Education
Some of those affected by LHON vision loss may currently be students or may be considering returning to school. In the U.S., for those in a public elementary, middle or high school, there is usually a vision specialist called a Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) associated with the school or the school district who can support the student in the transition from fully-sighted to vision-impaired.
For those in college there is usually a Student Disabilities Center that can help with absence notification to professors at the time of vision loss and provide access to accommodations such as assistive technology, a notetaker, testing accommodations such as extra time, and a reader, etc.
Most students with a vision impairment other than LHON have had vision loss since childhood and have been trained in living with vision loss before arriving at college, so the Student Disabilities Center may not be structured to provide a simple path for the transition from fully sighted to significantly vision-impaired. Those services may be obtained in the community at a local organization providing support to the Blind and vision-impaired, and/or through Vocational Rehabilitation.
There is a Navigating Education/School With LHON Facebook group specifically for those managing education and LHON.
This webpage, Protecting Individuals With Disabilities describes the government’s responsibility to educate children with disabilities.
Here’s how one student informed teachers and classmates about LHON. My Disability.
Here are some tips for students heading off to college: Off to College: Tips for Students with Visual Impairments.
There are many scholarships available to students who are vision impaired.
