People characterized by a certain difference are often surrounded by various myths. We similarly create legends and stories about nations or tribes about which we have little information. Do we know, for example, whether cannibals actually exist – that is, people who truly consume other people? The purpose of this article is not to contemplate unknown tribes and their eating habits, but rather to bring closer (to educators, counselors, psychologists, and the public) how people with visual impairments function, which can understandably be, for someone due to a lack of information, perhaps comparable even to the aforementioned cannibals. Do we even know who people with visual impairments actually are – are they only blind? Do we truly believe that these people naturally have better hearing or "see" with their hearts? How and about what to communicate with them?

Who is a person with a visual impairment?

Sees nothing? Walks with a white cane? Always has a companion or guide dog? Knows Braille? ... The answers to these questions are not affirmative if we use the word "always." To simulate severe visual impairment, you don't have to close your eyes and try to fumble around. It's enough to recall the situation when you try to find your landmark and get off correctly based on the lights and large color patches through the dirty, fogged windows of a morning bus.

Visual impairment is a very broad term, as it can have various degrees and consequences for a person's life. Basically, we include people for whom glasses or artificial lenses no longer allow 100% vision. In terms of degree, we can talk about a scale progressing from mild low vision to complete blindness.

In the case of visual impairment, it can be a disorder of an organ or function. When we talk about an organ disorder, we talk about a disorder of the eye, the visual pathway (optic nerve), or the center (brain). In such a case, the organ is partially or completely damaged and therefore cannot function as it should. For example, if the optic nerve is damaged, information from the eye reaches the brain only partially or not at all. If there is damage to the lens, for example its clouding ("dirty window"), the eye is unable to perceive a sufficiently sharp image through this clouding. A functional disorder means that the organs, i.e., the eye, optic nerve, and brain, are fine, there is no damage present, but vision is still impaired, meaning the eye has not learned to see correctly. These disorders occur precisely in cases of binocular vision disorders (i.e., vision with both eyes).

In general, it can be said that visual impairment can manifest in three directions:

  1. In the worsening of visual acuity, when a person sees blurry, unclear images, or a haze.
  2. Next, in the narrowing or loss of the visual field, when a person sees as if through a tunnel, tube, or, conversely, does not see images directly in front of them, but only in the periphery, or there may be gaps in their visual field.
  3. In color vision disorders, which can involve the loss of perception of certain colors or complete loss of color perception.

How and about what to communicate?

The answer to the second part of the question (about what) is very simple – exactly the same as with any other person – that is, about culture, sports, world events, music, books, experiences, etc. ... In connection with the first part of the question (how), we offer a few tips in the following lines that allow a blind or visually impaired person to grasp information more easily, sometimes conveyed, for example, purely through gestures.

"Good day, I am Jana ..." - a visually impaired person may not always remember your voice in every situation, especially if you don't meet often or if you are in a noisy environment. Therefore, you can help by introducing yourself when you meet.

"Good day, Mr. Novák ..." – given that the greeting "good day" is heard very often (e.g., when other people meet), it helps if you address the visually impaired person directly by name (if you know it), so they know the kind greeting is directed at them. If you don't know the person, a gentle touch on the arm is sufficient, which also indicates that you want to communicate.

"I am offering you my hand ..." – What to do? You can easily avoid the hand "chase" with a simple verbal description of your own movement.

"To your right is a chair ..." – If you want to instruct a visually impaired person about where something is located, it will certainly help significantly if you avoid the pronouns "here" and "there," which do not specifically define the location of objects. Using precise direction names like "to your right" or "to your left," or perhaps "in front of you" and "behind you," is perhaps the simplest alternative. The same principle applies when putting things away – "I am hanging your coat to your right on the rack."

"Goodbye ..." .. "Take a look at ..." ... "Today I am wearing a red skirt" ... – You don't have to avoid using words related to vision or colors. Even a person with light perception can "look at" (touch/examine) things and has learned colors, even if they never saw them, as concepts – that is, during their life they have learned that, for example, the sun is yellow and grass is green.

"Can I help you?" – This is probably the most useful question, to which in most cases you will receive a truly helpful answer. A visually impaired person knows when and what form of help they need.

Since each person is the best expert on themselves and their needs, do not turn to the companion or assistant of a blind person with any questions. People with visual impairments are individuals with very different personalities, characters, experiences, attitudes, and behavioral expressions. And what about the "better hearing," or "seeing with the heart"? The solution to this puzzle perhaps lies in open and immediate mutual communication, whose goal can be precisely the mutual discovery of a person's uniqueness and perhaps the dispelling of certain myths.

Author: Mgr. Tímea Hóková Other useful links:

http://www.unss.sk/sk/menu/projekty/publikacie/sme-medzi-vami.htm http://www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/pages/understanding-and-awareness/etiquette-communicating-with-visually-impaired-students.php http://www.tiresias.org/controls/visual_impairments.htm http://www.tiresias.org/guidelines/visual.htm