In honor of Vision Awareness Month (October), Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI) and Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist (COMS) Lindsay Stratton, M.Ed., CTVI, COMS is sharing some tips for you if you’re ever working with or interacting with someone who is blind or visually impaired:
Tip 1
When entering a room or conversation, introduce yourself when arriving, even if the person knows who you are. Also, let the person know when you’re leaving the room.
Tip 2
Ask the person if they need help before you start helping them. Never assume they need help.
Tip 3
If the person asks for help or says yes to your offer, some options of how to help are by:
- Offering human guide or sighted guide – check out this video to learn more about offering human guide or sighted guide
- Offering specific directions using directional words or clock face words to help them know where things are
Tip 4
If you are going to be offering directions to the person, here are some examples of directional words and clock face words to use:
- Directional words: left, right, in front of, behind
- Clock face words: “this item is on the table to your two o’clock”
Tip 5
Speak directly to the person who is blind or visually impaired, not to their guide. If they have a guide dog, get the person’s approval before petting it.
We hope these 5 simple tips help you the next time your interacting with someone who is blind and visually impaired. If you are interested in learning more about interacting with the blind and visually impaired community, check out our Public Education Videos for additional information.
If you or someone you love is experiencing vision loss and could benefit from our services, please contact Future In Sight at [email protected] or 603-224-4039 today!
About the Author: Lindsay Stratton is a Teacher of Students Visually Impaired (TVI) and Orientation & Mobility Specialist (COMS) at Future In Sight.