Social Etiquette With Blind And Visually Impaired People
Many sighted people are uncomfortable or confused about how they should communicate with people who are blind or visually impaired.Here are a few helpful guidelines:
- Introduce yourself. Not everyone recognizes voices or remembers them.
- Don't shout. Visually impaired or blind does not mean hearing impaired.
- Don't leave a person who is blind, talking to themselves. Let them know when you are leaving.
- Don't use hand signals. People with severe visual impairments can't see waving or pointing hands.
- Don't omit words like, "See" or "Look". People with visual impairments are not offended by these words and understand that these words are part of normal conversations.
- Do feel free to photograph someone who is blind or visually impaired. Everyone likes to capture special moments to save and show to others.
- Do speak directly to a person who is blind. Don't speak to a family member or friend and ignore the person who is blind. Remember they can speak for themselves.
- Don't push, pull or grab a person who is blind. This can cause accidents and is often embarrassing.
- Do offer your arm for assistance. A person who is blind would rather take your arm than have you take their arm.
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