As stated, only a small minority of people are actually totally blind. The term blindness should be reserved for a complete loss of functional sight. A major challenge facing people who are blind is the mass of printed material they encounter on a daily basis. By the time that a person who is blind reaches employment (unless newly blinded), they have probably developed various methods for dealing with volumes of visual materials. Employers are often quite surprised with the degree of independence many people who are blind exhibit.
There are four simple options that make written materials available to people with vision impairments depending upon personal choice and amount of residual sight:
There are two basic difficulties that a person with low vision is confronted with that the person who is blind does not encounter. First, the person who has low vision is sometimes viewed by employers and co-workers as "faking it." This is because the disability is not visible and most people who have low vision do not use white canes for travel. Also, since most people are able to get around without much difficulty, sighted people have trouble believing that the person needs to use adaptive methods when reading printed materials. Another difficulty that someone who is partially sighted must deal with is the reaction from others toward their handwritten communications. Often letters must be written large for the person to see their own writing, and frequently the writing is not neat, but rather almost child-like in appearance. It is important to be aware of how making judgments affect the employee with the disability and their co-workers.
Announce your presence and who you are in a normal tone of voice. When you leave a person's presence, say so. Offer assistance in filling out forms and be prepared to read aloud any information that is written, if requested. Many people with vision impairments can fill out forms and sign their names if the appropriate spaces are indicated to them.
It is not necessary to speak more loudly when conversing with someone with a vision impairment. However, you should not stop talking when a blind person is approaching you because they rely on the sound of your voice for orientation. When giving directions, use descriptive words such as straight, forward, left. Be specific and avoid use of vague terms such as "over there." Feel free to use words like "see" or "look" when speaking to a blind person.
If you are walking with a blind person, let them take your arm from behind just above the elbow and walk in a relaxed manner. In this position, the person can usually follow the motion of your body. When you take their arm, the person does not have the advantage of following your movements. Be sure to provide visual cues such as stairs and other obstacles in their path. If there are others in a room that you enter, the blind person may not be aware of this. Introduce each person by name and indicate where they are in the room relative to where the blind person is located.
Dog guides are working animals. There is a special relationship between the person who is blind and their dog. When working, it can be hazardous for the vision impaired person if the dog is distracted. NEVER pet or touch the dog without obtaining permission.