CONTACT WITH BLIND PERSONS
BY CROSSING THE STREET
It’s a golden rule to ask a blind person, if you may help him/her, or not. In that way you perceive that you respect his personal freedom. In that way you don’t bring him needlessly across the street,
While he was just waiting for his tram. Rather ask him: "May I help you crossing the street?"
With an affirmative answer, you’ll offer you arm: "Take my arm" and cross the street together.
BY USING THE TRAFFIC
Don’t help too much: you don’t have to lift a bad sighted out of a vehicle. A blind person that travels alone, do knows the use of tram, train or busses. It suffices that you bring him up to the door opening of the vehicle and shows him the handle by laying his hand on the handle. By disembarcation, just show him the handle and let him get out independently. When you step in or out together, the attendant goes for the blind person, shows the handle or extends his hand. You can also describe how high or low the step is. When using a car, you lead the blind person between the door and the vehicle and puts his hand on the door edge. With the other hand, he will feel the hight of the roof and the position of the seat. You don’t need to help further with boarding.
HOW TO LEAD
Don’t hesitate to offer help, that’s something different than imposing. Say: "I have to go to the station, do you want to accompany me for a while?" In affirmative answer, offer your arm and continue your road together. Is your offer politely declined, don’t annoy yourself! There are blind people who prefer their independency. Mostly your offer will be accepted. Don’t take a blind person by the arm and push him ahead. In that way it’s very difficult to lead and you give the blind person an insecure feeling. When you’re holding eachothers arms, you don’t have to say: "And now we’re turning left or right." The bad sighted person will automatically follow your movements. When passing a door or a narrow passage, the attendant always goes ahead of the blind person.
TROTTOIRS AND STAIRS
By stepping in or out, it sufficed to say: "And now step up!" Do you know the person better, than can a agreed signal will do, ex. a push on the arm or hand. It’s not necessary to stop in front of the sidewalk to tap against the pavement. With stairs, you simply warn the person : "Attention, a staircase!" , and you step up/down the stairs arm in arm. You can also ask the blind person, if he prefer to use the strair railing. In that case, you bring his hand to the railing of you’ll say: "The railing is left (or right) of you!"
In any case, you warn the person when the stairs begin and end. Is the blind person alone, he will notice the end of the stairs by tapping with his white stick. If there are more options, than can the blind person choose between them. By using an escalator this had to said very clearly.
THE NUISANCE GUARDIAN ANGEL
Blind peolpe aim to their freedom and independency, that leads that some people hesitate to offer their services, out of respect for their independency. Even when they see that blind people suffers to find the way on the street, in stations or somewhere else. Don’t play for guardian angel by following the blind person, he will notice! Especially because blind persons their senses are more tense and he will notice very quickly that someone follows him. It’s no reassurance for the blind person, in fact he will be distracted from his other perceptions. This can be very irritating for the blind person.
Likei t has said before : don’t hesitate to offer your help, but do’nt play a guardian angel.
Despite your good intentions, you become an irritating devil instead of a guardian angel.
HOW TO SHOW SOMEONE HIS SEAT
It’s a general widespread, mistaken conception, that a blind person need a place as soon as possible. On the train, tram or bus is this recommended, because by unexpected breaking, it’s difficult for blind persons to find grip. Apply here a golden rule : assign a seat, but leave him the freedom to use it or not, without continued insistance. For asigning, the following rule is very important: you bring the hand of the blind person at the back of the seat : "Here you have a seat, this is the back of the seat" and immediately the person knows how the seat stands and can take his place without a problem.
Or you can lay his hand on the armrest of a chair and explains: "the chair is on the right of you".
WHERE IS “THERE”
Don’t say "there is a chair" or "there is a table in the way, while you point in that direction. All these direction indications are good for well seeing people, but useless for blind persons.
Rather say "In front of you is a chair" - "A meter behind you is a table” or "10 meter further stands a bike against the wall". When serving the table, you can say "Your glass stands in front of you" or
"There is an ashtray by your righthand". You can also tap an object, so the blind person can localize the object. If you give it to the person, don’t forget to mention where he can put that object later on : "There is a table at the left of your chair".
WHERE IS MY COAT?
In meetings, trains or restaurants they are complaisant to take a coat, hat or scarf : "Let me help you with your coat?" and gone is the coat, hat or scarf... Retrieving is something else, especially because the blind person mostly don’t know the color of his object. It’s better that the blind person can give his stuff their own place. If you help him, say clear : "Your coat hangs on the first hook".
NO TABOO WORDS
Many people don’t dare to use words like “see”, “look” or “blind”. If there is used unintentionally the word “see” or something else, one get distracted. They use and hear the word “blind” as just another word. Blind persons also speak about “seeing” or other related words, “seeing” is for them like : feeling, smelling, perceiving,... So you can say: "Do you want to see this model?" while you give the object in his hands. Use the words "blind" or "blindness" if they occur in a conversation.
Totally impropriate is something like: "Are you blind? Totally blind ? Are you born this way?
Don’t forget that blind people are blind, but not deaf. Whispering comments like: "That’s the worst thing that there is!" or "I was rather death!" you can mumble it for own meditation.
The blind people think differently themselves.
RA, RA, WHO AM I ?
A blind one get a tap on the shoulder : "Hello sir, how do you do" or even worse "Say who I am?"
Blind people have a trained memory, for voices. But it’s much to ask from a blind person to recognize your voice out of three or four words. If you’re no close family or a well known friend, it’s for the best to reveal you identity spontaneous. It’s not possible to salute blind persons while passing by or on a distance, like one does by other people. So just caal the blind person by his name, so he knows it’s meant for him.
BLIND PEOPLE AREN’T DANGEROUS
Time and again accompanying people expierence the next thing: "Miss, wants sir something to drink?" They focus on the accomanying people because they can’t have eye contact with the blind person and they feel lost at that moment. It’s understandable, but yet wrong. Don’t forget that blind people aren’t deaf or mute. If you want to offer him something, just call his name, or tap him on the schoulder and ask want he wants to drink. You can recite where he can choose from. You bring the drink in his reach and let it take him himself, or give it in the by him chosen hand.
BY LEAVING
Maybe you have already talked to someone, who wasn’t there anymore on that moment. Probably you have laughed or were annoyed by your own absentmindedness, because you’ve could have seen that you were alone. That’s different by blind people. It happens often that a blind person talks to an empty chair or talks in the rarefied. In the end he will discover that nobody is around, but that’s not pleasant. Notify when leaving and/or returning, otherwise it can happen that you’re already back and the blind person thinks that you’re still gone. Pay attention that you have to answer a blind person with words,
a smile or a sign won’t help.
HOW TO DESCRIBE ?
Many people think that when they have contact with a blind person, you have to talk all the time (otherwise he will not notice that I’m still around). How well-meant it is, it can be very annoying.
Just like any other conversation, there may be breaks between a conversation. The blind person trust on you that you don’t leave without say so. You can assume that despite the person can’t see anything, he will notice more than we think, because he uses his other senses. Yet it is useful to mention unusual or special thing spontaneously. These information may be useful later on.
BY SHOPPING
If you’re helping a blind person while entering a store or department store, bring him to someone of the staff, who can help him with shopping. If you have more time, you can bring him to the right department right a way. If the blind person knows exactly want he wants, he can buy it directly.
If he wants to know what’s on the market, give him a couple of types in hand and ask them to feel.
In that way he can imagine the shape, size and quality. Say something about the color, drawing, etc. don’t hesitate to say your thoughts about it. You can also help him at the cash desk, if he want you to.
TOILET
If you’re from the same sex, you can help him while entering the toilet or ask the staff to help him.
If there are toilets and urinals, leave him the choice by asking him. If you have the time to wait outside, point out the rinsing tube, soap and towel. Don’t embarras the blind person, so close the door of the toilet and take a few steps backwards. Apparently that’s not always as obvious as it seems.
Is the blind person from the other sex, call the help of the staff or a person from the same sex who want’s to help him further.
READING FOR SOMEONE
Despite the fact that there are used different types of reading machines, it will take years before there are machines available in a useful and affordable form. Untill then, de blind person will have to continue to rely on another person who read out for him. Lecture in blindscript or on tape, widespread, is just another part of the problem. The biggest problem is that they are dependent by reading out their personal mail and money transactions. When reading out of such things, is discretion very important. Read out those things slowly and accurate. Say the sender, so he can decide if you’re the right person to read out this information or not. Never open envelope without clear agreement. Hold your comment for yourself about the sender or the content. It’s important that you have to remain aware that you read out instead of the blind person. When reading out, especially by newspapers and magazines, it’s important that you don’t read only the things you like. Just read all the titles, he will tell you what he wants to hear. Don’t interrup your read out with a lot of comment, that’s very annoying.
DISCIPLINE AND PUNCTUALTY
Two words who are unloved, but very important to blind persons. If he wants to have a little bit of independency, than is this one of the groundrules :
each object has it own permanent place. So put everything back in place. If you don’t remember it, ask it or give it to the blind person self.
Especially for blind people who live alone, or on holiday or work, this is of great interest. Watch doors, both of rooms and closets. Internal doors have to be complety opened or closed. Closets are always closed. Don’t lie buckets, brushes, dustbins,… around on places where regularly a blind person passes.
By appointments and visits is accuracy very important. Minutes can last endless, if he have to wait without seeing and have something to do.
This causes useless tension or nervousness.
SUMMARY
Tips to help visual disabled persons
In general
* Focus immediately to the blind person, not to his attendant.
* Introduce yourself
* Ask the person : « How can I help you? » and don’t take his hand immediately
* Make clear when you’re leaving or when you’re occupied with something else
* Talk, don’t leave quiet moments
* Dare to use the word « see »
* In the noise, in the mass, call the person by name before talking to him.
* When the person isn’t dressed decent, try to tell him this in a polite way.
* Give the person also compliments when he’s looking great.
In the street
Ask the person if he needs help, before attending him; signal obstacles, etc.
When you ask someone to sit down: give him the directions of the chair (by laying his hand on the chair) .
Same principe for taking place in the car,let him feel the roof of the car and his chair.
At the table
Ask the person if you can help him (bvb: pouring milk) or how you can help him ; describe what lies on his plate ; tell him what’s happening around him.
In the store
When you see that a person is struggeling, suggest that you help him.
By giving back the small change, count with him in his hand. Show him the amount, before he pays.
When doing trips, excursions or walks: describe the environment.
In the residence of the person: don’t move anything or put everything back in place.
When reading ou of documents: only read those what is scriben / stay calm / don’t give personaal comments