- Remember that a person who has a disability is a person first-like anyone else.
Treat adults as adults; call the person by his or her first name only when the familiarity is extended to all others
present.
- Relax. If you don't know what to do or say, allow the person who has a disability
to help put you at ease.
- Shake whatever the person offers: a hand, foot, prosthesis, or hook.
- Explore your mutual interests in friendly ways. The person likely has many interests
besides those connected with the disability.
- Talk about the disability if it comes up naturally, without prying.
- Appreciate what the person can do. Remember that difficulties may stem more
from society's attitudes and barriers than from the disability.
- Be considerate of the extra time it might take for a person with a disability
to get things said or done. Let the person set the pace for walk-ing or talking.
- Speak directly to the person who has a disability rather than through a third
party or to an interpreter or other assistant, if one is present.
- Offer assistance if asked or if the need seems obvious, without overdoing it
or insisting on it. Respect the person's right to indicate the kind of help needed.
- Don't move a wheelchair or crutches out of the reach of the person who uses
them.
- Never lean on or touch a per-son's wheelchair or crutches. These are considered
part of the body space of the person who uses them.
- If a person uses a wheelchair, sit down, if possible, so that you are both at
eye level.
- Push a wheelchair only after asking the occupant if you may do so.
- When pushing a wheelchair up or down ramps, curbs, or other obstructions, ask
the person how he or she wants you to proceed.
- Give whole, unhurried attention to the person who has difficulty speaking.
- Keep your manner encouraging rather than correcting. Rather than talk for the
person, give help when needed. When necessary, ask questions that require short answers or a nod or shake of the
head.
- Speak calmly, slowly, and distinctly to the person who has a hearing impairment
or other problem in understanding.
- Speak clearly and slowly; to make it easier for the person to read your lips,
face the person, keep your hands away from your mouth, and speak normally. Remember that people who are deaf depend
a great deal on facial expressions and gestures for communication.
- When greeting a person with severe loss of vision, always identify yourself
and any others who may be with you. Use the person's name when starting conversation as a clue to whom the conversation
is directed.
- Allow a person with a visual impairment to take your arm, enabling you to guide
the person. Describe the physical environment you are in with detail. Don't just say, "It's over there,"
say, "It's about five feet to your right."
- Don't avoid words like "see" and "hear" in conversation
with people who are visually or hearing impaired. Just use ordinary language, rather than stumbling for other words
to compensate.
- When dining with a person who has trouble cutting, offer to help if needed.
Explain to a person who has a visual impairment where dishes, utensils, and condiments are located on the table.
- Children are naturally curious about life, and they probably also will have
natural, uninhibited curiosity when they see some one with a disability. Most people with disabilities won't mind
answering a child's questions; scolding children for asking such questions make them think there is something "bad"
about having a disability.
- Be sensitive to language when you dis-cuss disabilities. Just as you wouldn't
call someone who is sneezing and has a runny nose, "a cold," don't refer to people as "paraplegics"
or "the blind." Remember that people are people first, and that their disability is only one part of
who they are. Referring to "person first" language as "politically correct" is an insult.
- Do not play with or pet a work-ing guide or support dog because this distracts
the animal from its main responsibilities: making sure the person navigates safely through the physical environment.
|
