Providing information to people who are blind or partially sighted

Blind and partially sighted people have the same information needs as everyone else. But many people with sight problems will not be able to understand information unless it is made available to them in a suitable format. It is important to remember that there is no single method which suits all blind and partially sighted people all of the time. Even the same person will use different methods at different times and under different circumstances.

Word of mouth
 Word of mouth is probably the most important method of communication used by people with sight loss. Its main advantage is that it is simple and effective. Its main disadvantage is that some blind people find conversation difficult because they can't make eye contact with the other person or read their body language.

Print
Nearly half of all people with sight loss can read ordinary print, but only with great difficulty. Many people, especially those who have lost their sight in later life, can still write by hand, even if they can't read what they have written! This problem can be solved for some people by printing each character, using a thick black marker pen in order to make it clearer.

Clear print
Clear Print is an approach developed by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). It provides guidance on designing and producing your printed materials taking into account the needs of blind and partially sighted readers. It focuses on some basic design elements, for example font, type size, contrast and page navigation. For more hints and tips on creating clear print see the RNIB See it Right pack which gives details about creating accessible information in many formats.

Large print
For many blind and partially sighted people, larger print is essential. No single size is suitable for everyone but most people prefer their large print in the range of 16 to 22 point. If possible, for example with personal communication, always ask your people which size best suits their needs. You can produce simple large print documents yourself in-house, but more complex jobs may need to be sent to a commercial printer. More information on producing large print is available in the RNIB See it Right pack.

Braille and Moon
Braille is a system of raised dots which people can read with their fingers. Many blind and partially sighted people prefer particular types of information in braille, for example information to be used in meetings or to be read silently. Moon is a similar, simpler system used by a very small number of people, most of whom are elderly.

Magnifiers and access technology
There is a wide range of equipment which can be used by blind and partially sighted people to help them access information:

  • simple hand-held magnifiers.
  • speech software which can read the computer screen to the user.
  • braille translation software which can translate information on a computer screen into braille that the user reads on a specially adapted keyboard.
  • screen enlargement software that enables the user to magnify the text on their screen to a suitable size.

Generally speaking the more hi-tech a device the fewer people who are likely to use it. Most blind people prefer low-tech devices. There are a number of reasons for this including fear of new technology, lack of training, lack of money (most hi-tech devices are very expensive) and the fact that hi-tech devices are not always appropriate. Many blind people, for example, prefer to listen to a human being rather than a mechanical voice.

Internet
 Many blind and partially sighted people find the internet the most effective way of accessing information. However, to enable people using this technology to access information on a website, the website must be correctly designed, (and they must have an appropaitely adapted computer). Information on designing accessible websites is available from the RNIB.

Audio tape
 Age is the key factor in determining use of audio tape, with few people over 65 possessing a tape machine of any kind. Also, many elderly people find the controls on ordinary commercial recorder/players too difficult to use.

Personal readers
Many people with sight problems use other people to read to them on a regular basis. The advantage of using another person to read to you is that it is simple and effective. A drawback is that they have to rely on the other person and they may not wish someone else to read materials which are private or confidential.

Deafblind people
There are around 23,000 people in the UK who have a severe loss of both sight and hearing. About 200,000 have less serious dual sensory loss. Some deafblind people have enough hearing to use the telephone if background noise is kept to a minimum, and the caller speaks clearly and at a pace which suits the individual. Other deafblind people use textphones (or minicoms) or Typetalk, which is a free national relay service using operators. The deafblind person uses a textphone to contact the operator and then the operator rings you and relays the message.

Systems for deaf people
 Some deafblind people retain enough sight to be able to use systems used by deaf people such as lip reading or British Sign Language or the Deaf Alphabet. It usually helps if the deafblind person has the light to the rear so that he or she can see the other person's face and hands more clearly. The benefit of lip reading is that sighted people don't have to learn a new system although a drawback is that it requires a great deal of effort and concentration on the part of the deafblind person. The disadvantage of British Sign Language and the Deaf Alphabet is that both parties have to learn the system. The Deaf Alphabet is quicker to learn than British Sign Language but the latter is much more flexible and faster to use.

The  RNID produces a lot of information about communicating with people who are deaf or hard of hearing including communication tips.

People with additional disabilities
 Many blind and partially sighted people have additional disabilities which may affect the manner in which they communicate. People with diabetes for example are less likely to be Braille users if they have lost the tactile sensitivity in their fingertips. People with arthritis or movement disorders may find some cassette recorder/players too difficult to operate.

Guidance on communicating with people who have communication difficulties is provided in Section Six and Resource Page Eight.