[blindlaw] Retinitis Pigmentosa New Law Student Needs Guidance

[Kathy Gustafson]

Hello, 

I am a  new subscriber to this listserve and also am a new law student. I am
so glad I found this resource and happy to be here!

I have been diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa for the last 30 years. I was
just accepted to law school and I already am seeing, after this first week,
that my vision loss is affecting me more than I thought it might. It is also
progressing even faster now than ever before.



I just met with the Department of Rehabilitative Services last month, but it
won't be until next semester that I will start receiving services. I do not
have any formal training at all on any technology or mobility aids. My
central vision is still healthy, but everything else is either gone or is
dying, so essentially my vision is closing in quite fast. 

While I wait for services to teach me cane, braille, and provide me with
assistive technology, does anyone have any advice on how I can navigate?  I
have been using my tablet to either take video, photos, or to blow-up
presentations which I can't see (such as the board or overhead monitors.) It
still is frustrating because I know as things become more intense I may get
further behind through the compounding of these issues. 

I am quite slow because my law school is old and the lighting is not that
great. I am slower getting where I need to go, which is really making my
disability a hindrance for others in my class, I feel. Of course I am 51 and
the oldest in my class, but I don't think that is the issue at hand here!

Any help or advice that you found helped you through law school or your
practice will be much appreciated. 

 

Kathy in Rockton, Illinois (1L at Northern Illinois University School of Law
- DeKalb, IL)