FAQ: When and How to Guide a Blind Person

By: Nan Hawthorne

Summary:
Guiding a blind person is easier than you think. The whole technique, called "Sighted Guide," is designed to give him maximum independence so you can relax and just enjoy his company!

What is "Sighted Guide"?

Does every blind person need Sighted Guide?

Does every blind person know Sighted Guide?

How do I know when a blind person needs to be guided?

How do I offer to guide a blind person?

Where should I hold on when guiding a blind person?

Do I give directions while we are walking?

What do I do about curbs and stairs?

What about escalators?

How do I manage to get us through doorways without one of us bashing into the side?

What about revolving doors?

How do you handle crowds?

How do I show a blind person to his seat?

How about in auditoriums or theaters?

How do I help a blind person get into or out of a car?

What about buses, trains, subways or airplanes?

Is there anything I can do to be helpful in a meeting or at a conference?

Is there something I should be doing to help if we go to a restaurant?

Is it proper to help a blind person to the restroom?

Do I guide a blind person if he has a guide dog?

What if the blind person bangs into something or falls when I'm guiding him?

Will I have to guide a blind person every time he has to go somewhere in our facility?

Do you have other tips about how to effectively guide a person who is blind?

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Question: What is "Sighted Guide"?: Answer: When you first introduce a newly hired employee who is blind or visually impaired to your facility and when you accompany him to meetings, on business travel and for social events, you need to learn how to guide him safely and comfortably. The technique for this is called "Sighted Guide."

Sighted Guide is a method sighted people should use when guiding a blind person. It is easy to learn and takes fairly little practice. It is designed to allow the two companions to navigate easily and safely and be able to converse comfortably. The basic concept is to let the blind or visually impaired person take your arm and follow the movement of your body, giving the blind person autonomy

While Sighted Guide is a standard practice, each blind person will have his own preferences about being guided. For instance, if the person likes escalators, use them. Always ask the person his preference when you are in doubt. You would not like being told what you can or cannot do. So why should he?

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Question: Does every blind person need Sighted Guide?: Answer: Not all the time. A person with low vision may be able to navigate on his own. He may need help in dark places or in very bright light. I need help when the ground is uneven and sometimes in unfamiliar places. (Also see Do I guide a blind person if he has a guide dog?)

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Question: Does every blind person know Sighted Guide?: Answer: No. Most do, but people who are newly blind, who have not had mobility (white cane travel) training, who have not been introduced to Sighted Guide in some other way, or who are elderly may not be familiar with the technique. Feel free to teach it, if the person wants to learn.

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Question: How do I know when a blind person needs to be guided?: Answer: Ask him.

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Question: How do I offer to guide a blind person?: Answer: Never grab a blind person and start guiding! Identify yourself, ask if the person would like a Sighted Guide, then touch his arm with your elbow. He knows to reach up and take your arm.

(If there is a real emergency, like a grand piano or a safe about to land on his head, you can grab a blind person and yank him to safety. eSight's Fernando Botelho had this experience on September 11th as he walked to work at our Manhattan office.)

Here is an illustration showing the right position for acting as a Sighted Guide.

If you are on the street and see a blind person waiting to cross at the corner, assume he knows what he is doing. People take intensive training to learn to navigate safely. You can certainly ask, "May I help you cross the street?"

My friend, Pam, tells a lovely story about a business trip in San Francisco. While waiting at a street corner, she heard a soft, British voice simply say, "If you should happen to need assistance, don't be afraid to ask." The person made the offer while acknowledging to Pam that he realized she might not need any help at all.

Always accept "no" for an answer -- and don't be offended. Remember the joke about the Boy Scout who dragged the old lady across the street and was rewarded by a knock on the noggin with her umbrella. She didn't want to cross that street at all!

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Question: Where should I hold on when guiding a blind person?: Answer: Let the blind person take your arm. He may take your elbow, or, if he has trouble walking, he may take your arm. This will pace him about a step behind you, allowing him to feel changes in your position just before he must react.

You should choose which arm to offer because you will need to be comfortable with guiding.

Keep your arm bent loosely at the elbow. A relaxed arm gives more accurate information about your movements than a stiff one. Usually the blind person will hold onto your elbow. But an elderly or frail person may need to link arms with you to get some support.

Walk at a comfortable pace for you both. You need not go slowly unless the blind person is frail due to age or other disability.

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Question: Do I give directions while we are walking?: Answer: You don't need to "narrate" as you walk. Your body will do all the directing -- with some exceptions. Do announce curbs, stairs and doors (see below). Otherwise, be comfortable. Chat and enjoy your companion.

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Question: What do I do about curbs and stairs?: Answer: Always announce changes in terrain (steps, curbs, doors) just as you reach them. Do not say, "We have a curb coming up in a couple feet." For example, as you step up to the curb (so that your next step will be to step off it, say), "Curb down." The blind person will know that he will feel your body go down a bit and that he will step down immediately afterwards.

In most cities there are curb cuts for wheelchairs and strollers. If the blind person doesn't mind, you can use the cuts and avoid the curbs altogether.

Here is an illustration showing how to use Sighted Guide on stairs.

As soon as you reach a flight of stairs, whether you are at the top or bottom step, say "Stairs (up or down)." Say whether there is a railing on the left or right. Do not count the stairs. Describe them only if they are unusually high, low, or curve. When you reach the end of the flight, just say, "I'm on the last step." Again, the blind person needs only the motion of your body and brief cues to know what to do. Escalators are no different. Let the blind person feel the speed of the moving railing. Have him step on right after you.

Always say whether a curb and stairs go up or down.

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Question: What about escalators?

Answer: Ask, "Do you want to take the escalator or the elevator?" If the blind person is comfortable with escalators, he has experience.

Royal National Institute for the Blind in the UK offers these directions:

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Question: How do I manage to get us through doorways without one of us bashing into the side?: Answer: When going through narrow spaces, such as doorways, slip your guiding arm behind you, elbow still bent. The blind person should recognize the cue to get behind you, single file. When the space widens again, just bring your arm (and your companion) up beside you again. Use this sparingly, only when you must, because it can be very tiring for your companion.

Announce doors as you are about to grasp the handle. Say, "We're at a door that opens to the (left or right) and (away from/towards) us." Don't say "in" or "out." Slide your guiding arm behind you as above. Depending on how the door opens, your companion may switch which hand he is using so that he can help hold the door. It's a good idea to say whether it's a spring-loaded door. Never let the blind person precede you through the door.

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Question: What about revolving doors?: Answer: With revolving doors, just slide your arm behind your back and have the blind person come up very close behind you so you both fit in the "pie wedge" of the door. Some blind people like to have their own "pie wedge," but you should have the person follow in one after yours so he doesn't exit into a hazard.

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Question: How do you handle crowds?: Answer: Use the same technique as for doors. Don't worry about jostling. The blind person knows about crowds.

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Question: How do I show a blind person to his seat?: Answer: If your blind companion wishes to sit down, guide him to a chair close enough so that his legs touch the chair. Take his hand and place it on the back of the chair. You may say whether the seat of the chair faces towards or away from him. Mention if the chair has arms or, if it is a backless bench, that there is no back. The blind person will likely sweep the seat with his hand. He can take it from there!

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Question: How about in auditoriums or theaters?: Answer: To guide a blind person to his theater seat, place him on the correct side of you so that he follows you into the row. Face the back of the row before you. Shuffle sideways with your companion following you in similar fashion. Stop at the seat after your companion's. Let him know that his seat is behind him. Guide your companion out of the row in similar fashion. Don't worry about stepped on feet --- it's hard to avoid. Just do your best.

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Question: How do I help a blind person get into or out of a car?: Answer: If you are guiding a blind person to a car, walk him up to the door. Either of you may open the door. Once the door for the passenger side of the car is open, place his right hand on the top of the door and left on the roof of the car. Chances are he will be familiar with the car. Advise him of any obstacles.

The blind person can handle getting out of the car on his own.

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Question: What about buses, trains, subways or airplanes?: Answer: In general, you can use a combination of the above guiding techniques and the method for helping the person to a seat.

I find it interesting that, often when I get on the bus, people leap up to give me their seats. That's very thoughtful, but my balance is fine. I don't need to sit anymore than they do. But I realize this is not always true of a blind person, so ask him if he wants a seat.

Of course, getting on and off larger vehicles often means a bigger step. It's helpful to tell your companion if he will be able to step off to a curb or if the bus is too far from the curb and he will step onto the level before the curb.

A request to all bus drivers: When a blind person asks you., "Is this the eight bus?" please don't respond, "Can't you read?" Just say, "Yes" or "No," and, if "No," say which bus it is and where the person can get it. Thank you.

Airlines allow people with small children or who need help finding their seat to board first. I always accept the invitation so I won't be tripping over people or making those behind me angry as I look at seat numbers up close to find mine.

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Question: Is there anything I can do to be helpful in a meeting or at a conference?: Answer: Basically just follow the blind person's lead and answer his questions. He should take responsibility for asking presenters to read content on a transparency or to say his name if the presenter or facilitator calls on him. He also is the one who should make arrangements for accessible training, hand-out or meeting materials.

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Question: Is there something I should be doing to help if we go to a restaurant?

Answer: First, never speak for the blind person. If a maitre d' or server addresses only you, as in "What does she want?," you can just turn to your companion and ask "What do you want?" This will teach the lesson most diplomatically.

Only a few restaurants have braille menus. I don't read braille (yet) anyway, so I ask my husband or other dining partner to read the menu to me in "levels" -- that is, in general categories, such as "Appetizers," "Salads," "Entr??es" etc. first. Then, it is helpful to read the names of the dishes and -- only if I want to know more -- the descriptions. So a typical conversation would go like this:

Jim:

Nan:

Jim:

Nan:

Jim:

Nan:

Jim:

Nan:

In fast food restaurants and cafeterias, I ask Jim to tell me what's on the menu, then place my own order. I always carry my own tray, but someone else might ask you to do that. Jim taps my elbow when it is my turn to order so I won't just stand there.

Someone with very low or no vision may need help knowing where his food is, but all you need to do is tell him. Use the clock face, with the part of the table or his plate closest to him as 6 o'clock. Say, "Your sandwich is at 7 o'clock. There are toothpicks in the bread. Your fries are at 2 o'clock and there's a pickle at 5. Your drink is at 10 o'clock to your plate." Don't cut his food, sweeten his coffee or do anything he doesn't ask you to do.

If he spills on his clothes, just say so. He won't be offended and will appreciate knowing so he can clean up the stain.

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Question: Is it proper to help a blind person to the restroom?: Answer: If you need to guide your companion to the restroom, it is perfectly acceptable to guide him to the door. If you are of the same gender, you might go in and orient him to where the stalls and washbasins are. If not, ask your companion whether he would like you to get someone else to direct him. Use precise directions, giving clock face directions: "The stalls are at 10 o'clock." Tell your companion you will wait right outside the restroom door.

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Question: Do I guide a blind person if he has a guide dog?: Answer: Here's a bit of background. The dogs don't decide where to go. They are directed by the blind person, who has already learned his route. The dogs respond to voice commands such as "forward" and even "escalator" but can't read signs. The dog's main job is to prevent the blind person from running into obstacles or hazards. You are far more useful as a guide than even the smartest guide dog!

When a guide dog is in his harness, he is working. Don't talk to, pet, feed, or otherwise distract him. The dog needs to focus on guiding. Even when a blind person and his dog are sitting (on a bus, for example) it is best to refrain from interacting with the dog. The dog's "paycheck" for his work is the love and praise of his human. If he can get it elsewhere, he may lose his "work ethic."

For more about guide dog etiquette, see Related Links below.

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Question: What if the blind person bangs into something or falls when I'm guiding him?: Answer: Unless you accidentally walk your companion into the orchestra pit, don't apologize a lot for minor gaffes, such as bumping someone. It happens. It will just be annoying.

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Question: Will I have to guide a blind person every time he has to go somewhere in our facility: Answer: Once you've shown him around, you should be able to rely on giving good directions or on his own skill at travel. If he needs a guide, he'll tell you. That is his responsibility.

But you can educate co-workers about blocking walkways or otherwise creating hazards. That's something you should do as part of risk management and safety for all workers anyway, not just those who have a disability.

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Do you have other tips about how to effectively guide a person who is blind?

Do you have a question about how to guide a blind person in a particular situation?

Share your opinions with eSight Careers Network.

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