Say your intention to offer assistance, and then touch the back of your hand against the back of the person’s hand you are about to guide. This is the signal for them to take your arm.

The person with vision impairment will take hold of your arm just above your elbow with their four fingers on the inside and a thumb on the outside of your arm.

Their grip should be firm, but not tight enough to cause discomfort. Note: Guide dog users will always take the guide’s left arm because the guide dog will always be on their left side.

Keep your arm relaxed. The arm of the person you are guiding should also be relaxed, bent at about 90 degrees and held closely to their side. They should walk beside you, about half a pace behind.

The person you are guiding must be on the hinge side of the door. As you approach the door, say, “We are coming to a door. It opens towards (or away from) us and to the right (or left).”

Take the door knob in your free hand and open the door. Ask the person with vision impairment to hold the door until you have passed through.They will then shut the door and release their hold from the doorknob.

For doors opening away from you, the procedure is the same. When the door is opposite to the person you are guiding, ask them to change sides.

Note: Guide Dog users will manage doorway situations independently once their hand is placed in contact with the door.

Tell the person with a vision impairment that you are approaching stairs and whether they are going up or down.

Always approach stairs and kerbs at right angles and stop as your reach them.  If the person you are guiding is not on the handrail side, tell them and let them change sides if they wish.

As you step off, remain one step ahead, and then proceed together in rhythm.

Pause when you reach the landing and indicate to the person you are guiding that they have one more step.

Note: Guide dog users will manage the steps independently once they have located the edge of the top or bottom step.

For narrow aisles, doorways and other places where it is difficult to walk two abreast, make a definite move with your arm backwards and across to the centre of your back.

The person with a vision impairment should respond by straightening their arm and stepping directly behind you. Now you are in single file, one full pace apart.

The arm of the person being guided must remain fully extended to prevent either of you from tripping over the other’s feet. When you have passed through the narrow place, return your arm to its normal position by your side.

Place the person’s hand on the back of side of the chair. Mention the type of chair and which way it is facing. From here, they will seat themselves.

When guiding someone who may need greater support, modify the technique by bending your arm so that the guide’s forearm is under the frail person’s forearm to allow a more secure supportive grip.

The person being guided should still walk slightly behind the guide.

Where the person with a vision impairment has a guide dog, all techniques outlined above are still applicable. The individual will drop the handle of the guide dog’s harness and take control of the dog by the lead.

The Department of Families and Communities has contributed funds towards this program.