Sighted guide training

Learn how to guide a person with sight loss

Are you interested in learning how to guide someone with sight loss? Our training can teach you how to guide adults safely, with confidence, skill and empathy. Much like learning how to perform first aid, sighted guiding is a useful life skill. It will give you the confidence to know how to act when you meet someone who is blind or partially sighted, and the guiding techniques to help them if they need it.

The benefits of learning how to sighted guide

Whether you meet a customer with sight loss at work, in your volunteer role, or when you’re out and about, taking a few moments to offer guiding assistance can make a huge difference to their day. Our sighted guide training will teach you how to ask the person if they need assistance, and cover the basic guiding techniques to support people getting around obstacles, crossing roads and getting in and out of cars.  

This guiding training is to support adults with sight loss, visit our help for children and families pages for support for children.

Need help choosing which sighted guiding training is right for you?

We offer a range of sighted guide training options, please use the questionnaire below to find out which training is right for you.

Why are you interested in learning to sighted guide?

You've chosen Friends and Family Sighted Guide Training! Sign up now to learn how to guide your friend or family member with sight loss.

You've chosen an Introduction to Sighted Guide Training! Sign up now to learn the basics of how to guide an adult with sight loss.

You've chosen Friends and Family Sighted Guide Training! Sign up now to learn how to guide your friend, family member or colleague with sight loss.

You've chosen an Introduction to Sighted Guide Training! Sign up now to learn the basics of how to guide an adult with sight loss. If you're part of a community group or workplace who'd like to learn together, our Community and Corporate Sighted Guide Training might be more suitable.

You've chosen Community and Corporate Sighted Guide Training! Sign your group up now to learn how to guide an adult with sight loss.

You've chosen Community and Corporate Sighted Guide Training! Sign your group up now to learn how to guide an adult with sight loss.

The session I attended was very informative and enjoyable. I took away a greater understanding of how to support someone with a vision impairment or sight loss, be it from a personal or professional perspective.”
Matt, Introduction to Sighted Guide Training participant

Choose from three different sighted guide training sessions...

A guide dog owner being guided off a train
Friends and Family Sighted Guide Training

Live, online training specifically for those who want to help a friend or family member with a vision impairment.

A person with sight loss clothes shopping with her sighted guide
Introduction to Sighted Guide Training

Live, online training with one of our experts, for anyone aged 18 and over wanting to learn how to guide an adult with sight loss.

Sighted guide demonstration by two Guide Dog staff members
Community and Corporate Sighted Guide Training

Tailored, in-person or virtual sighted guide training for workplaces, community groups, universities and charities that provide services to the public.

To help you get started, we've put together the top 10 tips for sighted guiding in a short, engaging video.

Watch our top tips video

Nearly 50% of people with a vision impairment say they can feel isolated and cut off from the people and places around them.

You can help change that by learning a simple skill. Thank you for helping us make the world a more inclusive place.

Frequently asked questions

Read more about how Guide Dogs is working with CILIP Scotland to train library professionals from across the UK to make their libraries more inclusive.

Read our blog