[CT-NFB] Fwd: Learning to Truly See: Reflections from the Human Guide Workshop

Tue Jun 24 23:55:17 UTC 2025

I attended, too; and it happened that Michelle was my guide-in-training! She captured the highlights of an excellent training day, in this synopsis. If you ever have the chance to attend somewhere sometime, I highly recommend it, even as a veteran to blindness with lots of guide experience. BTW, also, yay for Michelle being such a quick study when it came to the practical guide exercises with me.

Sandra

One can never consent to creep, when one feels an impulse to soar.

(Helen Keller)

From: CT-NFB <ct-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Mary Silverberg via CT-NFB
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2025 7:04 PM
To: NFB mailing list <ct-nfb at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Mary Silverberg <marysilverfox at gmail.com>
Subject: [CT-NFB] Fwd: Learning to Truly See: Reflections from the Human Guide Workshop

FYI, from URCommunity Cares

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From: UR Community Cares, Inc. <info at urcommunitycares.org <mailto:info at urcommunitycares.org> >
Date: Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Subject: Learning to Truly See: Reflections from the Human Guide Workshop
To: <marysilverfox at gmail.com <mailto:marysilverfox at gmail.com> >

Mary Silverberg

Learning to Truly See: Reflections from the Human Guide Workshop Today, I had the privilege of attending a Human Guide Workshop hosted South East Cen

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Learning to Truly See: Reflections from the Human Guide Workshop

Today, I had the privilege of attending a Human Guide Workshop hosted  <https://email.cloud2.secureclick.net/c/4104?id=2745235.2890.1.1bfc0a861c6ac297f29006fac263a631> South East Center for the Blind, and presented by the Helen Keller National Center, featuring Christine Tedford and Jenna Rydl—both Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS). This immersive experience brought together a diverse group, including volunteers, bus drivers, board members, physical therapists from Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, and individuals who are blind, have low vision, or are hard of hearing.

We gathered to learn how to better support individuals with vision and hearing loss—those with conditions like macular degeneration, optic atrophy, glaucoma, color blindness, and retinitis pigmentosa. These are not just clinical terms; they represent real challenges people face daily—reading a menu, identifying groceries, navigating new spaces, or moving to a new home.

Understanding Vision Loss

Christine and Jenna explained that legal blindness isn’t just about total blindness—it’s defined as having visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less. Some individuals have central vision loss, making tasks like reading recipes or shopping difficult. Others lose peripheral vision, as with retinitis pigmentosa, which often begins with night blindness in the teenage years and progresses over time. We also learned about scotomas, or blind spots, and how these vary from person to person.

Accommodations can make a world of difference—such as additional lighting, reduced glare, magnification, voice output, tactile sign language, braille, contrasting colors, and  <https://email.cloud2.secureclick.net/c/4104?id=2745235.2891.1.e506542f533c0d4a271c674069a2089e> OttLite task lighting. Tools like white canes are not one-size-fits-all either—participants were encouraged to swap out cane tips for different environments, like hiking.

Human Guide Techniques

The heart of the workshop was learning the Human Guide technique—a respectful and effective way to assist a person who is blind or has low vision in navigating their environment.

Here are the essentials:

▪ Tap the back of the person’s hand gently to signal you are ready to guide.
▪ They will slide their hand up to your elbow, maintaining a C-shaped grip—like holding a soda can.
▪ No hand-holding, no interlocking arms.
▪ The guide keeps their elbow bent at 90 degrees and walks slightly ahead.
▪ In tight spaces, the guide can make a fist and place it behind their tailbone to let the person grasp the lower arm and follow through the narrow area.

▪

Tap the back of the person’s hand gently to signal you are ready to guide.

▪

They will slide their hand up to your elbow, maintaining a C-shaped grip—like holding a soda can.

▪

No hand-holding, no interlocking arms.

▪

The guide keeps their elbow bent at 90 degrees and walks slightly ahead.

▪

In tight spaces, the guide can make a fist and place it behind their tailbone to let the person grasp the lower arm and follow through the narrow area.

It was a simple but powerful lesson in dignity and independence.

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Broader Services & Support

The Helen Keller National Center serves all U.S. states, including territories like the Virgin Islands, Guam, and Samoa. They offer training for individuals who are deaf-blind or have combined vision and hearing loss, beginning at age 14 or 16, depending on location. There are grants available by region and through agencies like BESB (Board of Education and Services for the Blind) to help fund these supports.

One important takeaway: the Center can help individuals even if they are transitioning between states, and they’ll work with nursing homes or group homes to train staff when someone needs that extra level of support.

Need help navigating housing or benefits? Christine encouraged everyone to reach out—referrals are available for those kinds of resources too, click link to go to their website:  <https://email.cloud2.secureclick.net/c/4104?id=2745235.2892.1.409a08e84330f577ef3965d397c48f41> https://www.helenkeller.org/hknc/

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Final Thoughts

Today’s workshop reminded me how much we can all do—especially when we listen, learn, and lend an elbow.

Whether you’re a professional, a family member, or a neighbor, we all have a role to play in building a more inclusive community. 
The first step? Extend a hand—not to lead, but to walk alongside.

My Meme was DeafBlind in her later years and I wish I had known then what I know now,

Michelle Puzzo, Executive Director

860-430-4557

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