Suggestions for Welcoming a Guest with Visual Impairment

Suggestions for welcoming a guest with visual impairment: * Relax and smile. There's no reason to be nervous. * Introduce yourself and speak to the person directly and include the person in any ongoing conversation. * Remember there's no need to raise your voice. * Allow a person with visual impairment to handle a child's natural curiosity in his or her own way. * Ask before assuming a person with visual impairment needs help. * Allow a person to hold on to your arm. * A person with walking difficulty might appreciate a chair at Reception. * Ask a person if they would like a description of surroundings. Pay attention to your conversation and inform them directly if something occurs to distract you. * Watch the reaction of a person with visual impairment. If you sense confusion, a discreet offer to help might be welcome. * Respect a person's cane. Leave it within the person's reach; it is vital to their security and the ability to move. * Remember a guide dog is not a pet. While the guide dog accompanies a person, you should allow it to devote its attention to that person. * Tell a person with visual impairment if you need to leave their presence. * Place him/her at a convenient space at reception and do not leave them in the centre of a big room alone. * When checking out offer to inform them verbally about the charges.
Other tips to help provide high quality service: * "See you later", “Nice to see you", “I've never seen anything like it," and other phrases are common colloquialisms used by everyone, including blind people. Don't be embarrassed or self-conscious about using similar words. * Allow a person with visual impairment to make his or her own choices. Help only to communicate alternatives. * Few of us like others prying into our personal affairs. Let a person with sight loss initiate any discussion of blindness in general or of his or her blindness, in particular. * The life of a