(Notes courtesy of NCBI)
Do’s and Don’ts.
On the phone or in person:
- Greet the person by saying your name, with perhaps a reminder of where/when you last met.
- Talk directly to the person rather than through a third party. (Such as a family member or Personal Assistant) It’s easier if you know the person with sight loss by name – say their name when you are speaking to them. If you don’t know their name, don’t be afraid to ask, when giving your own name.
- Try to speak clearly, facing the person with sight loss while you do so.
- Address the person with sight loss by name when directing conversation to them, in a group situation.
- If someone joins or leaves the group, tell the person with sight loss that this has happened.
- Don’t be afraid to use terms like ‘see you later’. People with sight loss use these expressions too.
In the home or office of a person with sight loss:
- To avoid the possibility of someone banging their head, close the door after you, coming in and out. If you open an overhead press door, close it after you. If you see one open, tell the person, and ask if they’d like you to close it.
- If you need to move something in the home or office of a person with vision impairment, tell the person that you are doing so.
- Before you leave, replace the item exactly where it was, and tell them that you have done so, or explain why that is no longer possible, and tell them the new position of the item, so that they can find it when you are gone. Make sure that they have understood you.
Outdoors:
- If you see head-height obstacles ahead of a person using a white cane or guide dog, warn them. A cane cannot locate head-height obstacles, and a guide dog might not always be able to do so.
- Always let a person with sight loss know when you are approaching. A sudden voice at close range when they didn’t hear anyone approach can be very startling. Speak first from a little distance away, and again as you draw closer.
- If you are giving directions, don’t point. Give clear verbal directions, for example ‘to your left’ rather than ‘over there’.
- Don’t assume that a person using a white cane or guide dog is totally blind. If you notice that they are using vision, in some way, this does not mean that they are “cheating” or “pretending”! Don’t assume that because a person can see one thing that they can see everything. If necessary, ask the person if they can see a particular landmark or obstacle.
- Before giving assistance, always ask the person first if they would like help, and if they do, ask what assistance is needed. Do not assume that you know what help they need.
- If you have been guiding a blind person and need to leave them, bring them to some reference point that they can feel, like a wall for example. To be left in open space can be disorientating for a person with no vision.
- If you’ve been talking to a person with sight loss, tell them when you are leaving, so that they are not left talking to themselves.
