10 Tips for Communicating with the Blind & Visually Impaired - Blind Awareness Month

Описание: October is Blind Awareness Month and Callie would like to share 10 tips for communicating with the blind & visually impaired with you.

Callie is a cheerful 11 year old girl from Texas. Callie was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type-1 (NF-1), when she was only 5 years old. This disorder has left her legally blind. Her diagnosis has led her on a journey of 18 of months of IV chemotherapy, a significant number of hospitalizations, medical procedures and hundreds of doctors appointments. Through it all, Callie perseveres and strives to advocate for herself and others like her by speaking about her disorder and educating people on how to normalize blindness and visual impairments.


Callie is sharing 10 tips with you today about how to effectively communicate with blind and visually impaired individuals. Here are her tips:

#1: Do not ask a visually impaired person what is "wrong" with their eyes. This can often make people think that the first thing you noticed about them is their disability, which can be upsetting for some.

#2: Although the blind community is close-knit, that doesn't mean that we all know each other.

#3: Blind people do not always need to use their sight canes. Sometimes the environment doesn't allow it. Sometimes we are comfortable and familiar with our surroundings and do not need it.

#4: It is okay to offer a visually impaired person help, however, if we decline your assistance, there is no need to insist.

#5: There is no need to test a blind person's vision. It is not funny to hold up fingers in front of our face and ask us how many.

#6: It is okay to use words like "look" and "see" when talking to us. After all, it is "nice to see you!"

#7: Asking us if there is a cure for blindness is silly. If there was a cure, I would have already had it. :)

#8: Blind people cannot see where "over there" is. When giving directions to a visually impaired person be as specific and descriptive as possible.

#9: There is no need to test a blind person whether they know you or not. Walking into a room and asking "guess who," can be frustrating. Be sure to introduce yourself and anyone else in your group.

#10: Blind and visually impaired people do not want your empathy or pity, we just want to be treated like everyone else. We can live a normal life, so there is no need to feel sorry for us. :)

Thanks for watching!