By Warner Smith
January 2026
My name is Warner Smith and I am a freshman studying English literature at Virginia Tech. I was diagnosed with congenital nystagmus as an infant, and have worn corrective lenses for my entire life. Even though I have experienced several challenges due to nystagmus, I have found that navigating the world with this visual impairment has made me a more patient and resilient person; I am never one to back down from a challenge. Despite living with an impairment that greatly reduces my visual acuity, I have now completed five seasons of marching band performances.
At first glance, a marching band might not seem like the most natural fit for someone with a visual impairment, given the bright lights, constant movement, and high-intensity nature of performances. Before I began my first marching band season in 2021, I was justifiably worried about how I would manage to complete a season, given my eyesight. However, marching band proved to be an environment where I could not only succeed, but also thrive.
Marching band taught me to be a better self-advocate, as I became more confident and comfortable in asking for enlarged music materials (up to 2x size). Additionally, I learned how to think on my feet to overcome challenges. For example, I often struggle with significantly reduced peripheral vision due to my nystagmus. On the field, this was often a challenge when trying to form a horizontal line with marchers on either side of me. So, I learned how to rely on my other senses to compensate for my reduced eyesight. I often joke about using “echolocation like a whale,” as I listen for the sound of other marcher’s feet hitting the ground to find where they are in relation to me.
Despite my initial concerns, marching band was an amazing fit for me, combining my passions for performance and music in an environment that rewarded and celebrated my hard work. Everyone I have met through marching band has been incredibly accommodating and supportive of me. In fact, due to my proficiency as a marcher, many of my bandmates were even surprised to learn I live with a visual impairment at all.
I have just finished my fifth marching band season, and hopefully look forward to more to come. In this time, I have served in leadership positions including section leader and drum major for my high school band, and now march at a collegiate level with the Marching Virginians of Virginia Tech. Even though everyone’s experience with nystagmus is different, I can confidently say that through ANN, I have met so many incredibly strong-willed and flexible people. People with nystagmus aren’t afraid of a challenge, and can absolutely be successful, whatever their passion may be. You can do whatever you put your mind to.