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Presentation hints to help participants who don’t have perfect vision
Following a few minor best practices drastically improves the experience not only for people with vision loss but also those who are neurodiverse.
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I’ve worn eyeglasses since I was 12. A 9-inch growth spurt in twelve months left me with severe astigmatism. This was compounded by the standard vision deterioration that most people experience in their 40s. I then shifted to using bifocals, but my vision loss got worse when I developed glaucoma a few years later. A couple of years after that, I ended up having five eye surgeries in the span of 16 days to get the glaucoma and subsequent cataracts I had developed under control. Don’t even get me started on the fact that I am additionally a type 1 diabetic and a long-time user of Plaquenil, with a very high probability of developing macular degeneration according to genetic testing.
I have so many high-risk factors for vision loss it is ludicrous.
I feel that I am quite lucky to have the level of vision I have today.
Moving over to an all-zoom environment has been difficult for people with any level of vision loss. I’ve had days with more than a dozen 30-minute back-to-back conference calls. Inevitably on days like that, I end up doing a lot of squinting followed by developing an atrocious headache partway through the day that further impedes my ability to understand the technical minutia in subsequent meetings. Caffeine and ibuprofen have been my friend when this happens, but that can’t solve it all. Additionally, this is not a good long-term idea since those two substances can cause other health issues.
Here are a few best practices to follow to help me and others like me participate equally in all meetings.
