Tips on rescue operations with blind people
For blind and visually impaired persons, communication and orientation are of particular importance, especially in emergency situations.
Next Saturday, the SBB will carry out a large-scale rescue operation in the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Passengers with a disability will also be involved. But what do helpers have to watch out for in an emergency if a visually impaired person is involved or even endangered? How do they guide a blind person out of the danger zone? The Swiss Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBC) provides help in the form of a guide. It contains a total of seven pieces of advice for rescue personnel from the fire department, ambulance service and other professionals in the industry.
On the one hand, the advice concerns communication - for example, that this must function verbally and not via gestures, and that backgrounds must be explained briefly. The second area concerns orientation: describing the way often does not make much sense, the blind or visually impaired person should be offered the arm or shoulder. It is also important here that the necessary aids such as a blind person's long cane remain in the person's possession and that the guide dog is not left behind.
Guide for rescue personnel here
