BY ANNIE DONNELL

EDITED BY LAURA DURR

Have you ever been nervous or afraid to approach someone who is blind or visually impaired? Did you feel unsure about what to say or how to act?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, I am here to give a few tips that hopefully will put your mind at ease. These tips, as well as my personal experiences, will help you know how to communicate most effectively with someone who is blind or visually impaired.

Tone of Voice

First, speak in a normal tone of voice.

The American Federation of the Blind has a segment on their website about how to communicate comfortably. They found it is important to speak distinctly, using a natural conversational tone and speed.

Unless the person you are talking to has a hearing impairment, do not speak extremely loud. It is not necessary to shout to get a point across, because the person is standing right next to you.

Now, let’s say you are in a store and as you stand in the checkout line you hear someone talking. Someone who is blind or visually impaired can pick up on what is being said and can understand what the verbal are signaling to the other person based on the type of emotion expressed in the tone of voice.

A study reported in the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, “found no significant differences in interpretations of the dialogues from the participants who were sighted and the participants who were visually impaired.”

So, to put this into perspective for you, people who are blind or visually impaired understand the same information sighted individuals do, and they do not need to know what any of the visual cues are.

Anyone can do this, but blind or visually impaired individuals are more attuned to listening to people’s tone of voice to determine what emotion is being expressed rather than focusing on nonverbals such as gestures and facial expressions. It is not about what you say, but how you say it.

For me personally, I can sense how someone is doing based on the first few words or sentences they say, and I do not focus on the nonverbals at all.

While communicating, just remember to talk in a normal tone of voice.

Descriptive Language

Second, be descriptive. For example, the American Federation of the Blind recommends to “Always answer questions and be specific or descriptive in your responses.”

So, never say, “Hey. I am going over there.” Using words such as “over there” and “over here” are not helpful at all and provide no direction for someone who is blind or visually impaired.

Instead, say to the friend you are talking to, “Hey. I am going to the kitchen to get some water. Would you like anything? I will be right back.” This gives the person a clear description of where you are going, and a sense of what is happening in a situation. It is crucial to be descriptive.

Third, not everyone who is blind or visually impaired communicates the same way. Each person has their own way of expressing themselves and their emotions.

According to a study conducted by Anna-Karin Magnusson and Gunnar Karlsson and published in Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research,  Swedish participants who were blind and visually impaired used their hands to communicate when they wanted to speak and when they were finished.

The discussion and results section of the study mentioned how people who are blind or visually impaired in the United States do not use their hands to communicate.

Usually, my hands stay in my lap as I listen to you speak. As I am listening, I know our body movements can tell a lot, but I will tell you right now, if I say something and I have a facial expression that depicts a different emotion, please listen to my words and not what my face says.

Sometimes, I tend to get a look on my face that looks like I am sad, but really, I am listening intently to what you are saying.

So, there are cultural differences when using gestures and other nonverbals. Pay attention to the content rather than reading into just the nonverbals people use.

Self Identify

Finally, here are some greeting tips.

One of the most important things I hope you take away from this article is, please say who you are!

If I am walking along the sidewalk enjoying the breeze and the sunny day and you simply say, “Hey Annie,” I will always say, “Hey!” but this catches me off guard. Then, as I continue walking I keep thinking to myself, “Hmmm who was that?” I try to memorize voices as best as I can, however many people sound the same while passing on a college campus.

So, instead as you are passing by, please say, “Hi Annie. It’s [and insert your name here].”

Another tip from the American Federation of the Blind is “As soon as a friend, relative, or stranger who is blind or visually impaired enters a room, be sure to greet the person by name. This alerts [him or] her to your presence, avoids startling [him or] her.”

Plenty of times, I have walked into a room and did not know who was there. It can be frustrating when you know they are supposed to be at a particular meeting or event and you have no idea where they are since they did not come over to say hi to let me know they had come.

To help alleviate this problem, when I was younger, my teachers had us say our names so everyone knew who everyone was. Also, this helped me know who was in the classroom, as well as who was at my table. This helped a lot, and I believe it was helpful for my classmates too. Make sure to identify yourself when talking to someone who cannot see.

I hope you learned something new about how to communicate with someone who is blind or visually impaired. Speak in a normal tone of voice, be descriptive, understand everyone communicates differently with nonverbals based on culture and say who you are. These four tips may seem small, but it will make a world of difference.

Once you have these tips down, conversations will be normal and effortless. Don’t be afraid. There is no time like the present, so go ahead and give it a try!