Discover helpful tips on how to respectfully assist and interact with someone who is blind, including communication strategies, guiding techniques, and essential etiquette to ensure a comfortable experience for everyone.
Have you noticed how tricky it can be to navigate different situations with someone who’s blind? We sure have!
We’re gonna dive a bit deeper into this, and hopefully give you some useful tips.
- Dealing With a Blind Person: The Basic Rules
- Dealing With a Blind Person: Other Rules
- Dealing With a Blind Person When They Ask for Attention
- Guiding a Blind Person
Dealing With a Blind Person: The Basic Rules
When you’re interacting with someone who’s blind, you should follow these basic guidelines:
- Offer your help: If you notice a blind person needs assistance, offer it! Approach them, and let them know you’re there.
- Ask and wait: Ask if they need help, and give them a chance to respond. It’s really important to respect their independence. If they say no, that’s okay!
- Help them accept: Be patient, um, especially if they refuse your help initially. Some blind folks might not want assistance, so try not to take it personally if they decline.
Dealing With a Blind Person: Other Rules
Here’s a bunch more tips that can make things smoother when you’re helping someone who’s blind:
- Don’t just grab them: Don’t start talking to them without letting them know you’re there. Say something like, “Hi, it’s [your name]” so they know who’s talking.
- Talk to them directly: Speak directly to the person, not through someone else. Unless, of course, their hearing’s also not great, then maybe repeat what you’re saying to someone nearby.
- Be specific: When you’re giving directions, be precise. Instead of saying, “The table is over there,” say, “The table is about five steps to your right.”
- Paint a picture with words: Use descriptive language when you’re talking about things. Talk about colors, shapes, textures – anything that helps them get a better mental image.
- Don’t move stuff around: Avoid moving furniture or objects without telling the person. They rely on knowing where things are. Imagine if someone kept moving your desk at work!
- Don’t baby them: Avoid patting them on the head or feeding them, unless they specifically ask. They’re adults, and want to be treated with respect.
- Leave doors as they are: Don’t leave doors half-open. Either close them completely or open them all the way.
- Pay attention: Notice what they can’t see. Try to describe it so they aren’t left wondering what’s going on.
- Be considerate: If they reach out to touch you for support, let them. It shows you care.
- Use their name: Use their name or a friendly term when you’re talking to them. It helps them know you’re talking directly to them and that you see them as an individual.
- Don’t shout: Don’t raise your voice when you’re talking to a blind person. Just because they can’t see doesn’t mean they can’t hear you!
- Be patient: Avoid rushing them. Being rushed can be frustrating for the person, and your insistence on avoiding words that convey blindness might just make them feel awkward and uncomfortable. That said, using general, everyday language is totally fine. Going overboard, though, might make them feel self-conscious.
Dealing With a Blind Person When They Ask for Attention
Here are some things you should do when they ask for you to pay attention to them:
- Use specific words for directions: Use specific words for directions, such as: “to the front,” “on your right,” or “on your left.”
- Do not use your hands to point to the direction: Do not use your hands to point to the direction that they need to look at, and do not use vague words like: “over there.”
Guiding a Blind Person
Here’s what you should do:
- Let the blind person touch your arm so they can follow you.
- Move your arm to the back if you are approaching a narrow place so they can understand that they need to walk behind you to get through.
- Tell them what you are about to do when you are reaching steps, whether up or down, and allow them to touch the edge of the step so they can safely use it.
- Do not grab the hand of the blind person that you are guiding; instead, let them hold your arm or elbow however they like.
- Do not pull the blind person; let them move at their own pace.
- Use the word “pause” instead of “stop” if the blind person is about to face any danger.
- Help them get seated if they are about to sit on a chair to help them put their arm on the back of the chair, and let them slide on it themselves without any help.
I was really nervous about helping a blind colleague at a conference. This article gave me the confidence to offer assistance in a way that felt respectful and helpful. It’s made me a better ally.
As someone who works in customer service, I found these tips invaluable. I now feel much more prepared to assist visually impaired customers with sensitivity and understanding. Thank you!
Myth & Facts
Myth: Blind people have heightened senses.
Fact: While it might seem like blind people have super senses, it’s more that they’ve learned to really focus and use their other senses to navigate the world.
Myth: You should always shout when talking to someone who is blind.
Fact: Unless someone also has hearing loss, there’s no need to raise your voice!
So, after looking into these things, I realize that being a good friend (or just a decent human being!) to someone who’s blind is really about being mindful, respectful, and communicative. It’s about considering their perspective, and adapting your behavior to make them feel comfortable and included. Simple, right?
