Information on Blindness

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Information on Blindness

• Student presentation
• August 2005

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What does blind or visually impaired mean?Blind
people cannot see at all. People with low vision
and blind people have special ways of reading,
writing, and moving from place to place.
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How do people become visually impaired?Some
people are born with a visual impairment. Other
people become that way from an accident or
disease.
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Some blind peoples eyes may look different.
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How do blind people read?

• Blind children read Braille with their
  fingertips. Braille is a special alphabet made up
  of a system of dots that are punched into thick
  paper. It was created by Louis Braille in 1824. A
  blind person who knows Braille reads by feeling
  the dots and recognizing the words.

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How do blind people write?

• Braille is written on a Braille
  computer/notetaker or with a braillewriter. These
  machines only have 6 keys each key represents
  one of the Braille dots and a key for making a
  space between words. They can also use a computer
  with speech.

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How do blind people get from place to place?

• Blind people have a cane. Sometimes they are
  helped by a sighted person. The cane helps the
  blind person avoid bumping into things by
  swinging the cane at ground level back and forth
  in front of his or her body.

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Sighted Guide

• Sometimes a blind person needs the help of a
  sighted guide. Anyone, including you, can act as
  a guide. The blind person holds your arm just
  above the elbow and follows you, the guide, a
  half step behind to avoid objects in the way.

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What do blind children do for fun?

• Just like you, it really depends on likes and
  abilities. They run, swim, go to meetings, play
  musical instruments, go to movies, watch
  television and listen to music.

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How do blind people find things?

• They have to be very neat. They have their things
  in the same place every day to find them. To pick
  out what to wear in the morning, blind kids may
  feel the texture of their clothes, or remember
  the order their clothes are hung in their closet.

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How can I help?

• Give verbal directions to locate an object never
  push from behind or pull the person around by the
  hand/arm.
• When walking with a student who is traveling with
  a cane, you can alert them of obstacles in
  his/her path, but do not try to move him/her
  around the obstacle.
• Sometimes the student may need to contact an
  obstacle to determine where he/she is .

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• Please speak when you enter or exit a room and
  introduce those around you.
• Always ask a blind person if he/she needs help or
  would like sighted guide before touching the
  student.
• When traveling in a line, the cane may contact
  you. This is OK because the blind person uses
  the person in front to maintain a straight line
  and determine when the line is moving.

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What do I do if a student with a cane is
approaching me?

• Quickly move to the side
• OR
• Alert the cane traveler of your presence by
  speaking.
• Stand still and allow the person to negotiate
  around you.
• Please dont jump over the cane, this can cause
  trips and falls!!!

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Please do not ask the blind person to guess your
name.

• Many people have excellent voice recognition, but
  just as sighted people may remember a face, but
  forget a name, the same can happen with voices.

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How do blind people pay for things when they
cant see their money?

• Coins are easy to recognize by feeling them.
• To recognize dollar bills they fold each bill
  differently in their wallet.

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How can I help someone who is visually impaired?

• Tell them what is going on. Sometimes a
  conversation doesnt make sense if you cant see
  the expressions on peoples faces.
• If you dont know if your blind friend needs
  help, ask.
• They are just like you except they cant see.
  They have a different way of seeing.

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Websites for more info

• National Federation for the Blind
• www.nfb.org
• Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
• www.tsbvi.edu