GUIDELINES FOR MEETING OR WORKING WITH A BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON

• Most blind and visually impaired people have normal hearing. There is no need to shout.
Sometimes with elderly people there is a hearing problem, but don’t assume so.
• Speak directly to the blind person. There is no need for an interpreter.
• Feel free to use words like “look,” “see,” and “watch.”
• As you approach a person who is blind, identify yourself and let him/her take your arm.
• Never guide a blind person by pushing him/her in front of you or walking
backwards in front of him/her.
• When walking with a blind person, let him/her hold your arm just above the elbow. This
technique is called Sighted Guide. Relax. Walk one step in front of the person,
informing him/her of stairs, ramps, curbs, etc. When the person needs more
support, he/she might want to hold on to your forearm. A blind person who is
experienced with Sighted Guide will know to stay behind you and follow the
movements of your body.
• When seating a blind person, it is usually enough to put his/her hand on the back of the
chair and allow him/her to seat himself/herself.
• When you leave a blind person, let him/her know that you are leaving. Don’t leave
him/her there talking to himself/herself.
• When pushing a blind person in a wheelchair, always inform him/her that you are
ready to go. It can be a shock to be moved suddenly if you are not expecting it.
• When describing objects, be as specific as possible. Use the face of a clock to indicate
position. Try not to use phrases such as “over there,” “over here,” etc. Use left,
right, 12 inches high, for example.
• Allow blind people to touch objects as often as possible to get a better feel for them.
• At mealtime, use the face of the clock to tell the person the location of items on
his/her plate, i.e. “Your meat is at 6 o’clock, your peas are at 10 o’clock.”
• You can describe the place setting the same way. The water glass may be at 1 o’clock and
the napkin at 9 o’clock. Encourage the blind person to explore his/her place setting
by slowly moving his/her hand from the edge of the table toward the middle.
He/she should keep his/her fingers curled and move gently. That way, if he/she
comes into contact with something, he/she won’t hurt himself/herself and won’t
knock it over.
•Encourage the blind person to use a pusher to help guide foods onto his/her fork or
spoon. This can be a roll, a piece of bread, or a stationary item like mashed
potatoes. The person may be able to tell if food is on his/her fork by feeling the
weight.
• If necessary, it is acceptable for the blind person to lean forward slightly to meet his/her
fork or spoon.
• It is very helpful to have food cut up in the kitchen before it comes to the table. Be
certain that the meat is cut all the way through so the blind person doesn’t pick up a
string of four or five pieces still attached. This is also true for large noodles, such as
lasagna.
• In the blind person’s room, always leave things in the same position. It can be
upsetting to expect something to be in a certain place and find that it isn’t there.
And it is disconcerting to find a piece of furniture or wastebasket where you
weren’t expecting it.
• Be careful to leave doors either all the way open or completely closed. Half-open
doors have caused many a bumped head.
• If a person is partially sighted, try not to seat him/her facing a light source, such as
a window. This can make it much harder for him/her to see.
• It is important that caretakers be careful of unknowingly encouraging dependency.
Visually impaired persons must be allowed to do things for themselves whenever
possible.
• The most important thing is to remember that a visually impaired individual is a
person first. He/she is a person with a vision problem, but he/she is the same
person he/she was before.