Blind Nursing Student?

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I have been reading articles about a blind nursing student admitted to a CC in New York. Now here it is nearly impossible to get into nursing school. They have a whole list of health and physical requirements as well. Even someone who is color blind wouldn't be admitted. So how did she pass the state requirements for admission? Also I wonder if she gets financial aid from Federal or State sources? I just don't understand this at all.

@Donald11, If you go to the American Foundation for the Blind's website, to name just one, you will find a wealth of information regarding technology to assist people with vision problems. There is software that reads text aloud or enhances/magnifies text. Or, a low tech option is someone who would read aloud this forum to the blind user, which would allow them to respond.

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So how did you type the above statement and read what everyone has wrote on this thread? Did you LIE to the state?

Legally blind does not mean they cannot see at all. Their world isn't dark.

Legally blind is 20/200 so what we can see at 200 feet they have to be at 20 feet to see, I believe that's how it's put.

They can see things near their eyes.

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So how did you type the above statement and read what everyone has wrote on this thread? Did you LIE to the state?

No of course I didn't lie. I believe strongly in karma and for someone to try to lie and say they're blind is disgusting. I was born this way. Believe it or not my face is so close to this computer screen and I actually was given a computer program from my STATES APPOINTED blind counsler that changes the font size to fit me. Legally blind doesn't always mean you strictly cannot see at all. There are a lot of blind nursing students yet sometimes they need accommodations. Please know all the facts before you start accusing.

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Believe it or not my face is so close to this computer screen and I actually was given a computer program from my STATES APPOINTED blind counsler that changes the font size to fit me. Legally blind doesn't always mean you strictly cannot see at all. .

I believe you. In Ohio, there's a commercial that comes on for a program that assists the blind and deaf where they talk about all of the resources they offer and one of them is a computer screen where the font size is adjusted. Their motto "Know You Can"

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I believe you. In Ohio, there's a commercial that comes on for a program that assists the blind and deaf where they talk about all of the resources they offer and one of them is a computer screen where the font size is adjusted. Their motto "Know You Can"

That's awesome. Here in Texas I haven't seen anything like that. I have this issue for my whole life and I am restricted in different ways and I felt hopeless until my state counsler told me I could still go to school if I pleased the beginning of this year. So there is hope out there people!

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That's awesome. Here in Texas I haven't seen anything like that. I have this issue for my whole life and I am restricted in different ways and I felt hopeless until my state counsler told me I could still go to school if I pleased the beginning of this year. So there is hope out there people!

Yes there is! They advertise quite a bit too so I'm sure they are reaching people who may have never known such resources existed.

Good for you for staying strong and pursing a dream despite your vision restrictions. :rckn:

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

I am worse than 20/200 in both eyes, but my vision is correctable to 20/20 with regular lenses. Knowing what I can and cannot see/can and cannot do when I don't have glasses or my contacts in, I can assure you that a legally blind person can become a nurse, depending upon the extent of the vision issue.

If you wanted to be a truck driver, though, I would have my reservations. ;)

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ok hello everyone I am a legally bllind nurse and yes it is hard to work effectively as one really depends on the chosen field of work.It irritates me when sighted ple assume nothing is possible for us to accomplish in this field of practice. I am now in school going into criminal justice then law school hopefully I will not be discriminated based on what I can not do but be gainfully employed for what I can do. yes common sense is needed in nursing when choosing what you can do as a legally blind person but anything is possible with the right adaptive equipment it is against the law for any employer to refuse you work in nursing without allowing you adaptive equipment or being allowed to use them.I am sooooooooooo tired of defending my rights to work in any field of work due to what I can't do.People who are not in my shoes will never understand and isn't this what we all should have as nurses Empathy ....

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Specializes in LDRP.

I am 20/220 in the left, and 20/240 in the right eye, so technically i am legally blind too... without my glasses or contacts. it is correctable to 20/20 for me with my glasses/contacts and i havent had a problem so far. now if i somehow lost my glasses and contacts, im pretty sure i wouldnt be able to drive to clinical, let alone do an assessment..

i get really mad about discrimination against the Deaf in nursing (and all employment fields really). I have many deaf friends (my bf is deaf), who have told me they would love to be a nurse but they would not be allowed to because they are deaf. i think its totally possible if they have lip reading skills and have been taught to speak. they even make digital stethoscopes for deaf/hoh people.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Clinical Documentation Specialist.

15 years ago I owned an ISP and helped a man set up his internet. He was legally blind and had assistive devices. He had something like an overhead projector that let him put a book open underneath and it projected it at a large font upon his screen that he could read. He also had a text to speech program he showed me that read the information to him off the screen. You can even work your computer with verbal commands.

If that was 15 years ago and technology is always improving, it is not difficult to understand that there would be great strides in assistive devices as well, especially with computers.

People are resilient and I see no reason why a student with sight difficulties could not be a nurse, given common sense and some accommodation.

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So how did you type the above statement and read what everyone has wrote on this thread? Did you LIE to the state?

Wow, really? There are plenty of people who are legally blind and wear corrective lenses and can function normally. Why would you assume they LIED to the state. Legally blind doesn't mean you see a black screen, hello!

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I admit to being one of the people who thought certain disabilities barred you from being a nurse. But I based that information on our extensive health screening before we got admitted, not because I think you must be 100% able-bodied to work. For those of you with disabilities who replied, what do you use to help you with your duties? There was a specific question in the thread about skin assessment too. I am genuinely interested, and it sounds like I'm not the only one who needs to learn more about this! :)

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