I am an ordinary person who happens to be blind or visually impaired. I am a person first. Please do not raise your voice or treat me like a child. Please address statements or questions directly to me, not to my family or friend. I have my own thoughts and can express my own needs.

• I may ask to use your arm, or I may use a white cane or a guide dog for mobility. Please don't grab my arm or pull or push me.

• A working guide dog wears a harness and should not be called or petted without asking the owner. Distracting the guide dog could put the owner's life at risk.

• I like to know who is in the room with me. Please speak to me when you enter, introduce yourself and/or others. Excuse yourself before you leave our conversation so I don't find myself talking to air.

• Please be aware of and adjust things in the environment that might be hazardous for me, such as partially opened room or cabinet doors, or objects in the middle of the floor.

• I have no trouble with ordinary table skills. It is helpful if you describe what is on the table in general by using the "face of the clock" method (example: meat at 12:00 and potatoes at 4:00 position). I will let you know if I need specific help beyond that.

• Do not avoid using words related to vision, like "see"; I use them also. Please do avoid talking about the wonderful compensations of blindness. For instance, I depend more on my other senses to gather information, but my hearing or senses of smell or touch did not necessarily improve dramatically. While my experience of vision loss is significant, I would like to talk with you about my other interests and experiences.

• If I'm your houseguest, please show me around. I like to know where the bathroom is. Please show me by touch where I may keep my personal items. Tell me the location of chairs, tables, etc. Verbally describe to me the general layout of your home.

• If you see me around town, in a store, etc. please address me by my name and tell me who you are. Tooting your car horn or waving at me across the street is not effective and may put me in a harmful situation.