Q. How do I work with students who are blind?

A. Blindness covers a broad spectrum of visual impairments. Most blind people have some vision—not always particularly usable. Most blind people do have favorite colors!

When you begin working with a student, make sure to orient him/her to the room, desk, computer, etc. Optimally, you will be working in a space in which furniture and office equipment are not moved around. NEVER leave cupboards, doors, etc. ajar.

The student absolutely must be able to use the keyboard by touch before learning JAWS. (Do not accept excuses.) Audio typing lessons are available from American Printing House for the Blind (www.aph.org).

Teach your students the vocabulary of the computer. They should know the names of all the hardware with which they work. When they begin working with the software, they should know the names of all the parts of the computer screen: task bar, menu bar, start menu, icons, buttons, combo boxes, etc. (You may have to learn the names of some of them yourself. :-)

The student may wish to use JAWS with Zoom Text Level 1 or with MAGic. Both options are workable. Even if you know that working with JAWS alone would be more efficient, don’t fight with the student. It is extremely difficult to give up “being sighted.”

Some students will find tactile illustrations of the desktop, windows, list boxes, etc. helpful, others will not. The more the student is relying on his/her remaining vision, the more helpful they are likely to find such aids. (Alternate media specialists can learn to do such graphics with Duxbury v. 10.3 and TGD.)

Use sensory specific language. The Start Menu is in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, not “down there.”

Learn to work with the degree system—from the door, you cross the room at a 45º angle to reach your computer station—and the clock system—the book is at 6 o’clock from your left hand. Remember that you are always orienting them from their current position, not yours!

Many sighted people have a hard time verbalizing specific directions. You’ll improve with practice, but if this skill is difficult for you, write out word-for-word what you need to say. (An O&M instructor can help.)

Always verbalize whatever you are doing, at least if you want the student to understand!

If a student is stuck, talk them through trouble-shooting. Refrain from grabbing the mouse and doing it yourself.

Offer assistance, ask questions, avoid assumptions. Remember, the blind student’s perceptual reality is very different from yours!

Courtesy Rule of Blindness

The National Federation of the Blind offers the following suggestions for sighted people:

• When you meet me, don’t be ill at ease. It will help both of us if you remember these simple points of courtesy.
• I’m an ordinary person, just blind. You don’t need to raise your voice or address me as if I were a child. Don’t ask my spouse what I want—“Cream in the coffee?”—ask me.
• If I am walking with you, don’t grab my arm; let me take yours. I’ll keep a half step behind, to anticipate curbs and steps.
• I want to know who’s in the room with me. Speak when you enter. Introduce me to the others. Include children, and tell me if there’s a cat or dog. Guide my hand to a chair.
• The door to a room, cabinet, or car, left partially open, is a hazard to me.
• At dinner, I will not have trouble with ordinary table skills.
• Don’t avoid words like “see.” I use them too. I’m always glad to see you.
• I don’t want pity. But don’t talk about the “wonderful compensations” of blindness. My sense of smell, touch, or hearing did not improve when I became blind. I rely on them more and, therefore, may get more information through those senses than you do—that’s all.
• If I’m your houseguest, show me the bathroom, closet, dresser, window—the light switch, too. I like to know whether the lights are on.
• I’ll discuss blindness with you if you’re curious, but it’s an old story to me. I have as many other interests as you do.
• Don’t think of me as just a blind person; I’m just a person who happens to be blind.