Whats there to learn? Were people who do things slightly differently is all. And we may or may not trip you when walking, lol

The best advice I can give you is treat us the same way you would treat any other person.

You're fine :) I'd say the first thing to learn is that blind people are people first and foremost. Unlike what the 10-minute guides and such will have you believe, there's not a 100% foolproof super-awesome chocolate-fudgy master method to deal with every blind person ever.

So really the best thing I can give you where advice is concerned is just ...ask questions. Try to not make assumptions, try to base your interactions with a blind person on what that person has actually told you , not what others tell you is probably the right thing to do.

Joey Johnson from 5th avenue isn't an expert on blindness. No, not even if he was a taxi driver for a blind person for several years. No, not even if he has a degree in social studies or what have you.

The expert on a particular person's blindness, is that particular person. Other people, even here on the sub, will have advice, but a lot of it is still going to be a guesstimate based on what they themselves would say is the right answer. It'll be an educated guess, but still a guess. Just like ...anyone else, really :)

Ask questions. Happy to answer what questions do you have also feel free to pm or chat.

Look, my opinion on this is - we need to stop with this idea that the visually impaired needs help. If you think that you are already discriminating, you are throwing us all in a box and labeling the box "weaker, less capable people who cannot do things on their own and need help". I dont get mad at you only because you have good intentions and intentions are the most important thing.

As anyone else, we are not all equal in any way. Some of us do need some help, others will be able to help you more than you can help them. You must treat everyone with compassion, visually impaired or not. Many who can see are suffering too much, and many visually impaired are very happy folks.

If someone has a visible impairment and you have questions, ask. I love to talk about these things and I like when people are curious about it. You must ask because each person is different. I may like if someone offer to help me with the traffic light, but someone else may be totally capable to do it safely and feel belittled if you assume they need help.

For myself I will say, ask anything, dont be afraid to offend. If you have good intentions, all will be fine. We need to stop this progressist thing that give us a label "visually impaired" and that is enough to considers us victms, somehow different, somehow suffering, disadvantaged, weaker, incapable. We need more of the progressist thing that tries to help those who suffer, who dont have a roof, a meal, a safe and warm place, access to health care.

My experience is that nowadays people are so careful and afraid to touch the subject matter, to ask question, to offend, that as a result they are lost because they are afraid to ask, so they dont know anything. They end up assuming and in my case the assumptions always feels like discrimination. You are somehow weaker, I need to treat you differently, I need to be mindful that you are impaired, that your life is so hard, that you suffer. Sorry, no. There may be good intentions there, but there is also discrimination.

TL;DR - If you see me around and are interested in my eye condition, dont assume, dont pre-judge me, just ask whatever you want! Do that to everyone around you as well, there is no reason to focus on the blind, there are many people suffering who can use a helping hand.

Nice of you to want to help! Just treat them normally, really. No need to speak louder or slower when talking to them. You can ask them if they need assistance when out and about. They may say no and that's OK. If they have a guide dog, don't interact with it since it's working. Be forgiving if they run into you while walking, some can't see at all.