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Advice and Information to Aid
in Helping VIPs
      [ Helping VIPs ] 
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Do not play a guessing game with a
blind person. Even when you know each other, say your name
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Simple Eye Diagram
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SOME EYE DISEASES
MACULAR DEGENERATION
Effects:
Loss of central vision - person may be told they won't go blind. Lack of clear
vision, colours poor. Difficulties with reading, writing, recognizing people,
seeing food on plate. May be alright getting around, though crossing roads may
be confusing. May be problems with bright sunlight. Eccentric viewing - looking
to one side of object in order to see.
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Things which may help:
Good lighting, e.g. anglepoise lamp for close work. Colour contrast - light
colour next to dark colour, black felt tip pen.
GLAUCOMA - caused by simple eye
pressure
Effects:
Tunnel vision. May effect peripheral vision. Difficulty seeing things at sides
or low down. Mobility may be main problem, especially in bright sunlight or
dark. Difficult in adapting when going from light place into dark place or vice
versa.
Things which may help:
Need to scan - move head more - to enable things to be seen especially crossing
roads. Sunshield. Good lights at night. Use of cane. Mobility training.
GLAUCOMA - chronic
Steady progressive disease. Person may not realize he/she has it until outer
vision has deteriorated a lot. Other signs: occasional, blurred vision; eye
pain; halos round lights. Glaucoma can be hereditary - relatives should have eye
tests.
Things which may help:
Drops often prevent further deterioration
GLAUCOMA - acute
Effects:
Sudden rise in eye pressure. Sharp pain. Immediate medical attention required.
RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA (R.P.)
Effects:
Degenerative condition. Hereditary. No treatment available. Progression varies.
Peripheral vision affected first. Tunnel vision.
Things which may help:
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Need to scan - move head more - to enable things to be seen especially crossing
roads. Sunshield. Good lights at night. Use of cane. Mobility training.
USHER'S SYNDROME
Effects:
Deafness, plus retinitis pigmentosa. Often discovered by deaf people in their
20s.
HIGH MYOPIA
Effects:
Severe short-sightedness which cannot be corrected. Often exists with other eye
problems.
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CATARACT
Effects.
Clouding of lens. Gradual deterioration, blurred sight, poor colour vision. Very
troubled by glare. Loss of sight may be severe, but people with cataract rarely
registered while waiting for operation. Operation may not be risked if person
has other eye problems.
Things which may help:
Making things large and bold. Avoiding glare. Help after operation depends on
whether they have lens implant - contact lenses or cataract spectacles (which
distort things).
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NYSTAGMUS
Effects:
Inability to hold eyes still when looking at object. Hazy images as difficulty
in focusing. Often with other eye diseases.
Things which may help:
Eyes may move less when looking in certain positions.
DETACHED RETINA
Effects:
Sharp pain, flashing lights as retina detaches. Urgent medical attention
required. If nothing can be done, severe field losses result. May go along with
other diseases, especially diabetes or be caused by injury.
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OPTIC ATROPHY
Effects:
Degeneration of optic nerve. May be caused by pressure (glaucoma) surgery or by
accident.
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ALBINISM
Effects:
Lack of pigment in eye. May have problems with bright light (photophobia).
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abnormally light crescent shape
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HEMANIOPIA
Effects:
Loss of part of vision field on same side of each eye. Either one side of
field (causing problems with reading) or lower half of field (causing mobility
difficulties). May be caused by stroke and stroke victim may not adapt to
allowing for missing part of vision.
MOBILITY
When a person becomes blind, he loses the ability to move about freely without
assistance and the extent to which movement is limited is related to the degree
of residual vision, if any. Having lost Ills sight, the blind person has lost
his confidence and, by accepting the help of a sighted person, he is now losing
his independence. Because the blind person may be elderly, confused or
disorientated, he may rely very heavily on his guide, even to the extent of
being taken to the toilet. This leads to another loss - the loss of dignity.
There are many aids to mobility and the one most widely used and misused is the
sighted guide.
GUIDING
The tendency is for the guide to push the blind person in front, which means
that he comes in contact with kerbs and other obstacles first. It can be a
terrifying experience for an elderly blind lady to find her arm seized in a
vice-like grip as she is propelled at speed into space and potential danger.
Being practically lifted off her feet by one arm, her body is twisted off
balance and she is forced to totter on tip-toe. The correct method is:
to allow the blind person to
take the guide's arm. Me holds your arm just above the elbow with his four
fingers on the inside of the arm and the thumb on the outside. The grip should
be firm, but not so tight as to cause any discomfort to the guide. (This is
known as the 'normal grip' or position.)
On occasions, the blind traveller and his guide may find it impossible to walk
side by side. This problem can be easily overcome by carrying out the following
manoeuvre:
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Do not grab, pull or push
his/her arm
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Do offer your arm so he/she
could follow movements
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the blind person is, as usual,
using the normal grip and the guide, as he draws near to the obstacle, puts his
guiding arm behind his back. The blind person does not let go of his guide's
arm. This indicates to the blind person that it is a narrow space. The blind
person should now be walking in single file directly behind the guide. When the
hazard is past, the guide simply brings his arm back to its former position.
Always try to remember to tell the person being guided exactly what hazard is
being avoided.
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SITTING DOWN
When being assisted into a chair, the blind person is frequently seized by the
shoulders and forced backwards. As he is pushed backwards, he begins to lose his
balance and feels himself reeling into unknown space. In the correct procedure:
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the blind person and the guide
approach the chair. It does not matter from which direction the chair is
approached, but the guide should try to have the blind person in a central
position to the chair when it is reached. The guide puts his hand on the top of
the chair-back and the blind person runs his hand down the guide's arm until it
is resting on the back of the chair. While facing the seat, the blind person can
now place his two hands on the chair and explore the shape of it. Having gone
through this routine, he is now capable of sitting down unaided and without any
fuss.
STEPS, STAIRS & SLOPES
When approaching steps, stairs or slopes, advise the blind person whether they
go up or down, how many steps and when he has reached the first step. The guide
should keep a steady pace and, if there is a hand rail, the blind person should
be on the side of the rail in order to be able to hold it.
ESCALATORS
Generally, never attempt escalators with a blind person especially if he is elderly or
impaired in any way.
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KERBS
When approaching a kerb, stop before stepping up or down it. Remember, many
roads have broad rounded kerbs. Ensure that you approach them at their centre so
that you are square on.
GOING THROUGH DOORS
When going through a door, make sure that the blind person is on the hinge side.
Give him the door handle with his free hand and let him hold the door open while
you both go through. If the blind person needs to change sides, he should slide
his hand across the guide's back in order to grip the other arm.
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GETTING INTO A CAR
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When seating a blind person in a car, let him hold the handle of the car door
and allow him to seat himself in the car after telling him which way the seat is
facing. Ensure that his arm is across his body before shutting the car door.
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CROSSING THE ROAD
Should a member of the public offer to assist a blind person across the road,
they should remember that they are offering assistance and not imposing their
will on the blind person. If the blind person does not accept the offer of help,
there is no reason why the member of the public should feel in any way slighted.
They have done the right thing in offering help, but should appreciate that the
blind person is free to make his own decision as to the extent of help required
in any particular situation. He may be a very capable individual who wishes to
maintain his independence.
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REMEMBER
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- never let the
blind person lose contact with your body
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- never push or pull
a blind person - you are gait them
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- always mention
when you are going to walk on a different surface, e.g. going from grass
to concrete
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- ensure that the
blind person is facing the same way as yourself before you start walking
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- say when you
intend to start walking and when you are stopping
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- ensure that all
your directions are clear and concise
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- everyone is an
individual and needs to be treated as such
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- you may need to
adapt your guiding technique according to the age and disability(ies) of the
person you are guiding.
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You may find you are giving a lot of verbal instructions when you first guide a
blind person. However, as they become more confident in you and you, in turn,
become more confident in your ability to guide, you will find that fewer verbal
instructions are needed.
CHECKLIST TO HELP VIPs AT WORK –
ENSURE
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All entrances have
easy access and are kept clear of obstructions
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Information is
available near the entrance
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A high standard of
lighting it can help visual effectiveness
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Colour combines with
lighting to aid vision
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Important items and
areas, as well as hazards, are highlighted by the use of colour contrast
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Steps and/or changes
of level on flat surfaces, as well as in lifts, stand out by use of colour
contrast, tactile surfaces, good lighting and directional handrails
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Pedestrian walkways
are kept clear of obstructions and made easier by colour tactiles
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All signs can be
seen and read by being at eye level, well lit and contrasted
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Large print menus
and additional table lighting are available in eating places
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Audible signals
reinforce visual ones where possible
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All staff are aware
of problems of visual disability and are able and ready to assist
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AVOID
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Light sources that
cause glare and/or dazzle
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Glazed areas,
especially doors. Where they exist, use a contrasting band to denote presence
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Obstructions
wherever possible especially in pedestrian area
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Rough surfaces and
sharp edges in pedestrian areas they may cause injury
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Half open
doors/windows they are hazardous to visually impaired people
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Fragile freestanding
displays, especially near entrances
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Produced by -
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