• Good Service = Good Business
• Blindness Awareness Training:
• Advice:
• Other learning opportunities:
• Contact details
• Related Links

Good Service = Good Business

Would a blind, deafblind or vision-impaired person come back after doing business with you? With simple training you can make sure that blind or vision-impaired people get great service and you get a repeat customer.

"When they first join us, the majority of our drivers have never met a blind person. The Foundation has provided training to all our staff for the past eight years. It's very practical and engaging, and our drivers always come away feeling confident about dealing with blind clients. Our image as a company improves, and of course that's good for business!"
Graham Webb, Manager, Taxis United.

The 2001 New Zealand Disability Survey, undertaken by Statistics New Zealand, estimates that there are almost 100,000 New Zealanders who have significantly impaired vision. This means more people than ever require appropriate service and assistance. To ensure your organisation is prepared the RNZFB Blindness Awareness and Prevention division can assist by:

• Developing and delivering a training package to suit your organisation.
• Providing follow up information and organisational support.
• Providing advice on creating an environment that is user friendly to blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people.

Our team offers Blindness Awareness training to a wide range of industry groups.

For example:

• Tertiary institutions
• The Hospitality Industry
• The Health sector
• Home care and retirement facilities
• Businesses
• Community groups
• Public transport providers
• Airlines
• Retail sector

Blindness Awareness Training:

Blindness Awareness Training is about learning how you can comfortably interact with a blind, deafblind or vision-impaired person using a few simple techniques.

For example:

• Remembering to introduce yourself to a blind, deafblind or vision-impaired person.
• Letting them know when you are entering or leaving a room and when you are walking away from them.
• Knowing how to guide a blind, deafblind or vision-impaired person effectively and safely.
• Speaking directly to a blind, deafblind or vision-impaired person (NOT to their guide).
• Providing information in appropriate formats (braille, large print, tape, email).

The Blindness Awareness Training programme informs you on how to use those and other practical techniques to assist blind, deafblind and vision-impaired staff, students, clients, customers and residents.

A typical training session covers:

• Facts about vision impairment.
• The leading causes of vision impairment.
• Understanding different eye conditions.
• Interacting with blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people.
• Learning how to guide a blind, deafblind or vision-impaired person
• How to create safe environments.
• The full range of services the RNZFB offers.

Some examples of our Training:

• Home care and retirement facilities
  Our training addresses ways in which staff can interact with residents to ensure their safety and quality of life.
• School of Nursing students
  Students receive training on the best ways to assist a blind, deafblind or vision-impaired patient, including orientation to their ward and explaining medical procedures.
• Tertiary and other training institutions
  Staff learn how to provide course work and key campus information on time and in appropriate formats.
• Employers and managers
  Advice is given on how to make the workplace functional and safe as well as staff training on blindness awareness. Support and training is also available to potential employers of blind, deafblind and vision-impaired workers.
• Airline staff
  Training is provided for ground staff and flight attendants, covering how to assist a blind, deafblind or vision-impaired passenger and how to ensure their flight is a safe and comfortable one.
• Hospitality industry
  Staff learn how to communicate with and orientate a blind, deablind or vision-impaired person within a restaurant or café using accessible formats for menus and explaining table orientation and food placement on the plate.

"The Foundation has provided guest lecturers for the Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing) Programme since 1995. The course promotes abilities and skills that enable students to work with and support people with vision impairments. Invariably, the lecturer is responsive to students questioning and will often clarify and illustrate points with examples from their own professional and personal experience. The presenter uses teaching aids to support and visually enrich discussion. The students have always enjoyed these classes and have found them stimulating, practical and informative."
Jenny Beale, Senior Nursing Lecturer, AUT

Advice:

Our comprehensive advice and environmental design service focuses on how organisations can maximise accessibility for customers and staff that are blind, deafblind and vision-impaired.

We can provide comprehensive and practical information on building design and construction in accordance with the New Zealand building code and associated standards.

We provide advice on the simple yet effective techniques that make life easier for blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people. These include, but are not limited to:

• The use of correct lighting and appropriate levels of contrast in the workplace.
• Providing tactile or audible 'cues' for orientation.
• Effective use of low vision aids.

Most are easily implemented and are generally inexpensive.

Changes can improve customer service and advance a blind, deafblind or vision-impaired person's confidence, mobility and general quality of life.

Other learning opportunities:

Speakers Bureau

The Speakers Bureau is an opportunity for community groups, schools and other organisations to learn about the RNZFB and its services. Almost all guest speakers are RNZFB members and therefore bring a personal perspective to presentations. Other speakers include guide dog puppy walkers, breeding stock guardians and RNZFB staff.

Presentation topics include braille, adaptive technology, guide dogs and living with vision loss.

Blindness Awareness Professional Training and Advice is provided for a negotiated fee.

Contact details

Blindness Awareness and Prevention Division
Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind
Private Bag 99941, Newmarket
Auckland
ph: 0800 24 33 33
email: baptraining

Related Links

Community Education and Awareness
Frequently Asked Questions About Blindness
Guiding a blind, deafblind or vision-impaired person