Athena G.

Photography by Cassie English

If you’re reading this, I hope you learn to embrace your disability as a part of you and I hope it enables you to change the world.

Hi! My name is Athena Garcia and I am a third-year Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College student majoring in Special Education with a concentration in Visual Impairments. I am also the President of Braille Devils and the Director of Education for the Accessibility Coalition.

Being a student with a visual impairment in the K-12 public school system, I never received any accommodations or had a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments teach me the skills needed to access the curriculum like my sighted peers. I had a very difficult time reading the board, even with prescription glasses, because my vision was blurry, although I could read what was on the paper in front of me. I didn’t have the voice to tell my teachers what was going on. I needed to find ways to provide myself with the necessary accommodations, such as letting my teacher know that I needed extra time on an assignment or exam. Making friends was also very difficult and I experienced bullying daily, as the other students were not as understanding of my disability which was very challenging, causing anxiety and depression. I felt lonely at school and also had a very hard time learning to accept my disability as a part of me.

Fast forward to August of 2019, after I graduated from high school that year and became a community college student, I went to get an eye exam and low vision evaluation done, not knowing that I was going to receive some unexpected and shocking news. The doctor walked into the room and told me that I was never going to be able to drive and that I was legally blind as I could not read or make out objects or people from a farther distance with my vision, only from a closer one. Fortunately, she referred me to receive vision services and accommodations at the Foundation for Blind Children.

For 9 months at the age of 20, I learned how to read and write Braille, use assistive technology, ride public transportation, and learn self-advocacy skills which positively impacted my life. What was most special, however, was finding and spending time with a community of individuals who also had visual impairments and were able to listen to my experience, understand it, and accept me for who I am. I wish I could have discovered that these accommodations and services were out there before, but disability is highly stigmatized in society, which it shouldn’t be; people with disabilities are individuals like everyone else and have passions, goals, and dreams.

Being able to find my own voice and having a sense of community and belonging, I knew that I could be the one to make a difference and bring positive change into the world for other individuals with visual impairments like me. I switched my major to Special Education with a concentration in Visual Impairments when I started at ASU as a second-year student in the fall of 2022, as I wanted to teach K-12 students who are blind or low-vision and provide them with the accommodations they need to be successful while helping them learn to advocate for themselves like I have.

However, I knew that as a university student with a disability, there was not enough disability awareness and representation on campus, and it was difficult to find other college students like me. Campus accessibility was also something that was not taken into consideration as not a lot of people know how to interact with someone who has a disability or know how critical accessibility is

Having a strong passion for disability advocacy, I decided to start Braille Devils at ASU in August of 2023 at the ASU West Valley campus to support students with visual impairments across all four of ASU’s campuses, including ASU Online, through education, awareness, and advocacy to remove the barriers, misconceptions, stigma, and ableism the blind and low-vision community faces. Our goal is to create an ASU campus that is inclusive and accessible in addition to providing safe spaces for students with visual impairments to share their experiences to feel seen, heard, and understood on campus. I also became an E-Board member for ASU’s Accessibility Coalition as the Director of Education on the Tempe campus in October of last year, which enabled me to give back and continue supporting the disability community further and also find others with disabilities who were able to relate to my experience and accept me for who I am, enabling me to have a sense of belonging and community.

If there was one thing that I wish people knew about disability, it’s that disability is not just black and white, it’s a spectrum. Everyone has varying experiences and different stories to tell. Your experience with a disability is valid and deserves to be heard and understood. It is not something to be dismissed by others, ashamed of, or hide from those around you. Disability is something to be embraced, accepted, and spoken about, whether visible or invisible, and I hope you accept it as a part of you just as I have done.

To anyone with a disability who struggles to accept themselves for who they are and who is struggling to find a sense of community and belonging, I hope you know that you are loved and that you’re not alone. You are the light the world needs. Your presence and voice will make a lasting impact because they are the most amazing things about you. Be your own advocate, as you are the only person to share your story and own your experience.

With Love,

Athena G., Arizona State University

CONNECT WITH US

To follow IfYoureReadingThis at ASU on Instagram, get in touch with our chapter, and learn about more resources available to Arizona State University students, visit our chapter’s homepage.

AUTHOR CONTACT

This author has opted to allow readers who resonate with their story to contact them. If you would like to speak to the author of this letter about their experience, please use the form below.