Visible disabilities range from sensory impairments to medical or mobility impairments. Sensory impairments include blindness and deafness. Mobility impairments are due to conditions such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord injury. Medical impairments, though not as readily apparent as other visible disabilities, include arthritis, asthma, cancer, orthopedic limitations, post surgery recovery, chronic fatigue syndrome, or seizure disorder. These conditions can be permanent or temporary. Whatever the type of visible disability, the student's college writing experience is impacted by the challenges posed by the classroom experience, the inaccessibility of the course material, and the barriers these students face in merely engaging in the physical act of writing. Students with these disabilities use a combination of classroom accommodations and assistive technology to attend class and make the coursework accessible. However, these devices can only do so much. It is up to the instructor to work with the student to make the lectures, guest speakers, website, videos, overheads, handouts, textbooks, supplemental reading, and group work accessible.
