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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2017 - 10 - 14 - ID#76el5f
4
tips for a new job? (self.Blind)
submitted by rollwithhoney
Hi all! I'm a sighted person who just found a job working with the blind community. Seems like about half of my coworkers are blind. I've known blind people before and I'm happy for this opportunity, but I'm just hesitant of embarrassing myself in front of my coworkers Day 1. Are there any common mistakes sighted people make around blind people that I should avoid? Any tips or advice? Many thanks in advance <3
Amonwilde 5 points 5y ago
Don't directly interact with a dog while it's on duty. Don't grab or lead without asking first, and don't ask unless it seems warranted in the situation. Greet people out loud, like, "Hi Ben, it's Julia." Once you get to know people well, you can switch to just "Hi Ben," but it takes a little longer to learn a voice than to learn a face. Don't be too solicitous or eager to please or awkward, if you can manage it, go for a more grounded or down to earth approach if you can pull it off, it makes it easier to be helpful without putting people on the defensive. If you're doing a presentation, say what's on your slides without making a big deal out of it. (You should be doing that anyway.) If you're at a restaurant, you can say things like "I think I'm going to have the blah, but the blah and blah look good," which can give people an out if they haven't looked up the menu beforehand.

Anyway, relaxing and not being weird is the most important thing, then after that learn what's helpful (if anything) and do it without making a big deal out of it. If you don't get to that second part that's fine too.
rollwithhoney [OP] 1 points 5y ago
Thank you u/Amonwilde, this is great advice for in general too (don't be too awkward... check!). Really helpful to learn the tip about restaurant menus, that never would've occurred to me. I'll take all of this advice, thank you!
Amonwilde 1 points 5y ago
I'm sure you'll be one of the good 'uns. :) Just remember we're all people with our own preferences and capabilities. Good luck!
KillerLag 4 points 5y ago
When giving directions, be much more specific then "it's over there" or "it's to the left". You can say "it's about 3 feet in front of you, on your left side" or use the clock system. If you aren't familiar with it, imagine the person is standing in the middle of a clock. 12 o'clock is directly in front, 6 o'clock is directly behind. 3 o'clock to their right, 9 o'clock to their left. The other numbers in the middle.

Also, tuck in your chair when leaving your desk or table or wherever. Especially in the cafeteria. Those things are often tripping hazards.
Amonwilde 1 points 5y ago
Yes, the clock system for directions is great. Five feet at 2 o'clock is the preferred way to point something out. And I second keeping things clear, including and especially cables.
KillerLag 4 points 5y ago
I knew someone who tried to be ultra-precise with the clock method, and they would actually say "2:30 o'clock" :O I explained to them that roughly the right area was enough.
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