SIGHTED
ETTIQUETTE
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU MEET A SIGHTED PERSON
People who use their eyes to receive information about the world
are called sighted people or "people who are sighted." Legal
"sight" means any visual acuity greater than 20/200 in the better
eye without correction or an angle of vision wider than 20
degrees. sighted people enjoy rich full lives, working, playing
and raising families. They run businesses, hold public office
and teach YOUR children!
HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE GET AROUND? People
who are sighted may walk or ride public transportation, but most
choose to travel long distances by operating their own motor
vehicles. They have gone through many hours of training, at great
expense, to learn the "rules of the road" to further their
independence. Once that road to freedom has been mastered,
sighted people earn a legal classification and a "Driver's
License" that allows them to operate a
private vehicle safely and independently. Sighted
people cannot function well in low lighting conditions and are
generally completely helpless in total darkness. Their homes are
usually very brightly lit at great expense, as are businesses
that cater to the sighted consumer.
HOW CAN I BEST COMMUNICATE
WITH SIGHTED PEOPLE? Sighted people are accustomed to viewing the
world in visual terms. This means that in many situations, they
will not be able to communicate orally and may resort to pointing
or other gesturing. They may also use subtle facial expressions
to convey feelings in social situations. Calmly alert the sighted
person to his or her surroundings by speaking slowly, in a normal
tone of voice. There is no need to raise your voice when
addressing a sighted person. Questions directed to the sighted
person help them focus on verbal rather than visual and gestural
communication.
HOW CAN I ASSIST A SIGHTED PERSON? At times,
sighted people may need help finding things, especially when
operating a motor vehicle. Your advance knowledge of routes and
landmarks, particularly bumps in the road, turns and traffic
lights, will assist the "driver" in finding the way quickly and
easily. Your knowledge of building layouts can also assist the
sighted person in navigating complex shopping malls and offices.
Sighted people tend to be very proud and will not ask directly
for assistance. Be gentle, yet firm.
HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE READ? Sighted people
read through a system called "Print." Print is a series of images
drawn in a two dimensional plane. Because the person who is
sighted relies exclusively on visual information, his or her
attention span tends to fade quickly when reading long texts.
People who are sighted generally have a poorly developed sense of
touch. Braille is completely foreign to the sighted person and he
or she will take longer to learn the code and be severely limited
by his or her existing visual senses.
HOW DO SIGHTED PEOPLE USE
COMPUTERS? Computer information is presented to sighted people in
a "Graphical User Interface" or GUI. Sighted people often suffer
from hand-eye coordination problems and poor memories. To
accommodate these difficulties, people who are sighted use a
"mouse," a handy device that slides along the desk top to save
confusing keystrokes. With one button, the sighted person can
move around his or her computer screen quickly and easily. People
who are sighted are not accustomed to synthetic speech and may
have great difficulty understanding even the clearest
synthesizer. Be patient and prepared to explain many times how
YOUR computer equipment works.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT A SIGHTED
PERSON? People who are sighted do not want your charity. They
want to live, work and play along with you. The best thing you
can do to support sighted people in your community is to open
yourself to their world. These citizens are vital, contributing
members of society. Take a sighted person to lunch today!!!
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