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Sighted-Guide Practices and Techniques
Below are detailed instructions on how to guide a person who is blind or has low vision while remaining in contact. Sometimes you will encounter a highly experienced white cane user who prefers contactless guiding. In these instances, please refer to instructions provided by the individual seeking guidance.
Approach
- Approach the person calmly, introduce yourself, and ask if they need a sighted-guide.
Positioning & Initiating Contact
- Ask the individual which arm they prefer to hold on to.
- Position yourself alongside them with your guiding shoulder in front of, and in line with their opposite shoulder.
- Place the back of your hand to the back of their hand, and wait for them to grasp the back of your arm.
- The guide always stays about a half a step in front of the person being guided.
Grasps
- The standard grasp is similar to how one would hold a cup, and is located behind, and just above the elbow.
- The person might choose to hold on to your shoulder, especially if there is a significant height difference.
- If the person has balance or certain physical disability needs, they might choose to hold on to your forearm.
Pace
- Communicate that you will begin walking by saying something like, “Here we go.”
- Begin at a pace that is comfortable to you, but do your best to match the pace of whoever you are guiding.
- After a minute or so, ask if the pace suits them, or if you should slow down or speed up.
Cane Use
- A cane user will often choose to continue to hold on and use their white cane while being guided.
- Each individual will decide how they will use their cane.
Narrow Passages
- While guiding a person who is blind or visually impaired, it is very important to always make sure there is enough room for both people to safely walk.
- When there is not enough room for both people to walk safely, communicate to the individual being guided that you are about to pass through a narrow passage.
- You can either tuck your guiding arm behind you so the person can walk behind you while they extend their arm straight and hold on to your wrist, or they can trail their free hand to the middle of your back, and walk behind you with their arm extended straight to minimize tripping.
Curbs
- When approaching a curb, slow down and communicate that you will be approaching a curb up or curb down.
- Depending on the preference of the person, you can either slow down at the curb to allow them time to feel it with their cane and continue walking, or you can stop at the curb, step down first, then allow them to step down, while still holding on to you.
Stairs
- When approaching stairs, make sure to slow down and stop at the foot or top of the stairs.
- Communicate whether the stairs are going up or down.
- Try to keep to the right side of the stairs whenever possible.
- Communicate if there is a handrail that they can use and help position them so that their free arm is on the side where the handrail is located.
- If there is no handrail, and they prefer to be guided up/down the stairs, keep the grasp, begin going up/down the stairs making sure to stay one step ahead of them.
- Communicate when you have reached a landing and/or the end of the staircase so they know they have one more step before the landing.
Communication
Sighted-Guiding is a team effort. Most people that are blind or have visual impairments are not passive participants. They are feeling your body movements as you turn, change pace, stop, and even when you hesitate. At the same time, every person with a visual impairment has different levels of experience moving through the world. This means clear and effective communication is crucial.
While you are guiding, we encourage you to talk about:
- A person’s degree of vision loss and their guiding preferences.
- Personal interests and topics that allow you to get to know them as individuals.
- What you are seeing, as well as what they are experiencing.
- Relax and have fun getting to know someone new in your community!