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visual impaired person guided by someone
Fall 2025 Fact Check

Tips on Navigating Inclusivity

Dalia Al Nimr

Debunking myths, Farid shared firsthand tips on the do’s and don’ts of engaging with people with visual impairments:

Face to Face

  1. Don’t assume we need help. Ask first.
  2. If we do need help, it will only relate to visual impairment. We don’t need help with everything.
  3. Communicate with us on how we would like to be assisted so there is mutual respect for each other’s space. Don’t ask someone to lead us out of a place. Speak to us directly on how we would like to be guided.
  4. Offering help is thoughtful and appreciated, but don’t go out of your way to accompany us wherever we go. Sometimes giving directions is all we need.
  5. Don’t treat us differently than people around us. If we’re standing with a group, there is no need to grab a chair for us or get us coffee. Don’t give us front-row seating. These are nice gestures from well-intentioned people, but they make us feel uncomfortable.
  6. You don’t need to raise your voice to speak with us. We only lost our eyesight; our other senses are not affected.
  7. If two people, including a person with a visual impairment, are talking to you or asking a question, address them both. Don’t just speak to the sighted person. We can sense it.
  8. The tools we use are not toys for others to fool around with. My cane is indispensable for my safety and existence.
  9. Avoid grabbing or pulling someone’s cane, even if you’re trying to help that person move around. It’s dangerous and invasive. You can ask to hold one end of the cane while we hold the other.
  10. Don’t scream “Be careful” or honk at us when crossing the street. It distracts rather than alerts us.
a photo of the student ahmed farid

"The fact that I am visually impaired doesn’t mean I should get preferential treatment. People with disabilities are normal individuals; they just have different abilities. So we should respect these differences and interact accordingly."

Ahmed Farid, computer science senior

Digital Communication

  1. Don’t text us in the Franco-Arab language. For the screen reader, it’s a bunch of numbers and letters. Type in either pure English, Arabic or any other language.
  2. Don’t use screenshots in texts. Please take the time to write out the messages or include alternative text.
  3. Shapes, stickers and images are not readable for us, but emojis are because screen readers turn them into words.
  4. Don’t use colors, bold, italics or highlighting to visually emphasize a text. Instead, add words such as “Important” or place key information first.
  5. Images — whether embedded in a pdf or Word document, included as inline or background pictures in an email, or sent as flyers, charts or maps — must include alternative text; otherwise, we miss out on whatever is communicated through that non-textual content.
  6. Instead of asking us to “draw” our signature on a digital document, we can use a signature stamp or send our consent by email.
  7. A QR code is difficult for us because we can’t point the camera toward it. Use a hyperlink with descriptive text.
  8. Avoid sharing locked documents. Always include the original source or an accessible version.