Getting over the fear of asking for help is paramount, since if you aren't comfortable with yourself and the blindness, that's going to really get in the way of dating since it will impede your confidence. It's totally fine to ask for help! Your date wants to meet up and learn about you, and some of the quirks that come with vision loss is that you'll need a little help here and there which is very easy to provide.

Research the menu before you go, most menus are available online. If not, no worries, just ask your date what's on the menu. That inspires discussion about what foods you both like and dislike and is a great icebreaker. Give your date a little run down on sighted guide, explain that you'll need to touch/take her elbow when you need to move to a counter if that's the kind of place you are going, otherwise don't worry about having them read the check when it's delivered, plus you can do things that will make them think about quick forms of accessibility like creasing a check for you along a signature line so there is a tactile demarcation where you need to sign when paying with a card.

Don't be afraid of these things. I lost my vision 5 years ago and it definitely didn't stop me from dating. My dates know up front that I'm blind, and the people I meet are curious or don't mind it at all. Once they see how things are managed and if they see you are confident and can put them at ease, things will progress smoothly. If you keep fretting about your misgivings and fears, that's going to grind the date to a halt.

Also know that rejection is always a potential occurrence, so sometimes no matter what, chemistry just won't be there and you may go through a string of bad dates. This happens to everyone, blind or not, so just be prepared to accept it and move on to another match. You can do it, go out there and get some experience! Have fun! I've also written a primer for dating while blind which I like sharing with potential dates: $1 plus go to the first page of my blog to find the rest near the bottom of the page.

I love all the advice here! Thanks for the link /u/Marconius

planning ahead a little might help. if you go somewhere you have already been a few times you will know whats on the menu and where the counter is.

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you can also try to go out on group dates the first few times so that you have close friends near by to help out a little. just be prepared to deal with your dates friends since its only fair they bring people too.

All I can say is sighted people as each other for help all the time. "Would you hold my purse for a second so I can..." or "Could you look at this? Is this really the price for..."... It is a simple basic thing of life to help one another. Many peopke are more than happy to help if you just ask!

If you're Braille literate, many restaurants offer Braille menus. The only trouble I've run into is the menu being out of date, so the prices weren't accurate, and a few items weren't available anymore and new items weren't listed. It's a novelty for alot of servers as well, sometimes they don't even know that they offer a Braille menu. I'm fond of Olive Garden, and the veteran servers at mine grab me the menu in advance, so I usually have a few contenders in mind before we're seated. Something to look forward to, after a few dates, your date will learn some of your preferences and maybe offer some suggestions on what you might like. I have simple tastes, and my girlfriend usually knows what I'm going to get before I do. As for knowing where things are, it's easy enough to teach someone the clock face method.

Learning to accept help from others is hard to do and takes maturity. I fail at it all the time. I'm trying. As I've gotten older, I've realized how everyone needs help and everyone has a hard time asking for it.

I definitely relate to this, I am also uncomfortable because nobody I know is attracted to me in that way, but that's beside the point.

I go out in my community to restaurants and to the two malls I know but I still sometimes end up getting lost and turned around, or need extra assistance when paying for things with my debit/credit cards.