Mind Matters

At a support group for the visually impaired yesterday, the consensus seemed to be that a visually impaired person's first contact with an agency to obtain services should be with another visually impaired person. I don't agree with this opinion. It seems to me that a sighted person with a master's degree in social work or counseling should have the skills and compassion required in this situation. Of course, my own bias is showing since I am a sighted person with a counseling degree. Is it necessary to have walked a mile in a person's shoes to offer assistance or is it more important to have appropriate training?