For ease of information, this section uses the term blind to refer to individuals who lack all sight, and visually impaired (VI) to refer to individuals with low vision, who have visual impairments, or who are legally blind by definition.

Though every individual in the blind/VI community has their own experiences and preferences, here are a few tips on how to play a blind/VI character respectfully. First, consider the following when developing their backstory:

• If your character was born blind/VI, remember that from very young ages, blind/VI children develop their own methods to interact with the world.
• If your character wasn’t born blind/VI, what caused, or is causing them, to lose their vision? A sudden loss of sight can be traumatic, creating a sense of helplessness until they learn ways to adapt.
• If your character is visually impaired, what level of sight do they have? Do they see only shadows and light? Or are things blurry blobs at a distance?
• Does your character want to gain or regain their sight? Not all blind/VI individuals care about “curing” their sight, especially if they’re born that way. It’s hard to miss something they have never had, and some treasure their unique interpretation of the world. On the other hand, those who’ve lost their vision might wish to regain it.
• Will your character use a cane? Blind/VI people don’t use canes to “see”; rather, they use them to gather information about the surface they’re walking on (by sound or how far their cane sinks into the ground), inclines or descents, and the edges of objects around them.
• Does your character have a service animal or familiar? Blind/VI people develop close bonds with their service animals, and these companions alert them of potential danger or obstacles, guide them, and bring them items they need. While characters who weren’t born blind/VI could potentially see through the eyes of a familiar, a character who was born blind might not understand the images a familiar projects into their mind, as they haven’t experienced sight and don’t have the necessary context.

Strive to give blind/VI PCs and NPCs the same level of independence and function as other characters in your game, and make them common enough to let others know they not only exist in your world, they thrive.

When roleplaying, you’re encouraged to include descriptions that go beyond appearance. Blind/VI people do not inherently have heightened smell or hearing, but these senses can inform them about their environment. Think about an area’s scent, temperature, wind flow, and more. Describe obstacles, people, and enemies in relation to their current position, such as stating that someone is “several paces in front” of a character or referencing a clock face or compass (where the character is always standing in the middle).

Above all, don’t be afraid to play a blind/VI character and open yourself up to these roleplaying opportunities, experiences, and perspectives.