Transcript What is a Community Sighted Guide?

Community Sighted
Guide training
My Guide service sighted guide training programme
Sighted guiding is a recognised technique used as
a way of helping blind or partially sighted people
get around safely.
1
My Guide service sighted
guide training
Developed in partnership
The My Guide training programme has been developed by Guide Dogs, in collaboration
with its partners. However, the delivery of the training is the responsibility of the trainer or
organisation providing the training.
2
Course objectives
 To understand and be aware of the benefits of
sighted guiding
 To learn how to give safe community sighted
guiding and develop practical skills
 To learn about sight loss and understand the
emotional and practical consequences and
barriers to independence
3
Programme









Introduction and welcome
Awareness of visual impairment
Exercise
Feedback
Sighted guide techniques
Practice
Feedback
Next steps
Close
4
What is a
Community Sighted Guide?
 Trained to act as eyes/vision with confidence
 In public as part of normal daily life
‘A sighted person giving appropriate assistance to a
blind or partially sighted person to help them
negotiate the environment safely, whilst maintaining
dignity and promoting independence’.
5
Guidelines to help the course
run smoothly





Mobile phones off or on silent please
We all agree for only one person to speak at a time
Relax!
Say what you think
Be respectful at all times
6
True or false?
Exercise
7
Barriers to independence
Can’t drive
How would I do my job?
Going to new places
Unable to apply make-up
How would I look after my children?
How would I feel about cooking?
People are anxious about approaching me
I used to be chatty but lack of eye contact
changes that
 How would I use the internet?
 Change in job situation may mean I have less money








8
Emotional consequences
of sight loss










Isolation
Depression
Feeling cut off from friends and family
Low confidence
Low self-esteem
Poor self-image
Loneliness
Changed relationships if family are also carers
The world becomes smaller
Higher levels of anxiety
9
Personal stories
10
Exercise
Important!
 We do not want you to feel scared or worried
 You do not have to pretend to completely
understand being visually impaired
 If at any point you feel too uncomfortable to
continue, please tell your partner and stop
11
How did it feel?
We can use our experience to
 Make us better guides
 Understand what’s most important
when being guided
 Practice in a safe, friendly environment
 Feel what it’s like to be guided well
12
Tips for sighted guides
How to guide a blind or partially sighted person
13
Approaching someone and
setting off
 Introduce yourself and offer help
 Ask where the person wants
to go
 Stand by their side and let them
hold your arm above the elbow
 You start walking and they will
follow about half a step behind
 If they have a guide dog,
approach from the opposite
side
14
In a narrow space or busy area
 Walk in single file
 Straighten your arm and move
it to the middle of your back
 The person will step in
behind you
 Slow your pace a little
15
Crossing a road
 Say if the kerb is a step up or
step down
 Pause before you take the
step so that the person
can get ready
 Describe to the person
where they are
16
Going up or down stairs or steps
 Say if the steps go up or down
 The person’s free hand should be on the
side of the handrail
 Going up – pause for the person to
find the bottom step then move off.
They will follow one step below you
 Going down – let them find the handrail
and first step down before moving off.
They will follow one step behind
 Say when you have reached the top
or the bottom and pause
17
Getting through doorways
 Say whether the door opens
towards or away from you and
to the left or the right
 Open the door with your
guiding arm
 As you walk through, the
person you’re guiding should
hold it open before following
you through
18
Taking a seat
 Describe the type of seat,
whether it has arms, and if
there’s a table in front
 Put your guiding hand on the
back of the chair, and allow
the person to slide their arm
down to find it
 In a row of seats, side step
along the row until the person
is in front of their seat with the
backs of their knees touching
it. They will then sit down
19
Getting into a car
 Say if the car is facing left or right
 Open the car door and place
your guiding hand on it – the
person you’re guiding can slide
their hand down your arm to
hold the door
 Then place your guiding hand
on the top of the door frame –
the person you’re guiding will
slide their other hand down your
arm and get into the car
20
Leaving or finishing assistance
 Always check with the person you’re guiding that
they know where they are before you leave
 Tell the person clearly that you will be leaving
them now
 Leave them in a safe place, away from danger
21
Being person centred
 These tips are best practice for sighted guides
 Always use these techniques as a starting point,
but be prepared to alter them depending on the
particular requirements of the person you support
 As long as you and the person you guide are safe,
it is ok to vary these tips
22
Safety tips
Things to consider:
 The person may have a medical condition
 Try to avoid unfamiliar or unknown surroundings that
could cause either of you to feel uncomfortable,
threatened or concerned
 Be aware of other people coming into contact with
either of you, causing a collision or being aggressive
or violent
 Make sure you’re aware of what to do in the event
of a fire, incident or other emergency situations
23
Safety tips
Further things to consider:
 Avoid lifting or restraining the person so you
don’t get hurt
 Look out for objects/people to avoid tripping
or slipping
 Think about the weather conditions
e.g. ice, snow, extreme heat, and how
this could affect your journey
24
Tips for other situations
25
How to guide a person with
a guide dog
 A guide dog owner will show they
need help by laying the handle
of the harness on the dog’s back
 Approach from the opposite side
to the dog
 Talk to the person, not the dog
 Never take the lead or
harness handle
 Guide the person as you would
anyone else
26
Toilets
 Use your guiding hand on the handle of the door to
the toilet
 The person you are guiding will slide their hand
down your arm to find the door handle
 Agree with the person whether you will wait for
them outside or if you are leaving
27
Getting on or off a bus or train
 Tell the person you are
guiding how high any steps
are and if there is a gap
between the train and
the platform
 Guide the person as you step
on or off, walking in front
 Walk down aisles in single file
28
Well done
To achieve a Level 1 certificate with distinction or to
move on to Level 2 you will need to complete
assessed observed practice:
 One hour’s sighted guiding with two different blind
or partially sighted people
 Thirty minutes with each person, one will feed back
as part of your assessment
 During the hour you will be assessed for thirty
minutes by your trainer
29
Next steps – other modules
and roles
My Guide volunteer
 Complete Levels 1 and
2 learning, assessment
and practice
 Provide a My Guide
service for an agreed
period to enhance the
service user’s
independence, through
getting out and about
My Guide Practitioner
 Complete Levels 1, 2
and 3 learning,
assessment and
practice
 Provide training and
support to Community
Sighted Guides and
My Guide volunteers
30
Before you go...
 If you are progressing to Level 2, make sure you
inform the trainer
 You can view the techniques video and find more
information on sighted guiding on our website or
take a free DVD or leaflet
www.guidedogs.org.uk/myguide
 Don’t forget your handouts
 Thank you for coming!
31