Blind Etiquette

How do I respectfully interact with people who are blind and their guide dogs?

The following has been taken directly from the National Council for the Blind’s leaflet “Interacting with people who are blind and their guide dogs”

Here are a few tips for respectfully interacting with people who are blind and their guide dogs:

• Greet a person by saying your name (in case the person does not recognise your voice) and introduce the person to others in the room.
• Always address a person by their name, never through a third party.
• Speak in a natural, conversational tone. It is not necessary to speak loudly or to over-enunciate.
• Do not worry about using everyday words and phrases like ‘look’, ‘see’, or ‘watching TV’.
• Indicate verbally when you are entering or leaving a room.
• Avoid light sources that cause glare or dazzle.
• If someone looks like they may need assistance, just ask. Pulling or steering a person is confusing. Do not grab their arm or their dog's harness. Instead, ask ‘would you like me to guide you?’ Offering your elbow is an effective and dignified way to lead a person who is blind.
• Be sure to give useful directions. A phrase such ‘turn left at the next corner’ is more helpful than a description like ‘over there.’ If you are giving directions, do not point. Give clear verbal directions.
• Do not leave a blind person out in empty space. They need a physical object—a table, a railing etc—to remain oriented.
• When offering a seat, speak the person through the process (chair on right, left, back of you etc) and place the person's hand on the back or the arm of the chair, so that they are aware of its position.
• Use the clock position to describe the location of items. If you are having a coffee for example, inform the person that their coffee is at 3 o'clock, sugar is at 1 o'clock etc.
• Never assume that a person using a white cane or guide dog is totally blind. Many partially sighted people use these.
• Never distract or feed a guide dog when working (i.e. in harness). A guide dog is highly disciplined and should not be distracted when working.
• A person using a white cane with a red stripe has a hearing impairment as well as a visual impairment.
• When in doubt, always ask the person with the disability! The person with a disability is your best source of information.

How do I respectfully guide a person who is blind?

The following has been taken directly from National Council for the Blind’s leaflet “How to Guide a Blind Person Safely”


Making contact
Begin by asking the person if they would like assistance. If they accept, move into their space and gently touch his/her arm with your elbow.

Grip
S/he takes hold of your arm just above the elbow, four fingers on the inside, thumb on the outside; the grip should be firm. You should keep your arm relaxed and close to the side of your body.

Correct guiding position
You should be half a pace ahead of the person who you are guiding.

Narrow spaces
You may need to walk single file when moving through crowds or narrow spaces. Put your guiding arm behind your back. The visually impaired person straightens out his/her arm and walks directly behind you, taking shorter steps so as not to walk on your heels.

Inward turn
Should you reach a dead end and have very little room to turn around, the easiest way to do so is by using the inward turn. Ask the person you are guiding to turn to face you, then take his/her hand and place it on your free elbow. S/he then releases the elbow s/he was holding originally and you turn back together.

Going through doors
Approach the door with the person you are guiding on the hinge side. Use your guiding arm to open the door. The visually impaired person can use his/her free hand to take the door handle from you, then find the handle on the other side of the door and close it behind you both.

Changing Sides
If the person you are guiding is not on the hinge side as you approach a door, ask him/her to change sides. S/he will side-step behind you, taking your other elbow with their other hand. To facilitate this, bend your elbow and point it out behind your back, making it easier for the visually impaired person to locate.

Steps
Approaching a step or kerb, stop when you reach it and say ‘step down’ or ‘step up’. If the step is higher or lower than usual, warn the person you are guiding. Always approach steps and stairs straight on, not diagonally.

Stairs
Say ‘stairs up’ or ‘stairs down’. Approach in such a way that the visually impaired person's free hand is near the handrail, if there is one and describe whether it is above or below their hand. Confirm that s/he is ready to begin and then proceed up or down the stairs at a steady pace. Always say when the top or bottom of the stairs has been reached and pause for a moment. If the handrail is on the left and the visually impaired person is on the right, change sides as before.

Sitting on a chair
If the visually impaired person is holding your left elbow, use your left hand to grip the back of the chair so s/he can feel where it is. S/he can then release your arm and sit down unaided. If the chair-back is against a wall, it may be easier to walk towards it in such a way that the visually impaired person's leg brushes gently against the seat of the chair. Let the person sit down unaided; never push anyone backwards into a chair.

Getting into a car
Say which way the car is facing and place the visually impaired person's hand on the door handle. S/he should then be able to manage alone.

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