Act Thoughtfully When Assisting People who are Blind or Visually Impaired: Tips and Guidelines for Inclusion

By Roqayah Ajaj

I often feel that I am a stranger and awkward person when I interact with new people since many people surprise me when they assist me. This happens when they cross my boundaries by touching me, grabbing my cane, pulling me, or even silently guiding me.

This article will give some tips of how to react more inclusively or thoughtfully toward individuals who are blind or visually impaired in public spaces to ensure they feel included and safe. I will emphasize how to interact with the person who is blind or visually impaired whether they are by themselves or with a friend or assistant. These tips are mainly for people who are new to working with the individual.

Public spaces

You might see an individual who is blind or visually impaired walking on campus, at a mall, at a park, or any other public space. You might wonder how to help. Below are some tips that you can follow to make them feel comfortable and included. 

• If you see an individual who is blind or visually impaired walking around, verbally offer your interest in helping them only if they seem confused and like they are looking for help. If necessary to get their attention, you may tap their shoulder gently.
• Avoid touching them without their consent. Do not grab them, pull them, or grab their cane. Always ask how and where you can touch them. Consent to touch them in one way does not give consent to touch in all ways.
• If the individual who is blind or visually impaired asks for directions, try to give them precise directions such as “Once you cross Oak Street, turn to the left on Washington, and then it is the second store to the right.” If it is a short distance, be precise; you can say, “Your destination is straight ahead 50 feet and to your right.”  Avoid vague language such as “here” and “there.”
• If you recognize them, say their name and introduce yourself.
• If you want to shake their hand, inform them that you want to shake their hand.

When providing navigation assistance to an individual who is blind or visually impaired

The individual who is blind or visually impaired might come to a store and may need someone to help them navigate the store or direct them to a specific office in a government building. Below are tips for providing navigation assistance to an individual who is blind or visually impaired.

• Ask how they would like to be assisted. For example, “Would you like me to guide you verbally or would you like to grab my upper arm?”
• Remember do not touch them without their consent and always ask how and where you can touch them. Consent to touch them in one way does not give consent to touch in all ways.
• Refrain from using your phone while walking or talking with other people.
• When walking with them, provide very precise directions. For example, “We are going to use the escalator to go up in 10 feet or about 3 seconds.”
• Keep providing precise directions (e.g. we are going right or left or continuing straight) while holding a light discussion with the individual so they can follow your voice. 
• Describe what you see to make them feel included and know where they are going to help them imagine the location they are in. For example, “We are passing the Starbucks Coffee Shop on your left.”
• Avoid standing in front of their cane. Walk next to the individual to either their right or left and let them know if you need to change direction or where you are located with respect to them.
• Inform the individual about any obstacles in their way at least 30 feet away and let them know where to go to avoid the obstacles. For example, “There is a chair 10 feet away, try to go to the right a little bit.”
• If there are any curbs where you are walking, let them know if the curb is up or down. For example, “There is a step down in 10 feet.”
• When opening doors, it is safer to have the individual open the door themselves or you can let them know “I opened the door to the right” and let them know precisely where they should go. 
• If someone opened the door for both of you, let the individual know “someone opened the door for us and it is to your left.”
• If you arrive to an office, let the individual know that there is a person in the office or if there is a line and have them ask what they want. Avoid talking for the individual. 
• If the person that the individual who is blind or visually impaired is talking with looks at you, politely refer them to talk to the individual who is blind or visually impaired using body language such as looking at the individual who is blind or visually impaired, yourself.

The left image shows a sighted person reaching for the arm of the individual who is blind or visually impaired, which is not safe. The right image shows the sighted person offering their arm for the individual who is blind or visually impaired to hold, which is safe and best practice.

Restaurants or communal meals

To make your restaurant more inclusive for customers who are blind or visually impaired, you can follow these suggestions and feel free to contact me for further help.

• If an individual who is blind or visually impaired enters the store by themselves, make sure the servers greet them verbally and introduce themselves, including their names, as servers.
• Ask if the individual needs help navigating the restaurant. Remember, do not touch them without their consent. They may only need you to guide them verbally.
• If you have any deals, discounts, or new items, make sure you inform the individual about them.
• Ask them, as any other customers, what they would like to order.
• The servers may offer to read the menu for the customer who is blind or visually impaired or provide them with a braille or electronic menu if available. It will be more inclusive and welcoming if you have a braille and electronic menu.
• When serving the food, make sure that you verbally explain where the plate is in relation to the person and what is on the plate. For example, “To your right is the cup of tea. Right in front of you is your main meal, chicken and rice. The rice is on the right of the plate and the chicken is on the left of the plate. There are tomatoes and lemon at 12 o’clock on the plate.”
• If you provide drink refills, let the person know you are there to refill their drink. Always verbally notify them when you are doing something at their table.
• Since they cannot see you, it is hard for them to get your attention. Therefore, you can check on them regularly.
• When checking out, read the receipt and the total for them and ask them if they need help with signing or writing tips. It is more inclusive if you have the option of sending the receipt via email or text.
• Ask if they need help exiting the restaurant.

Interacting with an individual who is blind or visually impaired who has an assistant

You may interact with an individual who is blind or visually impaired who has their guardian or assistant with them. Below is some common etiquette that you should follow to make the person feel comfortable and included in their interaction with you.

• If an individual who is blind or visually impaired comes to you and they have an assistant or friend that comes with them, talk directly to the individual who is blind or visually impaired, and do not look at their friend or assistant.
• Avoid asking or speaking on behalf of the individual who is blind or visually impaired.
• Avoid touching them without their consent and do not grab their cane for guidance or any other purpose.
• Describe what you are doing. If there are any images or items, describe them or, if possible, have them touch the items.

Interacting at a formal office (e.g. government office or bank)

As an employee in an office you may see an individual who is blind or visually impaired come into your office. Below are some tips of how to make the individual feel included and welcome in the office.

• If an individual who is blind or visually impaired arrives to the office by themselves, let them know you are there and introduce yourself.
• Verbally direct the person to their seat.
• Look at the person directly and avoid looking at their assistant or guardian if they have any.
• Describe what you are doing and read out loud any important documents to the individual.
• If there are any documents that need to be signed, read the documents out loud. Ask to touch the individual’s hand to direct where to sign. It is even nicer and more inclusive if you use the signature flags to indicate where to sign. You can ask the individual what color would be useful to them if they seem to have some vision.
• If you want to shake the individual’s hand, verbally let them know. For example, you can say, “May I shake your hand?”

Providing assistance for an individual who is blind or visually impaired is not too complicated. You just need to stop and think for a moment and then react. Always ask the individual how they would like to be assisted. I hope these tips are useful and easy to implement. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need further directions.