes that are also more hands on or kinesthetics. Someone took dance and required assistance. Or either like a self defense type class if even they offer that as a class, just an example.

You can ask to record the class. Be a decent polite reasonable person and ask to record the lecture and do not share it online. I know a guy who records his lecture on this app and shares it all over this app. Don’t do that please! Don’t be a jerk like that. Your recordings are for you, and is confidential please don’t record your teacher without consent. Also don’t be that jerk.



Hand outs can be turned in to etext as well. Just bring them to the disabilities office. Expect a few days turn around.


Ask your professor if they have a pdf version of this. Ask them to e-mail them to you or keep a thumb drive on you and get it from them. Some professors are not that organize and have that stuff at home or at their office so get ready to go to their office or just have them e-mail you.


When asking for books to be in alternate formats don’t do it the first week of class unless you direly need to for some reason. Don’t do it though get them to the disabilities office as soon as possible the latest ideally is a week or two ahead of semester. If you give it to them the first week of school don’t expect to start getting your alternative text for a week or two.


If you want something in braille the turn around time is so much longer so do it a month or three ahead, even two months whatever is possible the later the worse it is and the more stressful or just later it’s ready.

Tests can be acomodated and taken with the disabilities office. They will make a alternative format for your test as well. Either braille, or etext or large print or something like that.

Likewise inaccessible or hard to read research article pdfs almost all of them can be turned in to alternative formats.

If you are waching a foreign film you can ask for the subtitles or the file version of this. Your right as a blind person supercedes copyright, don’t listen to their bologna.



If your formatting is not perfect ask your professors to understand and most of them do if you’re blind, especially totally blind. Sometime I’ve taken it down to the writing center and said please can you fix this. I need a look at my formatting and fix how it looks thanks.

If it’s a powerpoint you can ask for alternative presentation modes though blind people can navigate powerpoints but making them is more of a challenge. Images can be tough and see if they could be replaced or exempt from your assignment.

For stem courses especially math if you know braille that’s the best way especially totally blind. Use a perkins brailler.

If in sciences get hands on models and things you can use for that course or courses.




Yes sure you can use math online software and some of them are sometime accessible dependent on the professor and if they do it correctly which they may have to learn. But whatever it is the graphics will not read so it may after all be good to either get a etext copy plus graphics or a braille copy if you can read braille. Please don’t guess the graphics. You have every right and should have the graphics to your math or science. Not being sure, or just doing a bad job or a half job of trying to make it tactile is good for if you’re in a pinch but you totally deserve it and should have it.


For math classes I recommend traditional, you work out of a book on your computer or on your perkins brailler and the graphics are enlarged or embossed if you’re totally blind. Again, please don’t guess. It’s not worth it. Have the professors work with you.


Often some places will transcribe your pages and pages of brailled out math but if not and you’re like me do it all in braille, even typing it up in some mark up language can be so exhausting and so lengthy of a process, the shortest route is to record your answers in a file.


If software is inaccessible at least document and document everything. Explain how it is inaccessible what and why and what you’re going through, the more details the better. Turn that in to the professor and tell them it is inaccessible and to the disabilities office. If you want and can absolutely content the publisher and their IT department and bug report. Or complain. Work with the devs. But if you don’t want to do it with the devs you don’t have to. Ask the teacher for an alternative but equal assignment. You should not have to suffer and fail quietly because well, oh yeah, it’s not accessible.


If necessary ask for an alternative assignment this is much more necessary and a bit more common in stem, but if the assignment is not possible to do usually too visual or the tech is not accessible, really are the reasons, ask for an alternative assignment. Usually it is not easier, this is not an excuse to slack off but rather to acomodate. Sometimes it’s easier to help the professor or instructor brainstorm. Sometimes it just means avoiding the software, doing it from the book but basically doing the same assignment.

Sometimes it takes you much more time to complete assignments, this is not an excuse to slack off, nor is it an excuse to say I just don’t feel like doing homework today. However, if you do need more time, asking for a little more time in assignments may be possible and may be granted. This is a usual case by case basis professor by professor basis.


You can do it you do not deserve subpar or inaccessible education. And I can’t stress this enough I say it when I talk to people, please please plese, speak up and advocate for yourself. You don’t need to be mean, rude, nasty, threatening, a jerk about it, just be polite and assertive and tell the truth. Sometimes you do need to push but do it honestly and expect change but don’t be entitled, rude, nasty, a jerk, or anything like that, you get the point. Don’t make excuses for yourself and yes, even if you’re blind you have to do all the homework. No excuses ifs or or buts. I was told once by someone blind that she felt entitled not to do homework because she was blind and really she didn’t want to. Blindness shouldn’t be an excuse not to do homework, if the homework isn’t accessible that’s another story, but you don’t have a carte blanc to just not do homework. :D hahaha!