Whether you're completely new to sighted guiding or a Vitalise Holidays regular, we hope you find these tips useful.
 

Interacting with visually impaired people

• Address visually impaired people directly, not through a third person (or their dog!).
  
   
• Introduce yourself when you arrive and say when you are leaving. It can be embarrassing for someone to be left talking to thin air! If there are a number of people in a group and you are talking to one particular person, touch them lightly on the arm or say their name so that they know you are talking to them.
  
   
• Don't feel you need to substitute the word ‘see’ with ‘hear’, ‘feel’, ‘sense’ or any other word or avoid the word ‘blind’ where it would normally be used. Most visually impaired people do not feel offended by such terms.
  
   
• If a visually impaired person has a guide dog in harness, then the dog is working, so please do not distract or interfere with the dog, without checking with the guide dog owner first.
  
   

Before you set off

• Remember that sight loss takes many forms and is not always total, so don't be afraid to ask a visually impaired person the extent of their vision loss and how they like to be guided. This will enable you to offer appropriate help so both you and the person you are guiding gain the maximum benefit.
  
   
• Many visually impaired people have a side they prefer to be guided on so it is worth asking the person you are guiding if they prefer you to guide on their left or their right.
  
   
• Offer the visually impaired person your elbow. Always go first; lead don't push!
  
   
• Give the visually impaired person time to hold your guiding arm securely before moving off, and remember to ask them if they are ready before you move.
  
   

On the move

• Travel at the pace of the person you are guiding.
  
   
• Be as accurate as you can when you are describing something verbally.
  
   
• Try to make instructions clear and concise. Avoid visual instructions such as ‘over there,’ whilst pointing.
  
   
• Always mention when you are turning left or right (and make sure you are both the right way round!)
  
   
• Remember to communicate hazards ahead, such as changing ground conditions, steps and kerbs ahead – and whether these are upwards or downwards – and other obstacles.
  
   
• Watch out for hazards which are above you, as this is easy to forget, especially if the person you are guiding is taller than you.
  
   
• Before negotiating a flight of stairs, pause slightly to let the visually impaired person find the first step. If there is a handrail, point it out by putting your hand on it. They can then follow your arm to find it.
  
   
• To guide a person to a chair, put your hand on the back of it or on the seat. Do not push them into it. If it is a bench or stool, say so.
  
   
• Be prepared for potentially dangerous situations, whether they are small or large. If you stop to admire the view from a cliff top on a walking holiday, don’t forget to say so!
  
   
• If you find yourself in a situation where you do not feel in control, stop straight away and ask for assistance
  
   
• Constantly giving verbal information can be tiring. If you feel your concentration waning, stop immediately and ask for assistance
  
   

Don't forget...

• Remember that you are on holiday too. A great deal is asked of you as a guide and it is not too much to expect a bit of patience and compromise from the people you guide too.
  
   
• If in doubt…just ask!