Special training prepares staff of Nugget for conference of blind

Hosting more than 1,500 blind and visually impaired people during the convention of the American Council of the Blind took more than the usual amount of preparation by staff of John Ascuaga's Nugget.

About 1,000 front-line staff and managers of the casino hotel received training in the needs of blind guests before the convention-goers arrived.

Carla Ruschival, convention planner of the American Council of the Blind, told Nugget staff to pay particularly close attention to visual clues and body language, especially when they gave directions.

It doesn't do much good, she noted, to tell a blind guest, "The elevator is over there."

Far more useful are instructions such as, "Follow the tile walkway for about 20 feet and the elevator will be on your right."

For restaurant employees, Ruschival's tips to serve blind and visually impaired customers included:

* Keep the coffee cups and drinks away from the edge of table. Instead place them at the tip of the knife.

* When serving, announce what you're serving and describe where it is. For example, "Here is your grilled chicken. The chicken is at 12 o'clock, the potatoes are at 3 and the peas are at 6."

* When the meal is over hand the guest the check, tell them the amount and where to pay.

* Make a crease where the guest needs to sign or line up the credit card or signature guide. If the guest is charging it to a room, write the room number for them.

* When counting out change or cashing out in the casino, hand each type of bill separately. Blind people each have their own system for folding their money so that they know what denomination the bill is.

During the convention, the American Council of the Blind contracted with a vendor for support guide dogs. The company established a dog relief area, a dog play area and provided an accident clean-up crew.

The convention wrapped up Saturday.