Blindness can be difficult to deal with, more so than some other forms of disability, for instance deafness and dumbness.

If you live or have to live with someone who is blind, there are some modifications you can make to your home to ensure that their lives can be as comfortable as possible.

Use Bright Lights

Sometimes a person may be suffering from partial blindness. In such a case, using bright lighting can help them see things better.

You should make sure that accident-prone areas such as stairs and areas that are clustered with furniture and other forms of equipment, for instance, the kitchen, are especially well lit to prevent accidents for the partially blind.

Sharp Contrast, Light Colors

You should paint your house in a way that helps create sharp contrast between the objects and the wall so that they are clearly distinguishable to people with low vision.

Also, buy pieces of equipment that have bright colors such as white, yellow, or orange.

Buy Electronics with Speech Capabilities

Blind people still need to use modern electronics such as computers and microwave ovens.

You can configure the computer to offer text reading so that the blind person can know their way around when using the computer for various uses; for instance, social media, entertainment, reading, and so forth.

Also go for appliances, for instance, microwaves, that have audio features that inform the user when a task is completed. The phones should also offer speech support, so that even a completely blind person can make and receive calls.

Keep Access Paths Clear

You should keep your home very neat, particularly the access paths around the house.

Leaving things lying around, for instance power cords, toys, bags and so forth can cause frequent accidents for the blind person who cannot always tell that they are there.

Don’t Made Regular Drastic Changes to Your Furniture Layout

It is important that you try to maintain the way your furniture is arranged around the house.

Sudden changes in the positioning of the furniture will obviously make the place harder to navigate for the blind person, not to mention it could result in accidents.

A blind person will usually master the layout of the house over time, and will know how to move around easily without much difficulty.

Use Non-slip Carpets and Rugs

A blind person may not always know when they are stepping onto a carpet. Consequently, they may be unprepared to step onto an unstable surface and end up slipping and falling.

Therefore, you should always go with non-slip carpets and rugs. You can even use them creatively to help the blind identify certain places around the house, for instance, where the computer desk is located.

Create Variations in Texture of Objects

Blind people make considerably greater use of the sense of touch. Therefore, make sure that different objects offer textural variety to ensure that a blind person can make distinctions.

For instance, a cabinet containing cereal should be of a different texture to a cabinet containing utensils.

Additionally, make sure that things such as toothbrushes also feature different texture so that they are distinguishable from all the rest.

Bottom Line

Blind people can have a relatively easier stay in your home if you can create the appropriate conditions.

Generally, partially blind people require a home that provides bright lights, sharp contrast, and brightly colored equipment.

Other things to take into consideration when remodeling for a blind person is the layout of your furniture, use of carpets, and use of texture to help them differentiate among various objects.