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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2022 - 02 - 03 - ID#sjpxo3
10
How do you sign stuff? (self.Blind)
submitted by the_orca_jungle
I went to the bank yesterday and had to write my signature. It wasn’t my first time but I hadn’t done it in a while Took me really long to see the line I was supposed to write my name on. In the end, I managed to do it somewhat legibly but it was very skewed.

I have used software like DocuSign and I am very grateful for these virtual signature options. However, I know I will still have to learn to sign my name on paper.

How have you dealt with these situations, where you have to sign a paper form/check/document?
CosmicBunny97 10 points 1y ago
You can get signature guides that are like a credit card shaped piece of cardboard with a slit. You place it where you need to sign or ask someone for help guiding you.
the_orca_jungle [OP] 2 points 1y ago
thanks
JackEsq 7 points 1y ago
Sighted person here, but when I work with a blind client who needs to sign I have them use a signature guide card. It is the size of a credit card with a window that is placed over the signature line. You can then sign inside the window.

Link to purchase:

https://www.maxiaids.com/signature-guide-regular-black-plastic
Littlebiggran 2 points 1y ago
See my alternative but I have given these to lawyers and they appreciate it.
the_orca_jungle [OP] 2 points 1y ago
thank you
retrolental_morose 6 points 1y ago
Practice for a while, then buy an ink stamp. If you haven't got eyes, rubberstamps.com or vistaprint.co.UK both have people who will do image cropping and visual fiddlings for you.
the_orca_jungle [OP] 2 points 1y ago
ok cool
QuentinJamesP89 4 points 1y ago
Having someone crease the paper on the signature line helps, or you can use a signature guide. I keep one in my wallet. They're pretty inexpensive, and you can purchase guides for writing checks as well. Signing things isn't the biggest issue for me -- no one cares if a signature is a little messy. But I still hand write certain things (notes to my wife, for instance), and my wife says my writing can be barely legible at times. It's hard for me to write in straight lines, without trailing down to the right, or writing over what I've already written. I generally use a stand magnifier, but it's still not enough.
the_orca_jungle [OP] 1 points 1y ago
a lot of people have told me it doesn’t matter if my signature is messy. i want it to look nice though because there is a every tiny chance that i could get famous in the future. jokes aside, it feels very satisfying when i get it perfectly smooth
QuentinJamesP89 1 points 1y ago
Mine was always pretty messy anyway, haha.
OldManOnFire 4 points 1y ago
When signing a receipt I ask the cashier to fold the receipt on the signature line for me so I can sign on the crease.
the_orca_jungle [OP] 3 points 1y ago
sounds so simple. i am going to try this next time. thank you
OldManOnFire 5 points 1y ago
It's a little trick I picked up from u/Marconius in his $1.
Fridux 4 points 1y ago
Here in Portugal, and I suspect in the rest of the EU as well, our ID card is a regular access token secured by a 4 digit code that can be used with any off-the-shelf card reader to digitally sign anything with our real identity. That said things don't work as well as they should, because many institutions do not understand how digital signatures work and simply refuse to accept them despite being mandated to by law.

Another way we can still sign documents is using our fingerprint, though that makes it hard to make authenticated copies of those documents since most printers do not print with enough detail to leave a recognizable fingerprint, and on top of that the fingerprint signature needs to be notarized, which in the case of banks tends to become expensive as notaries tend to charge on a per-signature basis, meaning it's common to have to spend 100€ to sign a single bank document 5 times.

Finally you can always ask a sighted person to place a ruler under the line on which you are supposed to sign, which is what I used to do during my transition to blindness.
the_orca_jungle [OP] 2 points 1y ago
very interesting. technology is really cool
Littlebiggran 3 points 1y ago
I have trouble signing in a straight line
I drop or rise. I got a signature card to put over the spot I have to sign on documents. But instead of that. I CUT OFF the back of a gift certificate holder and use that. Exactly the same size, maybe a bit higher. Recycling!
the_orca_jungle [OP] 2 points 1y ago
quite resourceful
DHamlinMusic 3 points 1y ago
Badly, I mean my signature is no worse since losing my vision than it was when I could see it. But realistically, I often times don't as my fiance has power of attorney and can sign on my behalf, if I really do have to sign something I have someone help me put the pen where it needs to go and then do my best to not completely go out of the line too badly.
the_orca_jungle [OP] 2 points 1y ago
yeah my signature is barely readable. it is getting better but still. also i am in what some would call emerging adulthood, that phase of life where you are expected to do stuff by yourself but you haven’t had too much life experience. doctor appointments are always slightly awkward because i used to have my parents do everything for me and sign all my papers. the learning curve is high but not impossible.
DHamlinMusic 3 points 1y ago
Yeah we're as in my case I have a stubborn streak and it prefer to do things myself, was very able to do things for myself for the first 32 years of my life and then due to events outside my control lost my vision suddenly coming up on two years ago and have had to rely on others more than I previously would have liked.
TechnicalPragmatist 2 points 1y ago
I ask them where, then I place my thumb at the bottom limit and the index finger at the top limit. I make sure and I am like this big right? Right here right? Then I just sign. Yes I’ve used signature guides but I don’t always have them and I find the way I describe as long as I know to be fine. I think you may be able to move your other hand along a bit if you need that reminder of how big.
the_orca_jungle [OP] 1 points 1y ago
thanks :)
TechnicalPragmatist 1 points 1y ago
No problem. Also one less thing to bring, and one less thing to accidentally lose or something like that.
vip-sizzles 2 points 1y ago
I often just have someone place the pen & I just scribble.
rigby_321 2 points 1y ago
I'm sighted but I assist with folks signing things a lot for my job. Signature guides are great. A post-it note stuck under the signature line is a good trick when you don't have a signature guide.

But absolutely a stamp is great, I talked to one client who said she was even able to use it to sign all the paperwork when she bought her house.

Your signature for the vast majority of uses in no way needs to read as your name, mine is very often just the first letter of my name and a line. Unless you're signing for a big loan no one will care what your signature looks like in my experience.
Rina-Iberville-MTL 1 points 1y ago
some eSignature tools have accessibility options, i've read

but this is probably for visually impaired, not 100% blind

try signNow Support! i remember this was mentioned in their digest of updates but i never really checked how this works, sorry!
[deleted] 1 points 1y ago
[deleted]
CaramelToffee12 1 points 1y ago
I use a card to trace
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