Blind Etiquette
✓ Who is blind? Every blind person is blind in a different way. Approximately fifteen percent of those deemed legally blind, by any measure, have no light or form perception. The rest have some vision, from light perception alone to relatively good acuity. Blind people do not have better hearing. We just use it more effectively.
✓ How do I interact with a Blind Person? (ACB)
As with a person with any disability, the best approach is to interact with the person, not with his or her disability. In general, what you would do or say with a sighted person is appropriate for a person with a visual impairment. However, to be most courteous, here are some hints.
⁃ Introduce yourself by name and make eye contact when speaking.
⁃ Speak in your usual conversational voice.
⁃ When speaking to a blind person in a group, address him/her by name. Most people know you are talking to them because you are looking directly at them. A blind person may not be able to determine this.
⁃ When a blind person enters the room, identify yourself.
⁃ Indicate the end of a conversation, and let a blind person know when you are walking away.
⁃ Feel free to use vision-oriented words such as “see”, “look”, and “watch.”
⁃ Be specific when giving directions.
⁃ Don’t grab the arm of a person who is blind or visually impaired: offer yours instead.
⁃ Don’t interfere with a blind or visually impaired person’s cane, and don’t pet or feed dog guides
⁃ When in doubt, just ask.
✓ Asking personal questions
The short answer is do not ask personal questions to a person who is blind. This includes the person’s condition and any accommodations, such as a white cane or guide dog, they may be using. If the blind/VIP person initiates the subject, it is ok to continue the conversation.
✓ How to offer assistance
⁃ Offering Guidance: Offer to guide a person who is blind or visually impaired by asking if he/she would like assistance. Offer your arm. It is not always necessary to provide guidance; in some instances it can be disorienting and disruptive. Respect the desires of the person. The most important rule of courtesy is to respect the person’s privacy and independence. Guide persons who request assistance by allowing them to take your arm just above the elbow. Walk ahead of the person you are guiding. Pause at the edge of a curb or stairs before proceeding. Never grab a person who is blind or visually impaired by the arm or cane and push him/her forward. By alll means, let them know about obstacles.
• Do not leave a person who is blind or visually impaired standing in “free space” when you serve as a guide. Always be sure that the person you guide has a firm grasp on your arm, or is in contact with a chair or a wall if you have to be separated momentarily.
✓ Giving directions
▪ If you are asked for directions or the location of an item, do not say, “over there”. That is useless. Be as specific as possible. Indicate the number of blocks, or estimate the distance in length (10 yards, 20 meters), or use an imaginary clock to indicate position, from the Blind person’s perspective (“it’s at your 2 o’clock). That works for food on a plate too.
▪ Be precise and thorough when you describe people, places, or things to persons who are blind. Don’t leave things out or change a description because you think it is unimportant or unpleasant.
▪ When giving directions, don’t point to or describe landmarks. Use terms such as left, right, front and back. Be specific about the number of blocks or streets::don’t assume the person can read street signs or building numbers. Be sure to use the blind person’s point of view.
✓ Helping blind/VIP with meals/refreshments/Restaurants, meetings, etc.
▪ Offer to read the menu including the price of each item. It works well to read the categories first and then read a category in more detail on request. As food is served ask a person who is blind or visually impaired if he/she would like to be told the position of the food on the plate. If he/she wants you to cut the food or serve it from a casserole, he/she will request that help. It is never bad form to offer, however. In a buffet situation, some people will prefer that you bring food to the table while others will want to accompany you to the buffet line and make choices as you go along. You will have to identify the buffet items to the blind person.
▪ If a blind person asked for a description of the location of food items, think of the plate as a clock face and describe items at 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, etc. Be sure to also indicate the location of the drink, napkin, cutlery, etc. Also indicate if soup, salad or desert is on a separate plate or bowl. Be sure to use the blind person’s point of view.
▪ Be aware that some blind people are reluctant to eat in public, so do not be surprised if someone declines to eat or eats very little.
▪ To give sighted people an idea of what a blind person deals with, blindfold a sighted person and have another person describe the meal and then let the blind person try and eat the meal. Sometimes it is best to have a apron on the blindfolded person.
✓ White cane etiquette
✓ Guide dog etiquette
✓ Speaker guidelines when blind/VIP are in audience
✓ Handouts for those who are blind/VIP
✓ Getting Blind/VIP involved
▪ Have a mentor for blind/VIP person
▪ accommodations
▪ Officer/committee positions
▪ Service/fundraising projects
▪ Get blind/VIP person to Be a mentor to others
✓ Transportation is always an issue
✓ Service organizations & adaptive aids
⁃ Each Lions Club should have members who are knowledgeable about organizations that help the blind/VIP. They should know what services they provide & how to apply for services. This will not only help with members but it will allow the Lions to help others in the community. A partial list of service organizations is:
⁃ Service dog organizations: Leader Dog for the Blind, Guide Dogs of the Southeast, Canine Companions, etc. There are 30 Guide Dog schools in the USA (www.nagdu.org).
⁃ Reading services: BARD, Bookstore, Learning Ally, and many others
⁃ Smart phone apps
⁃ Screen readers: voice over, JAWS, Majic, Zoomtext, etc
⁃ NC Library for Blind & Physically Handicapped
⁃ Veteran Blind Services (VA & BVA)
✓ Remember blind/VIP person may need some assistance at home. Some activities that a sighted person can casually do present huge obstacles or cost for a blind/VIP.
The North Carolina Blind Lions Club
Guide Dog Etiquette
Guide Dogs are well trained, groomed and healthy animals that are frequently in public places. You can usually recognize a working guide dog because it will be wearing a harness, frequently labeled with the name of the school that trained the dog. Animal lovers are often drawn to these service dogs. However, without realizing it, they may put both the dog handler & the dog in danger by distracting the dog from its work. Below are some general guidelines that you will find helpful.
- Never attempt to pet a service dog while it is working, i.e. it’s harness is on
- Do not call to the dog or attempt to get it’s attention
- Never attempt to feed a guide dog
- If you attempt to engage the guide dog handler in conversation and you get a short reply it is probably because the handler is focusing on getting to the correct location safely.
- Be aware some guide dog handlers enjoy talking about their dogs and some do not. Please do not be offended in either case.
- Be polite about enquiring about a guide dog Handler’s personal information
- Please do not let your pet interfere with a working guide dog by sniffing, barking or jumping on the guide dog.
- A guide dog that is sitting or laying by it’s handler is working. This is an important part of the guide dogs training. This allows the handler to eat meals, attend events, etc. It is hard for a guide dog to do this if they are distracted by others seeking to get their attention.
- Guide dogs are bred, selected and trained to do an important job. Sometimes they have laps in their training, so please be tolerant of these laps.
Some useful websites
North Carolina Lions, Inc – https://nclionsinc.org
Guide Dog Users, Inc – guidedogusersinc.org
National Association of Guide Dog Users – www.nagdu.org
International Federation of Guide Dogs – https://www.igdf.org.uk/
Americans with Disabilities Act – https://www.ada.gov
American Council of the Blind – http://www.acb.org
National Federation of the Blind – https://nfb.org
Leader Dog for the Blind – http://leaderdog.org
Hadley School for the Blind: Considering a Guide Dog Course
Useful smart phone apps
NAGDU