Sighted Guides Volunteer Role Description
Role: Sighted Guide
Type: Volunteering
Eligibility: Must be sighted.
Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) has several volunteer programs which provide a forum for blind and partially sighted (BPS) people to have a voice on matters important to them and their communities.
We need your help!
Our blind and partially sighted volunteers give up a great deal of their time to campaign on improving goods and services for blind and partially sighted people. There are times when a volunteer may require some additional support from a sighted person; do you have the time to offer this sighted support?
The Sighted Guide Role
Sighted guiding is a safe and effective method of escorting someone with a vision impairment. In this role, you will guide and support blind or partially sighted people with getting to and from, and during activities such as attending meetings, at events and when conducting project work.
How you will make a difference:
As mentioned above, you will provide a vital role for our blind and partially sighted volunteers by effectively and efficiently supporting them so that they’re able to complete their tasks and duties within their own volunteer role. This may involve:
- Supporting volunteers with getting to and from the venue/place of work.
- Supporting volunteers to use public transport.
- Guiding someone in an unfamiliar environment.
- Locating equipment and facilities during meetings.
- Assisting volunteers to find others.
- Supporting with any other tasks that may come up as part of their volunteering work.
Skills, experience, and qualities needed:
There are no specific skills or qualities needed to be a Sighted Guide, but the following would be advantageous:
- Reliable with excellent time management skills
- Have a good level of mobility to be able to guide another person!
- Confident communicator
- Calm and patient
- Great people person
- Friendly and approachable
- Good listener, able to understand the needs of others
- Happy to be around assistance dogs
How the role will benefit you:
There are countless benefits to volunteering, but this unique opportunity will provide you with:
- An opportunity to directly support someone with a vision impairment in their volunteering role, supporting them to make a positive change in the local community for other blind and partially sighted people.
- A greater understanding of sight loss and other disabilities.
- A chance to network with others.
- The opportunity to complete our online learning for this role and be trained as a sighted guide.
Level of commitment:
There is no minimum commitment to be a sighted guide volunteer. However, due to the nature of the volunteer’s role, the support that they require will vary depending on the task or activity they’re involved in. Therefore, we require a satisfactory level of flexibility for this volunteer role.
Learning requirements:
To fulfil this role, you will need to complete a session in:
- Sighted Guiding
- Vision impairment awareness
- Safeguarding
- Involvement/Boundaries
Want to apply?
For any questions or enquiries please contact a member of our volunteering team at volunteering@pocklington.org.uk
Once you’re ready to apply, click the button below which will take you to an application form.