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Awareness & Etiquette
"Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty
and the test of our civilization"
Mahatma Gandhi
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Some tips for communicating with people with disabilities
- Always ask before assisting someone with a disability.
- Offer to shake hands when introduced. It is acceptable to offer your left hand.
- Treat adults as adults.
- Be considerate of the extra time it might take a person with a disability to do some things.
- Speak directly to the person, even if he or she is accompanied by a companion or a sign language interpreter.
- Don’t lean on a person’s wheelchair. A wheelchair is considered an extension of someone’s personal space.
- When possible, sit to speak to a person in a wheelchair so that you can be at eye level with that person.
- Don’t pet or distract a guide or companion dog when it is working.
- Give unhurried attention to a person who has difficulty speaking. If you didn’t understand what the person said, ask them to repeat themselves rather than pretend to have understood.
- When speaking to a person who is hard of hearing, look directly at them, and speak slowly and calmly.
- Greet a person who is visually impaired by telling the person your name and where you are.
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Disability Etiquette
 Since nearly one in
five people in
Littleton has a
disability, the
chances are
good that you will
have the
opportunity to
interact with
someone with a
disability every
day .
Sometimes people feel uncomfortable because they are unsure how to act or what to say. The following tips can help. Don’t let fear of doing or saying something ‘wrong’ prevent you from getting to know someone with a disability. If you’re unsure, start by saying ‘hello’.
Practicing disability etiquette is an easy way to make people with disabilities feel welcome in your store, your office, your home or your school. Remember, we are all more alike than we are different; think about how you’d like to be treated. Etiquette is based primarily on respect and courtesy.
For more information about disability etiquette in business settings, go online to the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy Web site. Or contact Nicole at the Model Community Project, 444-3996 ext 27. |
Providing quality customer service to people with disabilities |
| A large untapped customer market is the disability market, which can be an economically advantageous niche for business. 2000 Census: Over half of the people that are over 65 have disabilities. Over 54 million Americans have a disability.People with disabilities have over 220 billion dollars in discretionary spending power. Why would you purposefully eliminate this amount of business potential? Click here for tips on customer service to people with disabilities. |
Remember when marketing to persons with disabilities that they have the same range of preferences, perceptions, attitudes, habits, and needs that drive consumer behavior of persons without disabilities. All customers require quality products and services that meet their needs, are reliable, and are competitively prices. Company outreach initiatives need to convey that people with disabilities are valued as customers.
From the U.S. Department of Labor website |
People-First language: what it is & why it's important |
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People with disabilities are people, first. They are Moms, brothers, friends, co-workers, daughters, and neighbors.
When we describe people by their labels or medical diagnoses, we devalue and disrespect them as individuals. When you in meet new people, you don’t introduce yourself by what you can’t do: “Hello, I’ll never be a professional quarterback.” You focus on your strengths, you describe what you do. This is the idea of 'people-first language'. |
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference betwee lightning and the lightning bug."
Mark Twain |
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Try saying “people with disabilities” instead of “the handicapped"
or "the disabled.”
For more information and examples, visit the Disability is Natural Web site. |
For more information |
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The Disability Etiquette Handbook is a valuable publication of the city of San Antonio, TX. The handbook, which is available in part on line, has information for businesses, organizations, and individuals. |
The Disabilities Awareness Information Kit. This website aims to promote an understanding of issues surrounding disability and of appropriate and effective methods of interaction. Resources include handouts and activity guidelines on a variety of subjects. |
Articles of Interest
Seven Deadly Sentiments (published in Psychology Today)
By Kathleen McGowan -- Publication Date: Jan/Feb 2004
Summary: Introducing the shameful feelings that many people have but few admit.
(Excerpt) "I don't know what to say to her."
It's a fairly common, fairly embarrassing response. To wit: A continent-wide European poll found that while most people (80 percent) claim that they themselves feel "at ease" around the disabled, more than half believe that "other people" probably aren't so sanguine. Something doesn't compute.
[Here's one] explanation: Disabled people may simply remind the rest of us of our own physical vulnerability and mortality. Not surprisingly, the aversion may be stronger when the person in question is a stranger. One French study found that subjects who don't know any physically handicapped people are much more likely to react immediately with feelings of fear and disgust. In contrast, those with handicapped relatives rarely register such emotions.
Often that's no more than the simple awkwardness that stems from the fear of breaking rules of etiquette--or looking like a jerk. This social fear embellishes the more innate feelings, suggests Don Freedheim, emeritus professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. As kids we have a natural curiosity about disabled people that adults try to squelch, he says: "Parents say, 'Shh, don't say that,' and the child may be forced into feeling that it's bad to be different." A little education about disability, says Freedheim, can go a long way.
Link: http://www.psychologytoday.com/htdocs/prod/PTOArticle/pto-20040107-000004.asp
(Click on the link above to read the rest of the article)
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