Sighted Guide

By Michelle Parker

Basic Sighted Guide

• Purpose: To enable the student to utilize a sighted guide safely and efficiently.

Basic Method

• With the back of his hand the guide contacts the student’s arm.

• The student moves his hand up the guide’s arm into position just above the elbow.

Rationale

• The purpose behind this method is to maintain constant contact with the guide’s arm which avoids unnecessary grouping and helps to locate the proper position above the guide’s elbow.

Observations

• Contact may also be established by the guide supplying a verbal clue in the context of the conversation. Ex. “Sue it’s Mrs. Parker do you want some help?”.

• The position can be modified when there is extreme difference in height between student and guide.

Positioning

• The student’s thumb is positioned just above the elbow on the lateral side of the guide’s arm with the remaining four fingers on the medial side, with a grip that is secure.

• The arm of the student should form and angle of 90% approximately with the forearm pointing forward.

Positioning

• In order to afford optimal informational feedback the thumb and fingers must be in proper position. A secure grip is also important.

• The positional relationship between the student and the guide allows the student reaction time. The student should be about ½ step behind guide.

Resources

• Hill, Everett and Ponder, Purvis, O&M Techniques- a Guide for the Practitioner, American Federation for the Blind New York, New York, 1976.

• Glover, Donna, Instruction in Basic O&M Techniques, 2008.