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Communication Environment & Sight

Blindness and Low Vision - Issues

Much of our communication relies on some visual aspect. Even spoken word has a level of meaning conveyed by eye movement, expression or body language. For a person who is blind or visually impaired, much of the meaning may be lost due to inability to see the facial expression of the speaker or presenter, which may result in misunderstanding or miscommunication. Community workshops and support groups often use images or slide shows as part of the presentation. These are not accessible to a person who is blind or has low vision unless a concerted effort is made to audibly describe what is being presented.

If the visually impaired person is also deaf and uses American Sign Language (ASL) a concerted effort must be made to provide adequate color contrasts, minimize glare, and provide adequate lighting so that she can see the ASL interpreters. A Deaf individual who is blind would need an ASL interpreter familar with finger spelling into the individual's hand.

Examples of Problems

Upon intake at a domestic violence program, a woman with low vision is given a packet of information to read. The staff person leads her to a quiet office where she can review the information while she waits for her advocate. Unfortunately, the "quiet" room is also dimly lit and the woman cannot see the information to read it.
A survivor who is blind attends a community workshop on the issue of sexual assault. The first session is made up primarily of a slide show of media images. For each image, the group facilitator solicits responses from the attendees. The survivor who is blind is unable to participate and decides to leave during the break.
A survivor new to the shelter asks a staff member where she can find a bathroom. The staff member points vaguely to the side and says “over there”.

Suggested Solutions

Lighting is especially important for people with decreasing vision. Light should be suffficiently bright that it provides an even illumination but not so bright that it puts off glare.
When you are using visual aids during a presentation or group, discuss this with any participants who are blind to determine ways they can equally participate in the activity.
Color contrast issues are explained in Text and Color Contrast . One wants to pay attention to wall colors and having even sufficient lighting to make signing as visible as possible. This applies to signage as well.
If an easel board is used to collect information then the person writing should use a broad dark marker and write clearly and large.
When giving verbal directions to an individual who is blind or who has low vision, it is important to be geographically explicit. For instance, you could say “Go straight forward about six feet and turn to your right.” Often the metaphor of a clock face is used: for example, one might say “It’s at three o’clock” when describing the location of food on a plate.

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