Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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How to help someone With No Vision (self.Blind)
submitted by AgentBlue14
I'm a student worker at my university, and while walking back to my office after a tech call, I saw a dude with a folding cane making his way near my building.
It didn't appear as if he was lost, but it looked like he was in a new area, so I decided to go up and ask if he needed help. He asked directions to a hall that was on the opposite end of my work building, so I asked if he'd like me to guide him there.
He said "yes" and we made our way to the hall, although he stumbled once or twice because I didn't give enough advanced warning to what was ahead or that the sidewalk curved slightly in one direction. I did hold his arm once or twice, but only when my vocal directions weren't precise enough to avoid an obstacle like a low wall or curb.
After a few minutes, we got to the building and I led him to the room he wanted, and made sure he was in the right area before going back to my office.
This whole experience left me feeling nervous as I have only ever dealt once with a blind person before, and even then I was trying to find the right balance without treating him like he didn't know his way around his computer.
Overall, is there a certain right way to help someone who is blind or has low-vision? Is there a line between being "helpful" and "annoyingly helpful"? When is it OK to go out of my way to help (if appropriate)?
Thanks in advance for your comments.
It didn't appear as if he was lost, but it looked like he was in a new area, so I decided to go up and ask if he needed help. He asked directions to a hall that was on the opposite end of my work building, so I asked if he'd like me to guide him there.
He said "yes" and we made our way to the hall, although he stumbled once or twice because I didn't give enough advanced warning to what was ahead or that the sidewalk curved slightly in one direction. I did hold his arm once or twice, but only when my vocal directions weren't precise enough to avoid an obstacle like a low wall or curb.
After a few minutes, we got to the building and I led him to the room he wanted, and made sure he was in the right area before going back to my office.
This whole experience left me feeling nervous as I have only ever dealt once with a blind person before, and even then I was trying to find the right balance without treating him like he didn't know his way around his computer.
Overall, is there a certain right way to help someone who is blind or has low-vision? Is there a line between being "helpful" and "annoyingly helpful"? When is it OK to go out of my way to help (if appropriate)?
Thanks in advance for your comments.
blindnessandbees 5 points 4y ago
It's always okay to ask! just don't push the issue if the blind person says they got it and don't need help. Sometimes we might look lost but are just finding our orientation and that's toally okay. there is nothing wrong with having to search for a moment. As for stumbling, it happens. I'm legally blind (so I do have some vision, It's just very limited) but quite often guide my fully blind friend, even though I'm quite good at guiding sometimes we trip up. Blind people are used to it really. Something that is important is to ask where they wanna be held (arm, shoulder, elbow) and where *exactly* they wanna go. If you're at a train station for example, we get taught how to walk from a certain point to another, so if you leave us at the wrong spot we are hopelessly lost. but most importantly, we're just people. Making mistakes around us is okay, and asking questions is also okay. I hope this helped!
BlackKingBarTender 3 points 4y ago
O&M grad student here (Teacher’s of non-visual travel skills)
Human guide is a great method for providing
assistance. You can learn more about it here:
https://www.visionaware.org/info/everyday-living/essential-skills/an-introduction-to-orientation-and-mobility-skills/how-to-walk-with-a-guide/1235
Check out the section at the bottom which gives tips on how to be a guide.
Remember! Always ask if the individual would like assistance and if they say yes always ask what type of assistance the individual would like. If they indicate human guide you can also ask them what side they’d like to be on.
Have them run you through what they’d like you to do when going through narrow passageways (2 people can’t fit through side by side) or if you will be going up/down stairs. There are proper modifications to human guide for each of these situations and the traveler can fill you in.
Thanks for asking!
Human guide is a great method for providing
assistance. You can learn more about it here:
https://www.visionaware.org/info/everyday-living/essential-skills/an-introduction-to-orientation-and-mobility-skills/how-to-walk-with-a-guide/1235
Check out the section at the bottom which gives tips on how to be a guide.
Remember! Always ask if the individual would like assistance and if they say yes always ask what type of assistance the individual would like. If they indicate human guide you can also ask them what side they’d like to be on.
Have them run you through what they’d like you to do when going through narrow passageways (2 people can’t fit through side by side) or if you will be going up/down stairs. There are proper modifications to human guide for each of these situations and the traveler can fill you in.
Thanks for asking!
happyforyoubutami 1 points 4y ago
My husband prefers holding my arm rather than me holding his. I also tell him the texture of the ground and if it’s about to change.
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