RNIB Cymru ALIC Project Visual Awareness Training Tony Jefford ICT Trainer

Objectives of Session Raise awareness of sight loss issues generally Consider the issue of barriers Focus on access issues

Sight Loss in Wales Over 100,000 people living with sight loss 18 authorities have a prevalence of sight loss above the UK average One authority as high as 50%

Question: How many people do you think are registered as blind and partially sighted in the authority of Swansea?

Sight Loss In the authority of Swansea there are around 2135 (04) people registered as blind or partially sighted One in three people actually take up the opportunity to register potentially there could be around people living with sight loss in the authority of Swansea

Question: Please name some eye conditions that you may have heard of?

Eye Conditions Macular Degeneration Cataracts Glaucoma Diabetic Retinopathy

Macular Degeneration  No central vision.  Some remaining peripheral vision.  Way finding is therefore difficult.

Cataracts  Vision begins to blur.  Key features start to merge.  Detail is severely reduced.  Signs are hard to read.

Glaucoma  Tunnel vision.  Bright light is painful and reduces vision.  Getting around is difficult.  May see things at eye level but may miss obstacles on floor

Diabetic retinopathy Patchy vision.  Lack of sharpness of visual field.  Scene merges so almost impossible to see direction of travel.

Identifying someone with sight loss Question: What signs might indicate that someone has sight loss? Work in groups of 2 people

Signs Touches their eye a lot or moves their head frequently in order to focus Avoids bright lights, or only seems to see well in bright light Finds it difficult to make eye contact, or makes no eye contact at all Needs help with reading or signing documents, and filling in forms

Tends to walk slowly with less confidence, especially in badly lit places Finds it difficult to recognise people Leaves their mail unopened Feels for things rather than looks for them

Guiding In groups of 2 choose 1 person within your group to wear a blindfold

Basic’s of how to guide? Never take or grab someone’s arm Always say ‘hello’ and introduce yourself Always ask where the person would like to go Offer your arm where a person can grip just above the elbow Keep your guiding arm straight with fingers pointing towards the ground The person will then be half a step behind you Do not walk too slow but not too fast When guiding inform the person of any obstacles

Steps, Stairs and Curbs When you reach steps, stairs or curbs pause and say ‘step up’ or ‘step down’ If the steps/stairs has a banister or handrail say so Some people prefer to use their foot to feel where the step begins, before going down steps or stairs

In a busy crowd or confined space you may need to walk in single file To do this move your arm round the centre of your back, still keeping it straight The person you are guiding will move in behind you Once the need to walk in single file is over, move your arm back to its original position to resume walking side by side Single File

Seating Never back a person into seat Guide the person to the seat Describe the seat Ask them to let go of your arm and place their hand on the back, arm or seat of the chair

Equipment and Support

Canes Symbol Cane Symbol canes, as their name suggests, are intended to be used only to indicate visual impairment. For this reason they are not designed with the required strength to be used as a mobility aid but to draw the attention of the public to the fact that the user has a degree of sight loss.

Guide Cane The Guide Cane is not a mobility aid; it should always point to the floor and can be used in a diagonal position across the lower part of the body for protection or using a scanning technique to check for kerbs and steps. The cane should reach just above waist level when the user is standing upright with the tip of the cane touching the ground between their legs. Guide canes are not to be used for supporting a person's body weight.

Long Cane The long cane is a mobility aid and should reach between the user's sternum (breastbone) and under the chin, when the user is standing upright and the cane tip is touching the ground between their legs. The length and speed of the user's walking stride will also affect the length of cane required. Long canes should only be supplied to people who have attended a specialist course, which trains the user on how to use the long cane to attain a high level of safe and independent travel.

Aids and Equipment Low Vision aids Low vision aids are devices that will help a person with low vision to see something more clearly, for example a magnifier is a type of low vision aid. There are: Hand held magnifier Stand magnifiers Dome magnifiers Video magnifiers/CCTV’s Hand held magnifier

Support Available Low Vision Scheme Is often referred to as partial sight, it can be helped in many cases by a range of vision aids and appliances. People with sight loss in Wales can now get the right vision aids for their eyesight problems from accredited high street opticians.

Support Services Social Services Sensory Support Team RNIB Helpline RNIB Home Video Service RNIB Emotional Support Service RNIB Catalogues/Talk & Support Low Vision Scheme - low vision assessment Local Talking Newspapers Library - talking books Local voluntary groups

Barriers Please list the barriers that people with sight loss may face within their community?

Barriers Accessible Information Access to services Getting around - including using transport Access to education Employment Poverty Health & Wellbeing

Accessible Information Over 120,000 people can not read a newspaper even with corrective glasses A further 700,000 people with sight loss have difficulty in reading standard print 80% of older people with sight loss are unable to read standard bills or letters

Choice is important and is key to the decisions you make as a person

Communication Question: What communication methods are used to inform the community about what is happening?

Ways to Communicate Letters Newsletters/Newspapers Leaflets/Posters /Internet Word of mouth

Other Ways of Communication Local Talking Newspaper Local Radio Stations Advice via Social Services Public Libraries Local Clubs for people with sight loss

Simulation Glasses Newsletter, Letter and Registration Form

Alternative formats Braille large print tape electronic; CD,

How to make information accessible? Basic Do’s Arial font Minimum point 14 print Colour contrast e.g. light on to dark or dark on to light Place the following sentence in large print: If you require this in alternative format please contact us on

Basic Don’ts Avoid a small font size Avoid unreadable fonts Avoid the use of underlining or italics AVOID LARGE BLOCKS OF TEXT SET IN CAPITAL LETTERS. (They can be used to give emphasis to single phrases

Avoid glossy paper Avoid placing the sentence regarding alternative formats in small print and without a contact telephone number Avoid the use of unreadable fonts e.g. don’t’ place red writing on a blue background or vice versa

Telephone calls Speak slowly, allowing time for the individual to note down any information, they may not be able to see well enough to do this so may use a recording device If so, it is essential that time is allowed for them to record the call properly Before hanging up it is important to check that they have recorded all the information they need and to ask if there is any information that needs to be repeated A deafblind person may have enough hearing to use the telephone. Staff will need to ensure that they speak clearly and that background noise is reduced Some deafblind people will prefer to use a Textphone or Typetalk

Question How would you address someone with sight loss? In groups of two for 5 minutes discuss the commonly used words

Acceptable Phrases AudiencePhrase General‘people with sight problems’ Someone with a sight problem‘people with sight problems’ (especially if they are elderly)‘people with sight difficulties’ ‘people who are unable to see as well as they used to’ the sighted relatives or carers of‘people with sight problems’ those with sight loss‘people with sight difficulties’ ‘people who are unable to see as well as they used to’

Communication In conversation Do talk naturally and address the person by name Do use ordinary phrases such as “nice to see you!” Do say when you are leaving Don’t talk down or address remarks to a companion rather than the person Don’t use condescending or pitying terms Don’t start talking without introducing yourself

In the street Do ask a person if they would like help to cross a road Do ask a person how they would like to be guided Do tell a person when you reach a kerb or step, whether it is up or down Don’t be offended if they refuse your offer of help Don’t grab hold of a person and start walking Don’t take risks when helping someone across the road

Open Your Eyes campaigning for an end to needless blindness. Thousands of people in the UK are needlessly losing their sight every year through treatable conditions like glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Thousands more are living with sight loss because they are simply wearing the wrong glasses or not seeking treatment for cataracts. We are campaigning to bring an end to preventable sight loss in the UK by 2020.