Someone with a visual impairment can often experience unique challenges when communicating with others. Here we explore what some of these challenges may be and offer some practical strategies you can use to enhance your conversations and interactions with the person you care for.
Communication challenges for someone who is blind
As someone who is blind does not have the same access to visual cues like facial expressions, gestures, body language as a sighted person, they may struggle to understand precise meanings of the things that are spoken verbally. Lack of access to cues such as eye contact can sometimes lead to awkward situations, like answering a question that was directed to someone else or not knowing when it is their turn to speak.
It may also be difficult for them to access written information, like signs, notes or printed documents, and visual media for information like presentations, videos and images.
This can all have a huge impact on their experience at home, at work and out and about in the world.
Attracting the attention of someone who is blind or visually impaired
When communicating with someone who has a sensory impairment such as sight loss, it can really help them if they are clear when you are speaking to them from the start of the conversation. The best way to help someone with that is to ensure you attract their attention. If the person you care for is completely blind or visually impaired, you can avoid startling them when they might not be aware of your presence in a particular space by verbally attracting their attention, using your voice to say their name or let them know you are in the room.
It can also be really helpful to someone with visual impairment to be very clear and directional in your language. For example, telling them you are behind them or standing to the left of them, can be more helpful than simply saying ‘I’m here!’ You may also let them know you are close to them, by lightly touch their arm if they have agreed to you doing this.
Managing positive conversations with someone who is blind visually impaired
Whilst someone with a visual impairment is able to hear and communicate verbally, there are a number of other ways that conversations can be impacted. The good news is, there are things you can do, as their carer to mitigate these.
One way to do this is by being mindful of personal space and avoiding sudden movements which startling someone. It can also be helpful to avoid non-verbal cues like nodding your head or pointing in your conversations, as this style of communication will lack meaning for the person you care for if they have a visual impairment. Instead, to let them know you are engaged and listening to them, you might use encouraging sounds and or simple words to motivate them to continue speaking.
It can also be incredibly helpful to use language which is clear and precise, as if you are painting a visual picture with your words, to ensure the person you care for is able to receive your intended meanings. Being really specific by saying, ‘The blue sofa is five steps to your left…’ is more helpful than pointing, or saying ‘The sofa is right there…’, for example.
Letting the person you care for know when a conversation is coming to an end and when you are about to leave the room is also very helpful so they know what to expect.
Ways to improve what people with sight loss or blindness hear or receive in conversation
To help the person you care for to be as fully present in a conversation as possible, there are several simple practical steps you can take.
You might consider where it is best to have a conversation. Somewhere that is quieter, with minimal background noise, means the person you care for will be able to concentrate and not be distracted by competing sounds.
Depending on the nature and severity of their visual impairment, lighting may be important to help the person you care for to make the most of their available vision, so bearing this mind in your own home, or in new places you visit when out and about, can go a long way to ensure they feel most confident.
Ensuring that your home environment is suitably laid out to allow the person you care for to walk about and navigate their way around safely also means they will be able to relax and feel more secure to simply be themselves.
Effective communication strategies when guiding or assisting someone
If you support someone by guiding or helping them to find their way around, it is important to understand when, and how they would like to be guided. An easy way to do this is to ask them before any new or unfamiliar situation. By doing this, you empower them to make the decision about when they would like to access support and prepare for someone to physically support them should they agree to being guided.
You can also help them to feel more confident when being guided by verbalising what is coming up or what is around, like telling them that a curb or some steps going up are ahead, giving clear and specific guidance so they can create a picture in their minds for themselves. Allowing extra space for obstacles when instructing or guiding the person you care for will also make things easier, and mean you both feel more relaxed and confident as you make your way around.
If walking single-file, you can also help them to follow you by adjusting your body language so that your guiding arm (the one they are holding onto) is behind you so that they can follow your footsteps.
Other things to consider when communicating with a blind or visually impaired person
Avoiding distractions
If the person you care for is blind or visually impaired, they will rely more on their other senses to support them in making sense of the world around them. It’s important to be aware of this so you can avoid distracting them when they are listening to certain sounds that will help them safely cross a road, for example, or need to concentrate on another specific task.
Keeping things the same
Because someone with a visual impairment relies on their memory of where things are in a room to feel confident in navigating their way around, it is always best to keep familiar rooms set up in the same way. Making sure certain objects and gadgets are always put back in the same places will also be helpful, and if you need to move furniture or items into a new place, letting the person you care for know in advance will be helpful to them.
Communicating with someone when they are using a cane or service animal
If the person you care for uses a cane, or has a service dog, being mindful of certain boundaries will foster good connection and communication between you. To avoid confusion, only the person you care for should ever touch the cane, or the handle of their dog's harness. It can also be a good idea to let other people in your life know that the service dog is not a pet but a working companion, so they shouldn’t stroke, feed, or distract it.
Ways to enhance the experience of written communication for someone with a visual impairment
For a person who is visually impaired or is blind, writing and visual media can be the most challenging forms of communication. There are however some tools that can make things easier. Large print and braille formats, screen readers, image and video descriptor apps and text-to-speech software all support people with a visual impairment to access the written word. For more ideas and suggestions as to how technology can be used to support someone with a visual impairment, you might like to check out our article here.
By working together, you will learn the particular strategies that work best for both of you, strengthening not only your ability to communicate with one another day-to-day, but enriching the relationship between you too.