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Paralympian advises on helping visually-impaired home-buyers

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Libby Clegg

Libby Clegg, a paralympian supported by the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre (ESPC), has drawn up recommendations for assisting visually-impaired people who are searching for a home.

Ms Clegg’s guidelines will be given to all ESPC member solicitor estate agents so they can offer a full service to helping blind or partially sighted buyers find a suitable property.

Ms Clegg, a sprinter who won the 2014 Commonwealth Games T11/T12 100m with a run of 12.20 seconds, is registered blind due to a deteriorating eye condition called Stargardt disease.

ESPC has produced a short video showing Ms Clegg helping a willing participant on a “blind viewing” to give them a first-hand experience of how different it is to view a property without vision.

She said in the video: “The most important thing I would consider while looking at a property would be to always make sure you have a sighted person with you, so you can look for any damage to the property.”

Her tips for solicitors and estate agents dealing with visually-impaired buyers include:

  • If your customer is partially sighted, offer a property with lots of natural light and openness

  • Help find properties where light switches and other electrical sockets are easily accessible in each room

  • For some customers, stairs might be an issue so ask if they’re more interested in bungalow options or properties with lift access

  • Ensure suggested homes offer easy access to the kitchen/bathroom/living room or other areas they would utilise the most to maximise ease of walking around their home unaided

  • Ensure the flooring is on one level throughout each floor of the property to avoid any potential tripping hazards

  • Invite the customer to bring somebody they trust along to viewings to ask questions that might require a more personal point of view

  • Make sure to read through the contract or any additional paperwork with the customer to ensure they fully understand what legal processes are involved.

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