My Sighted Guide Volunteer

Imagine as you arrive at your local park, you set eyes on that friendly face waiting expectantly for you. Today is a new day and you can support someone with sight loss to experience everything around them from describing the colours of the world around you, to discovering a cosy little coffee shop.

By becoming a My Sighted Guide volunteer, you can start that journey today.

What you will be doing:

You will be directly supporting someone with sight loss to help them live the life they choose, and that is just the start. You will also:

·     Help build their confidence to get out and about in the local area.

·     Meet with someone on a regular basis to build a strong partnership.

·     Be trained in how to sighted guide and help someone achieve their mobility goals.

·     Be an important contact for Guide Dogs, keeping them up to date on how your partnership is going.

You will ideally have:

Above anything else a passion to help someone is the most important thing! Possessing the qualities below would also be beneficial:

·     Good communication skills, as you enjoy building a strong partnership.

·     Being patient, as this could be completely new for you and the person you are assisting so taking it slow can make such a difference.

·     Sighted guiding is based on someone gripping on to your arm, so having the physical ability to guide them like this is important.

If you do not feel you tick every box but are sure this role is the one for you, we would love to hear from you! We are always open to suggestions and are happy to chat with you to find out what is possible, so please just get in touch.

What you will get:

At Guide Dogs we are proud to create partnerships that achieve goals, and result in helping someone with sight loss live the life they choose.

· The training you receive is one of the best, and this training will stay with you for life. So even after your partnership has ended you will have the confidence to guide someone with sight loss.

· A dedicated volunteer manager who understands you and your partnership – they will be just a phone call away!

· Invites to a whole host of events, from social catch ups to a thank you party.

· Your wellbeing is important to us, and not only will giving your time give you the feel-good factor, but there is also nothing like getting out and about to lift your spirits.

· We will cover agreed out of pocket expenses related to volunteering with Guide Dogs.

Training and support:

You will be given fantastic training in how to Sighted Guide someone ensuring you are confident to guide. We will be there every step of the way, so if you are ever worried after your training just ask, every volunteer at Guide Dogs has a dedicated volunteer manager to support you. You will also have regular review meetings which you will need to attend that will provide the opportunity to feedback how everything is working.

Our training is delivered both in person and online, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions.

This will include:

·  Safeguarding 

·  Data protection 

·  Refresher training where necessary

If you have questions about the training requirements, we can answer these at your interview along with any other support or accessibility needs you may have.

What we need from you:

·  Someone who can give a regular commitment (at least 6 months).

·  The minimum age of this volunteer role is 18.

·  You will need to complete a disclosure check before starting this role.