Step 1: Get Discord

Install the Discord app from the App Store on iPhone or iPad, Google Play on Android, or discord.com on Windows and Mac. You can also use Discord in a web browser at discord.com. Then create an account with your email address and choose a username.

Step 2: Accept our invite

Open and accept our invite link, discord.gg/universal-blind-cafe. Discord adds the Universal Blind Café to your list of servers and opens it.

Step 3: Finish joining

You'll arrive in the welcome-and-rules channel. Read our community guidelines there; everyone agrees to them when they join. At the end of the channel is a message from The Café Hostess, our helper bot, with a Finish Joining button.

Press Finish Joining. A short form opens with one question about your vision. Choose the answer that fits you best, then press Submit. You can only answer once, so take a moment to choose. The rest of the server opens to you straight away, and the Hostess sends you a welcome by direct message.

Step 4: Choose your alerts

In the roles channel, press Choose My Alerts to pick which notifications you'd like. Events pings you when a host announces an event. Voice pings you when a member is looking for someone to talk to. You can change these any time.

Step 5: Say hello and drop into voice

Introduce yourself in the introductions channel if you like. For everyday chat, general-gab-shack is our busiest text channel.

Then find the Voice Channels heading in the channel list, choose any room, and join the voice call. Our most active room is Pimp Daddy K's Diner, named in memory of a much-loved member we lost. Rooms are open all day, although they're generally more populated from late afternoon into the evening, Eastern Time.

Is the room empty? Go in anyway. We have a first-in spirit: stay a while, even on your own, and before long others will notice and come in. You can also type @voice in a text channel and say which room you're in, so members with Voice alerts know where to find you.

In a room, take turns to speak and mute yourself when you're not talking, to keep background noise down.

Step 6: Come to an event

Upcoming events are under Events, at the top of the channel list, shown in your own time zone. Choose Interested on any event for a reminder before it starts. Our events schedule has every one.

Step 1: Open the group

Sign in to Facebook in the app or at facebook.com, then open our Facebook group.

Step 2: Ask to join

Choose Join Group. You'll be asked a few questions, and to agree to our community guidelines, the same ones everyone agrees to on Discord. The questions help our admins welcome the right people. Once an admin approves your request, the group appears in your Facebook groups.

Step 3: Say hello

Introduce yourself in a post, and join the conversation in the comments. When you share a photo, please describe what's in it, so everyone can enjoy it.