Human Guide Techniques

Video Transcript

Title Slide: Human Guide Techniques
{Image: Black screen with the words “Human Guide Techniques” in white letters.}
{Image: A man and a woman are walking outside on a sidewalk. The man is holding a white cane in his right hand. He is holding the elbow if the woman with his left hand. The woman is a half step ahead of the man.}

{Image: A man wearing dark sunglasses is walking in a shopping mall with a yellow Labrador retriever dog guide. The dog is wearing a dog guide harness and is walking a step ahead of the man. There are other people walking in the vicinity of the man and the dog.}

{Image: A man and a woman are shown from behind. The man is holding the woman at her elbow using his left hand.}

“A human guide is a person who provides travel assistance to someone who is blind or DeafBlind by helping them move safely from one place to another. The individual who is blind will choose the tools they use to travel including a white cane, support cane, dog guide, human guide or a combination of these.”

Title Slide: Initiating Human Guide
{Image: Black screen with the words “Initiating Human Guide” in white letters.}
{Video: A man and a woman are standing in a hallway facing each other. The man is holding a white cane in his right hand. They are speaking to one another and nodding their heads. The woman turns to face the same direction as the man and moves her arm next to the man’s left hand. The man slides his left hand up the woman’s arm to rest at her elbow. They begin walking in unison with the woman one step ahead of the man. The man is moving his cane from right to left in front of him. The video moves down to focus on their feet and gait.}

“Guiding may start with the guide asking if the traveler would like to use human guide technique. The guide may ask which side the traveler prefers to be on.
Oftentimes it is the opposite side that they hold their cane. This traveler prefers to use his cane along with human guide”

Title Slide: Grasp and Positioning
{Image: Black screen with the words “Grasp and Positioning” in white letters.}
“While other travelers may want to use human guide alone. Again, it is always up to the traveler.”

{Video: A man and woman are standing side-by-side in a hallway. The man is wearing an FM hearing device around his neck. The woman moves her arm toward the man to touch his hand. The man grasps her arm and moves his hand up to her elbow. The video the changes viewing direction of the same man and woman walking from behind in this same positioning; the man is holding the woman by the elbow and they are walking. They woman is a step ahead of the woman.}

{Image: Two woman standing side-by-side. The woman on the right has her left hand holding the woman on the left just above her elbow. The woman on the left has her arm extended down and straight.} “The standard technique for human guide is the traveler placing a firm grasp above the elbow of the guide. The guide keeps their arm relaxed and extended downward so that the traveler can feel subtle changes in their movement and direction. The standard technique can be modified to fit people with significant height differences, personal preferences and physical challenges.”

{Image: A tall man and a short woman are walking in a hallway. They are facing away from the camera. The woman is approximately 18” shorter than the man. The man has his left hand resting on the woman’s right shoulder. The woman is walking approximately one step ahead of the man.}

Title Slide: Pace
{Image: Black screen with the word “Pace” in white letters.}
“It is important to respect the pace of the traveler and slow or quicken the pace accordingly. When walking the guide should remain one half step ahead of the traveler. However, when using stairs the guide should be one full step ahead. “

{Video: A man and a woman are facing each other. The woman nods her head while looking at the man and then moves her right arm to touch the man’s left hand. The man grasps the woman just above her right elbow and they begin walking. The man is moving a white cane from left to right in front him while he walks. They are walking in unison with the woman a half step ahead of the man.

Title Slide: Narrow passageway and Door Technique
{Image: Black screen with the words “Narrow Passageway/Doors” in white letters.}

“When you are approaching a narrow passageway, the guide places their arm behind their back signaling to the traveler that they are approaching a narrow space. The traveler will slide their hand down to the guide’s wrist and will follow behind the guide.”

{Video: A man and a woman are shown from behind. They are walking together. The man has his left hand grasping the woman’s right elbow and she is walking a half step ahead of the man. The woman bends her arm at the elbow behind her back and turns to her left to enter a doorway. The man and the woman pass through the doorway and out of view.}

{Video: A man and woman are shown from a side view. The man is grasping the woman’s arm at her elbow. She is walking and turning to her right and bends her arm behind her back to indicate they are going through a doorway. The man follows behind the woman and the walk through the doorway.}

Title Slide: Doors
{Image: Black screen with the words “Doors” in white letters.}

{Video: A man and a woman are in a stairwell. The man is grasping the woman’s arm at her elbow. They approach a closed door and the woman opens the door and holds it with her free hand to walk through the door. The man is still holding her arm and walks through the doorway behind the woman.}

{Video: A closed door is shown. The door opens and a man and a woman walk through the doorway with the man grasping the woman’s arm at her elbow. They continue to walk side-by-side after passing through the doorway.}

{Video: A man and a woman are standing together at a closed door. The man is grasping the woman’s right arm at her elbow using his left hand. The woman uses her left hand to open the door. She holds the door open with her foot and reaches for the man’s right hand, placing her hand beneath his. She guides his hand to the door and he holds the door open as they walk through the doorway. He moves his hand twice along the door as he walks forward.}

“A basic rule to remember when guiding a traveler through a door is whoever is on the hinge side of the door takes control of the door. In this example, the hinge is on the guide’s side so she is opening and holding the door for the traveler. When the hinge is on the traveler’s side, the guide may use hand under hand technique to guide the travelers hand to the door. “

Title Slide: Communicating Environmental Changes
{Image: Black screen with the words “Communicating Environmental Changes” in white letters.}

{Video: A man and woman are walking side-by-side, with the man grasping the woman’s left elbow with his right hand. They approach 4 steps and the woman stops walking. She moves her arm slightly to the left. The man moves his left hand to find a railing and uses his left hand to grasp the hand railing on his left side. They walk down the steps together with the woman walking one step lower than the man.The walk together after descending the steps.}

{Image: A man and a woman are walking side-by-side and approaching a downward sloping ramp with a railing on both sides. The man is grasping the woman’s left arm at her elbow with his right hand. The woman pauses at the top of the ramp and moves her left arm slightly to the left. The man finds the railing and grasps it. They continue walking down the ramp, the woman a half step ahead of the man.}

“The guide can adjust their pace or pause briefly to indicate an upcoming change in the environment including ramps, stairs, curbs, or other changes in the surface.
When approaching stairs, the guide should pause and proceed slowly allowing the traveler to feel the upward or downward movement. In familiar settings the traveler may reach out independently to grasp the railing.

Title Slide: Hand under Hand Technique
{Image: Black screen with the words “Hand under Hand Technique” in white letters.}

{Image: Two right hands are shown. One hand is beneath the other and they are resting on a hand railing.}

{Video: Two people are shown from the waist down in a stairwell. The person on the right places her hand under the right hand of the other person and places his hand on the railing. He grasps the railing.}

In unfamiliar settings the guide may use hand-under-hand technique to guide the travelers hand to the railing.”

{Image: Black screen with the words “For more information regarding human guide technique please contact a local Orientation and Mobility Specialist.” [End of Transcript]