Henshaws’ Tips for Mobility and Daily Living with Sight Loss

As a charity dedicated to supporting individuals with sight loss, we know that there are challenges that come with navigating daily life. Whether it’s completing everyday tasks in the home or moving around and getting out and about, things could become overwhelming without the help of tools and support.

That’s where building reliable mobility and daily living skills comes in. With the right skills, knowledge, and confidence, those living with a visual impairment can be independent both at home and out in the world.

To help with this, we want to share some of our top tips and resources, which aim to make daily living safer, more manageable, and more empowering.

Mobility – Navigating Life With Confidence

Understanding Mobility Aids

Mobility aids can be life-changing tools for people with sight loss, helping to improve safety, build confidence, and support independence.

A fantastic mobility aid is a cane, and there are several types of canes out there, all designed for different needs:

• Symbol canes are slim and lightweight, used to indicate to others that you have a visual impairment. These canes don’t aid with orientation and mobility in the same way the guide cane and long cane do, as they’re not designed for detecting obstacles or environmental changes.
• Guide canes are longer than a symbol cane and are used for basic mobility, alongside protecting yourself from hazards. You hold the guide cane in front of you diagonally across your body, meaning the cane finds potential obstacles before you get to them.
• Long canes are designed to detect obstacles and changes in the environment, helping with orientation and navigation. These canes come in a variety of different lengths, meaning you can use a cane that is appropriate for your height. A Vision Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) (previously known as a Rehabilitation Officer) would assess the length of cane that would be most appropriate for you, so you can walk with confidence.
• Support canes provide physical stability in addition to signalling sight loss.

If you have both sight and hearing loss, a cane with additional red stripes could be a good option for you. It’s a dual-purpose cane that indicates to others you have both sight and hearing loss.

It’s important to remember that using a cane effectively takes proper training. At Henshaws, we refer service users to their local council’s sensory team, as a Vision Rehabilitation Specialist in that team can provide cane training.

Another mobility aid that many people will be familiar with is the guide dog; they are highly effective for individuals with visual impairments, providing them with confidence and independence in navigating their environment. They offer a partnership where the handler directs the dog, and the dog ensures safe and efficient navigation around obstacles.

While Henshaws doesn’t offer any support directly related to guide dogs, we have service users and staff members who are guide dog owners, so we will always try to offer advice where we can.

Practical Mobility Tips

Some of Henshaws’ best mobility tips include:

• Make sure you become familiar with any regular routes to reduce stress and boost confidence.
• Ensure you learn how to find and use environmental clues (like kerbs or changes in surface texture) to help with orientation.
• If you feel it could benefit you, try to practise new routes with a mobility instructor before tackling them independently.

Taking these small steps can make a big difference in building long-term confidence.

Navigating While You’re Out and About

Getting out and about is important for staying connected with those around us, but it can come with challenges if you have a visual impairment.

Some helpful tips include:

• Access mobility training to more confidently cross roads, navigate busy areas, and use public transport.
• Learn how to plan routes ahead using accessible apps or travel assistance services.
• Carry a symbol cane to make others aware of your sight loss, if you don’t need the support of a mobility aid for orientation and mobility purposes.
• Check if you are eligible for a CVI (Certificate of Vision Impairment) if you don’t have one already. A CVI is an official document that certifies you as either sight-impaired or severely sight-impaired (previously blind or partially sighted). While it’s not a requirement to have a CVI, having one can open up a world of support that might be much harder, or even impossible, to access without it. Click here to find out more about a CVI and what it may support you in applying for.

Our Living Well With Sight Loss courses can also be a great option for anyone looking for sight loss support. They involve elements of talking about independent travel, such as a talk from somebody at that local area’s sensory team, a representative from Guide Dogs (in some cases a Henshaws staff member who’s a guide dog owner) and/or a talk from Transport for Greater Manchester. 

We also hold Tech Talk groups, which often showcase technology that can help with independent travel, such as smart canes, apps and other products that can help with mobility. 

Our Enablement team have sometimes helped service users to apply for concessions like a travel pass and/or Disabled Persons Railcard, so if you need any support with this, just let us know.
To chat with us about anything mentioned above, call 0300 222 5555 or email [email protected] and chat with our friendly team.

Sighted Guide Techniques

Sometimes, a bit of extra support from another person can make a huge difference, and that’s where a sighted guide comes in. This technique involves a sighted person assisting someone with sight loss by offering physical guidance, especially in unfamiliar or crowded areas. Click here to learn more about how to use a sighted guide.

Whether it’s walking through a busy town centre or navigating a building, it’s essential that both the guide and the person being guided feel comfortable and safe. Good communication is key; if you think someone may appreciate some assistance, make sure you ask them first. If they do say yes, make sure you offer your arm rather than grabbing theirs.

We also work closely with businesses through our Visual Impairment Awareness Training (VIAT), a practical and interactive session that aims to help staff gain a greater understanding of how to support a visually impaired person. Click here to find out more about VIAT.

To further help with awareness, we created the VI-Friendly Finder Guide, a free and growing online resource to help visually impaired people find accessible businesses, services, and community groups across Greater Manchester. Whether you’re looking for a café with accessible menus, an inclusive gym, or a welcoming social group, the guide makes it easier to find places that actively support the VI community. Click here to access our VI-Friendly Finder Guide.

Enhancing Daily Living Skills – Independence at Home and Beyond

Home Adaptations and Life Hacks

Life at home can be made much easier with a few clever adjustments. Tactile markers on appliances, consistent organisation of items, and using contrasting colours to identify objects can all help with day-to-day tasks.

We’ve even put together an eBook with 52 Life Hacks – one for every week of the year! It’s packed full of practical, tried-and-tested ideas to help make living with sight loss that little bit easier. You can access this eBook about life hacks for free from our website by clicking here.

Personal Care and Household Management

Simple changes can reduce risks and save time when it comes to personal care and tasks around the home:

• Use elastic bands or tactile labels to distinguish between bottles of shampoo and conditioner.
• Store items in the same place each time to make them easier to locate.
• Use liquid level indicators or talking measuring jugs when preparing food or drink.

Assistive technology, such as talking devices, smartphone apps, and labelling tools like PenFriend, can also make a huge difference to daily routines.

Boosting Your Emotional Wellbeing and Confidence

Coping with Sight Loss

Losing sight or living with a visual impairment can bring on a ton of emotions, including grief, frustration, and isolation. At Henshaws, we know it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed, and we’re here to support you however we can.

Our amazing charity offers emotional support, peer groups, and a counselling service to help people through their sight loss journey. Being around people who understand and/or share similar experiences can help those with sight loss feel seen and validated.

Boosting Self-Confidence

Building confidence often starts with small wins – whether that’s making a meal independently or walking a familiar route alone for the first time.

We’re lucky enough to hear inspiring stories from the people we support. One of our service users previously shared how learning new mobility techniques helped her feel confident enough to go back to work and take up jogging again… How amazing is that?

It’s proof that with the right support, if you have sight loss, you can adapt, thrive, and live life on your own terms.

Conclusion

Mobility and daily living skills are more than just practical tools – they’re the foundation for living a rich and independent life with sight loss. At Henshaws, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

If you’d like to learn more, our Hints and Tips library and our Sight Loss Support pages on our website are a great place to look. There, you can explore our wide range of resources and services, and also check out the different social groups that run in Manchester and beyond.

You’ll need to get in touch with our friendly team to access our services or social groups. Additionally, explore our VI-Friendly Finder Guide to discover even more accessible opportunities throughout Greater Manchester.

Let’s build a world where sight loss isn’t a barrier – just a different way of seeing.