As a student with low vision who uses a blindness cane/white cane to navigate unfamiliar environments, I find it helpful to use either a human guide or a visual interpreter when I travel to conferences, walk around exhibit halls, or attend fairs and smaller events on my college campus. Over the last few years, I have noticed that visually cluttered environments with bright, fluorescent lights make it more challenging for me to see where I am going, and can lead to me getting overwhelmed and finding an excuse to get out of the venue/area as quickly as possible due to sensory overload. Here are my tips for using a human guide at a conference and balancing access needs with independence.
What is a human guide?
A human guide is a person who provides travel/navigational assistance to a blind person or a person with low vision by helping them get from one location to another. While a human guide is not a direct substitute for using a blindness cane (white cane) or other mobility aid, there are situations where someone might rely solely on a human guide, or they will use a human guide in conjunction with a blindness cane. A human guide can be a friend, family member, colleague, or part of event staff/event volunteers.
WHY I USE THE TERM HUMAN GUIDE OVER SIGHTED GUIDE
In the field of visual impairment, the term human guide is preferred over the term sighted guide, because a person does not necessarily need to be sighted to be a human guide. I have low vision and have served as a human guide for some of my blind friends, and I’ve also had human guides that were blind and that had stronger travel skills or were more familiar with an environment than I was. There are also non-human guide options for people with vision loss, such as a guide dog or guide horse, but I do not have any personal experience using either.
Related links
- How To Be An Effective Human Guide For People With Vision Loss
- How To Approach Someone with Low Vision Without Scaring Them
- How Do People With Visual Impairments Guide Each Other?
Human guide VS visual interpreting/visual assistance
Another option for getting descriptions of visual information in real time is to use a visual interpreting or visual assistance application, which can be used with a smartphone or smart glasses. When it comes to navigating conferences, I have the most experience using Aira, which connects visually impaired users with professional visual interpreters that can provide a description of surrounding areas, as well as view a map of the venue the person is visiting. Visual assistance and visual interpreters can be used to augment someone’s usable vision by providing additional context via one-way video and two-way audio, but they generally are not used to magnify surrounding areas or make items easier to see.
The reason why I have used Aira the most often in this context is because my college and several assistive technology events I have attended are Aira Access locations, providing me with the ability to use Aira free of charge (it normally requires a paid service plan). Other examples of visual assistance applications that can be helpful for reading signs and environmental text include Be My Eyes (volunteer-based) and Microsoft’s Seeing AI.
Related links
- Using Aira With Low Vision
- Accessible Maps and Wayfinding Tools For Low Vision
- How I Use Be My Eyes With Low Vision
- Microsoft Seeing AI And Low Vision
- All About Visual Assistance Apps For Visually Impaired
Which is better for navigation: smartphone guide or human guide?
When it comes to choosing between a human guide or a smartphone application, it helps to ask the following questions to come to a decision:
- How big is the venue? A more open venue may be easier to navigate with an application compared to one that is very crowded.
- How many people are here? Smartphone apps can provide real-time information, but the lag in streaming video makes it unsafe to use when crossing busy walkways
- Do I want to use my phone for something else? I often use my phone for taking pictures, writing down notes, and scanning copies of contact information. Having visual interpreting software always on can make this more challenging
- Does the environment need to be checked for specific triggers? I can’t hold up my phone and get details on if a space has flashing lights or not, which can make it more challenging to use my vision and trigger a migraine. This is where a human guide is more useful
- Am I going into a restricted area? Even in the context of visual interpreting, phones and devices may not be allowed in certain areas. It’s also illegal to bring visual interpreters into public bathrooms.
Many conferences I have been to that cover topics related to accessibility and visual impairment offer attendees the option to bring their own human guides (care attendant) or request a human guide to help with navigating the area. When I go to smaller events at my college, I typically use a visual interpreter app or a friend as my human guide.
Related links
- How I Use My Phone As Assistive Technology In Class
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Smartphones
What it’s like using a human guide at a conference
Wondering what it is like to use a human guide at a conference? Here are examples of ways I have used human guides alongside my blindness cane as an attendee with low vision:
- Bringing me to/from classrooms or presentation rooms. Sometimes they will sit with me during a presentation, or just come get me once it’s over.
- Reading names of tables on the exhibit hall before we approach them so I can decide if I want to stop or not. Usually this consists of the company name or whatever text is on the banner, unless there is something really cool/unique that I will want to look at (new device, candy bowl, dog that’s being petted)
- Locating rest areas, such as the bathroom or low-sensory areas if there is a lot of loud noise and I need a break.
- Carrying items if I am “out of hands” due to using a cane or having trouble with carrying a bag to a presentation
- Before someone approaches me at a networking event, they will whisper the person’s name and where they are located before stepping back while I talk to them.
- Helping me locate ridesharing services or meeting points for others in my group
When I am at a conference, I have my blindness cane with me at all times, which reflects how I travel in unfamiliar environments. However, I have had friends who only use canes part-time and prefer to not use canes when navigating with a human guide so that they can have a free hand. Using a mobility aid is not a prerequisite to requesting a human guide for people with visual impairments or vision loss not otherwise corrected by glasses.
Related links
- Attending The Grace Hopper Celebration With Low Vision
- Attending The ATIA Conference With Low Vision
Tell the guide the best way to give directions
People with visual impairments (inclusive of Blind, low vision, and neurological visual impairment) often have preferred ways for receiving navigational information. Some examples include:
- Holding onto an elbow, forearm, or other gripping aid
- Clock faces for directions, e.g. 12 o’clock for straight ahead
- Constantly speaking so the person knows their guide is paying attention
- Providing warnings for upcoming changes, e.g. “we’ll be turning right at this next exit”
- Narrating descriptions of surroundings
- Prioritizing step-free routes that use ramps or elevators instead of stairs
- Providing visual descriptions of what people look like, which may be preferred when meeting lots of different people
Even though I travel with the guide, I still use my blindness cane because I don’t want to completely rely on another person to navigate. The human guide does not touch my cane.
Related links
- Ten Things To Know About Going To College With A Blindness Cane
- My Thoughts On Visual Descriptions With Low Vision
Using a human guide in networking contexts
Using a human guide when networking can be more challenging because people may notice someone using a human guide, though this isn’t necessarily a negative thing. For example, at one event I attended the human guide would help me look for specific people I wanted to meet, or would wave to people and invite them to come over and talk to me, which was helpful since I couldn’t see much of anything in the sea of people.
If a human guide has been hired or is volunteering for an event, they are typically asked to dress in dark colors. To help “stand out”, I wear more colorful items so that I am easier to locate if I get separated from my guide. If the human guide is my friend or someone I traveled with, we take a selfie together before the event and share it with each other, so that if we get separated I know what the other person is wearing.
The best tip for being a human guide: Be invisible!
When it comes to using a human guide at a conference, one of the best pieces of advice I have given to volunteers is to be “invisible” to everyone except for me. In order to avoid drawing attention to their presence, the human guide avoids talking on someone’s behalf, picking up items unless asked/requested, and typically steps behind or away from an individual when they are talking to someone at a booth, exhibit, or networking event. The exception to this is if the person is about to encounter something that could be a medical trigger, like strobe/flashing lights, a food they disclosed an allergy to, or something that could get them hurt- basically, any situation where someone would logically step in for a sighted person.
More tips for using a human guide at a conference
- Feel overwhelmed when attending professional conferences? Read How I Manage Conference FOMO With Chronic Illness
- Human guides are often available at airports for visually impaired travelers. I share more tips for navigation in Airport Security and Low Vision
- Want to learn more about how to be a human guide? Read How To Be An Effective Human Guide For People With Vision Loss
Published June 5, 2019. Updated November 2024