INSIDE:•Meetingapersonwithadisability•Engagingapersonwhouses

awheelchair•Meetingsomeonewitha

cognitiveimpairment•Andmore…

Don’t let fear and uncertainty keep you from

getting to know people with disabilities.

Fear of the unknown and lack of knowledge

about interacting can lead to uneasiness

when meeting a person who has a disability.

Remember: a person with a disability is a

person with feelings. Treat him or her as

you would want to be treated, and then

let common sense and friendship break

down any barriers you may encounter.

Disability Etiquette:ENGAGING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Meeting a person with a disability

1. A handshake is NOT a standard greeting for everyone.Whenindoubt,ASKthepersonwhetherheorshewouldliketo shakehandswithyou.Asmilealongwithaspokengreetingisalwaysappropriate.

2. Speak directly to the person with a disability,notjusttopersonswhomaybeaccompanyinghimorher.

3. Don’t mention the person’s disability,unlessheorshetalksaboutitoritisrelevanttotheconversation.

4. Treat adults as adults.Don’tpatronizeortalkdowntopeoplewithdisabilities.Likewise,don’tlavishpraiseonaperson withadisabilityforhavingthe“courage”toovercomeadisability.

5. Be patient and give your undivided attention, especiallywithsomeonewhospeaksslowlyorwithgreateffort.

6. Never pretend to understand what a person is saying.Askthepersontorepeatorrephrase.

7. It is okay to use common expressionslike“seeyousoon”or“I’dbetterberunningalong.”

8. Relax. We all make mistakes. Offeranapologyifyouforgetsomecourtesy.Keepasenseofhumorandawillingness tocommunicate.

Interacting with a wheelchair user

1. Personal space –Donotpush,leanon,orholdontoaperson’swheelchairunlessthepersonasksyouto. Thewheelchairispartofhisorherpersonalspace.

2. Eye-to-Eye –Trytoputyourselfateyelevelwhentalkingwithsomeonein awheelchair.Sitorkneelinfrontoftheperson.

3. Clear a path –Rearrangefurnitureorobjectstoaccommodatea wheelchairbeforethepersonarrives.

4. Know the geography –Ifasked,knowwheresomeonecanfind accessiblerestrooms,telephones,andwaterfountainsinthebuilding.

5. Directions – Whengivingdirectionstoapersoninawheelchair, considerdistance,weatherconditions,andphysicalobstacles (curbs,stairs,steephills,etc.).

Meeting someone with a cognitive impairment that affects learning, intelligence, or brain function

1. Keep your communication simple.Useshortsentencesandrephrase commentsorquestionsforbetterclarity.

2. Stay on pointbyfocusingononetopicatatime.

3. Allow the person timetorespond,askquestionsandclarify yourcomments.

4. Focus on the personasheorsherespondstoyouandpayattention tobodylanguage.

5. Repetition.Ifappropriate,repeatbackanymessagestoconfirm mutualunderstanding.

Engaging someone who is blind or has a disability that affects vision

1. Greetings –Whenmeetingtheperson,identifyyourselfandintroduceotherswhomay bepresent.

2. Departing – Don’tleavethepersonwithoutexcusingyourselffirst.

3. Guiding –Whenaskedtoguidesomeone,neverpushorpulltheperson.Offeryourarmand allowhimorhertoreachforyou,thenwalkslightlyahead.Pointoutdoors,stairs,andcurbs asyouapproachthem.

4. The landscape – Asyouguideapersonintoaroom,describethelayout,thelocation offurniture,andnotewhoelseisnearby.

5. Details matter – Bespecificwhendescribingthelocationofobjects. (Example:“Thereisachairthreefeetfromyouateleveno’clock.”)

6. Guide dogs – Don’tpetordistractaguidedog.Thedogisresponsibleforitsowner’s safetyandisalwaysworking.Itisnotapet.

Meeting a person with a disability that affects speech

1. Pay attention, be patient, and waitforthepersontocompleteawordor thought.Donotfinishitfortheperson.

2. Ask the person to repeat what is saidifyoudonotunderstand.Tellthe personwhatyouheardandseeifitisclosetowhatheorsheissaying.

3. Be prepared for persons who use assistive technologytoenhanceor augmentspeech.Don’tbeafraidtocommunicatewithsomeonewho usesanalphabetboardoracomputertocommunicate.

Communicating with someone who is deaf or uses an assisted hearing device

1. Let the person take the leadinestablishingthecommunicationmode, suchaslip-reading,signlanguage,orwritingnotes.

2. Talk directly to the personevenwhenasignlanguageinterpreter ispresent.

3. If the person lip-reads,facehimorherdirectly,speakclearlyand withamoderatepace.

4. With some peopleitmayhelptosimplifyyoursentencesand usemorefacialexpressionsandbodylanguage.

Service animals

1. It takes all kinds –Serviceanimalscomeinallshapesandsizes. Inadditiontothe traditionalguidedog,avarietyofdogsandotherserviceanimalsmaydetectseizures beforetheyoccur,enhancetherapiesforchildrenwithautism,provideacalming presenceforadults,orassistwithawiderangeofdailylivingactivities.

2. Engaging animal –Aserviceanimalisaphysicalextensionofapersonwitha disabilityandistheretowork. Itmaybetemptingtopetorcallforaservice animal’sattention.However,forthesafetyandwell-beingoftheteamask permissionfromtheserviceanimal’sownerfirst.

3. Questions–Thelawvarieswidelysoifyouhaveaspecificquestion,please contacttheTennesseeDisabilityCoalition.

 

Using appropriate language

Lifeformostpeoplewithmentalorphysicaldisabilitieshasvastlyimprovedoverthepastfortyyears.However,somethingshavebeenslowtochange;namely,attitudesandperceptionsaboutpeoplewithdisabilities.Theuseofoutdatedlanguageandwordstodescribepeoplewithdisabilitiescontributestoperpetuatingoldstereotypes.

Ifpublicopinionaboutpeoplewithdisabilitiesistoevolve,thenawarenessandusageofmoreappropriatelanguageneedstobecomepartofeverydaydiscourse.

1. Disability relevance –Donotrefertoaperson’sdisabilityunlessitisrelevanttoasituationordiscussion.

2. Disability vs. handicap –Theuseoftheword“handicap”isconsideredoffensive,andthepreferredtermis“disability.” Generally,itisonlyacceptabletouse“handicap”whenreferringtoaccommodationssuchashandicapparking, althoughaccessibleparkingispreferredtoday.

3. People first language – Say“personwithadisability”ratherthana“disabledperson.”Thisemphasizesthatindividuals withdisabilitiesarepeoplefirstandthusshouldnotbedefinedbytheirdisability.

4. Referencing groups – Avoidreferringtoagroupofindividualsasthedisabled,quadriplegics,ortheretarded.Instead, usereferencessuchas“personswithadisability,”“personswithquadriplegia,”and“personswithanintellectual disability.”Anexceptioninvolvespeoplewhoaredeafandpreferthephrase“TheDeaf.”

5. Negative and sensational descriptions – Donotsay“suffersfrom,”“avictimof,”“afflictedwith,”or“crippled.”Neversay “invalid.”Theseportrayalselicitunwantedsympathy,orworse,pitytowardindividualswithdisabilities.

6. Gratuitous, but well-meaning praise –Don’tportraypeoplewithdisabilitiesasoverlycourageous,brave,special,or superhumanbecausetheyhave“overcome”adisability.Doingsoimpliesthatitisunusualforpeoplewithdisabilities tohavetalents,skills,andtheabilitytocontributeinsociety.

7. Wheelchairs and adaptive technology – Neversay“wheelchair-bound”or“confinedtoawheelchair.”Peopleuse mobilityoradaptiveequipmentastoolsofgreaterindependence.

8. Presume competence –Neverassumethatapersonwholooksorspeaksdifferentlyhasacognitivedisability.

Thepreferred“peoplefirstlanguage”recognizesthatsomeoneisapersonfirst,andthatthedisabilityisapartof,butnotthewholeperson.However,somepeoplewithdisabilitiesrejectuseofpeoplefirstlanguage. Theseguidelineshavedevelopedindependentlywithindistinctdisabilitycommunities,andtheymaysometimesappearcontradictory. Forexample, some persons with reduced vision find the term“visually-impaired” acceptable, but some persons withreducedhearingfindtheterm“hearing-impaired”offensiveandprefer“hardofhearing.”

Talking About Disability

WORDS & PHRASES TO AVOID PREFERRED ALTERNATIVES

adisabledperson

thehandicappedorthecrippled

normal,healthyorable-bodiedperson/people

wheelchair-boundorconfinedtoawheelchair

birthdefectoraffliction

avictimofcerebralpalsy(orothercondition)

suffersfrompolio,afflictedwithpolioorpost-polios

mentallyretarded,aretardsloworspecial

theDown’spersonorMongoloid

theepilepticorepilepticsfitsorepilepticfits

thementallyillcrazy,psycho,nuts,mentalcase

theblindorblindasabat

hearing-impaireddeaf-mute,deafanddumb

personwithadisability

personwithadisability

peoplewithoutdisabilitiestypicalperson

awheelchairuserusesawheelchair

congenitaldisabilityorbirthanomaly

hascerebralpalsyhas(insertcondition)

hashadpolio,experiencedpoliohasadisabilityduetopolio

personwithanintellectualordevelopmentaldisability

personwithDownSyndrome

personwithepilepsypersonwithaseizuredisorderseizureorepilepticepisode

peoplewhohavementalillnesspersonwithamentaloremotionaldisorder

peoplewhoareblindorvisuallyimpaired

personwhoishardofhearingtheDeaf,apersonwhoisdeaf

TheCoalitionisanallianceoforganizationsandindividualswhohavejoinedtopromotethefulland

equalparticipationofmen,womenandchildrenwithdisabilitiesinallaspectsoflife.Weworktogetherto

advocateforpublicpolicythatensuresself-determination,independence,empowerment,andinclusion

forpeoplewithdisabilitiesinareassuchasaccessibility,education,healthcare,housing,andvotingrights.

Organizational Membership–IfyourorganizationwouldliketojointheCoalition,thenpleasegiveusa

callatthephonenumberbeloworcontactourExecutiveDirectoratcoalition@tndisability.org

Individual Membership–IfyouwouldliketojointheCoalitionasa

memberofourDisabilityActionNetwork,pleasegiveusacallatthe

phonenumberbeloworcontactamemberofourPublicPolicyTeamat

news@tndisability.org.

About the Tennessee Disability Coalition

Tennessee Disability Coalition955WoodlandStreet•Nashville,TN37206

Phone:615.383.9442•Fax:615.383.1176•Ontheweb:www.tndisability.org

1. Personal Questions – Avoidaskingpersonalquestionsaboutsomeone’sdisability.Ifyoumust

ask,besensitiveandshowrespect.Donotprobeifthepersondeclinestodiscussit.

2. Patience – Itmaytakeextratimeforapersonwithadisabilitytodoorsaysomething.

3. Offering Assistance –Bepoliteandfriendlywhenofferingassistanceandwaituntilyour

offerisaccepted.Listenoraskforspecificinstructions.

4. Meetings & Events – Createanenvironmentthatiswelcomingtoeveryone.Anticipate

specificaccommodationsthatapersonwithadisabilityorgroupmightneedandcontact

themforinformationonhowtobestmeettheirneeds.

Common Courtesies for Engaging

People with Disabilities