Visual Impairments

In the last two decades Lewis & Clark has been working to provide accommodations and make its campus more accessible to everyone, but we recognize that there is still more to be accomplished, especially in the area of physical accessibility.

Since Lewis & Clark is on the original grounds of a manor house that was built into a hillside alongside a ravine, finding one’s way around the campus has sometimes been a challenge for blind and visually impaired students. Following a master plan for making the grounds more accessible and listening to the advice of visually impaired students themselves have brought us closer each year to our goal of making the campus more navigable for those who are blind or who have low vision.

We have worked with the staff of the residence halls and with members of other departments to provide students with an orientation to the campus and assistance in locating classrooms and other significant locations until they are comfortable in finding their way around. We also have an adaptive technology room in Watzek Library with CC-TV, Dragon Naturally Speaking, JAWS, and other programs. As in the case of all students, you must be a strong self-advocate and notify the our office of your needs in a timely manner.

We have provided many different accommodations for blind and visually impaired students, but each case and each request for accommodations is considered individually. You are encouraged to contact our office (503-768-7192 or access@lclark.edu) as soon as possible if you are planning to visit or attend Lewis & Clark so that arrangements can be made to meet your needs.