Other Guide Dogs services
At Guide Dogs, we’re here to support you every step of the way. While you’re waiting to be matched with your guide dog, our experts are on hand to help you live the life you choose. Enquire today and our experts will listen to your needs to help you get the best service and support for you.
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Developing or improving existing cane skills
A cane can be a great tool to help you get out and about. Once you’ve begun your journey with Guide Dogs, one of our Vision Rehabilitation Specialists will be able to offer additional support to improve your cane skills so you can get out and about confidently while you are waiting to be matched with your guide dog.
It’s also important to remember that even once you’ve been matched, there may be occasions where it may not be appropriate to bring your guide dog - if you enjoy going to noisy concerts for example. Keeping on top of your cane skills could give you even more opportunities to do the things you want to do and keep active.
If you would prefer to watch the video without an audio description, there is a non-described version here rather than the accessible one above.
Technology skills
Whether you love technology and have all the latest gadgets, or sometimes find it all a little intimidating, there may be some surprising ways you can use it to your advantage.
The right technology could open doors to new experiences, from screen readers to smart speakers, navigation apps to doorbell cameras, there is something for everyone.
If technology feels like a whole new world to you, speak to your Vision Rehabilitation Specialist or contact Guide Line. They may be able to show you some amazing technology skills to help you manage everyday tasks.
Sighted guiding
If you need some support in getting out and about and prefer to have someone with you, our Sighted Guide Training can teach your friends and family how to guide you confidently and safely while you’re out together.
There’s a standardised way to guide a person with sight loss. We can share that with your friends and family so that everyone knows how to help and is confident in what they’re doing. And it’s not just for those who are new to it – the mum of someone with long-term sight loss recently told us that the session was ‘informational hearing about other people's personal experiences and ways they personally tackled obstacles’
As well as helping your friends and family, we also offer training sessions for local groups and community resources. So, if you’re struggling to access places or organisations in your community like the sports centre, religious setting or transport hub, let us know. We can work with you and them to provide the skills which help everyone with sight loss who uses their services. Watch our Friends and Family Sighted Guide training video to know more.
We know it can be daunting to people to offer help if they are unsure of the right way to help. The training gives people the certainty they need to make every outing easier and safer. For more information on our training packages and to find out how we can help, visit our Sighted Guide Training page.
Supporting people on the Ready to Train programme is really important. My support is unique to each person, some people I work with could need help with technology or a referral to another organisation. We're always just a phone call away.
Life skills
It’s not just tech and cane skills your Vision Rehabilitation Specialist can support you with. By helping you with new methods and techniques to handle everyday tasks, you’ll stay on top of your independent living skills. This includes everything from preparing meals safely to managing and organising your home so that it works for you.