Disability Etiquette Tips
Meeting someone
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Meeting someone
- When you meet someone with a disability, offer your hand for a handshake. If someone is unable to shake hands, he or she will let you know, but people with limited hand use or who wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands. Shaking hands with the left hand is perfectly acceptable.
- When first encountering a person who is blind, identify yourself and anyone with you before launching into a conversation: "Hi, it's Judy from the coordinating committee . My boyfriend Bob is to my right. How have you been?" You may have to offer a little information to jog his or her memory, since he or she isn't able to rely on visual cues.
- It's okay to offer assistance to someone with a disability, but wait for a response before doing it. Then listen to, or ask for, instructions.
- When you do offer assistance to a person with a disability, offer your arm. This lets you guide without pushing or pulling the person around awkwardly.
- If you are helping to orient a person with a visual impairment, be very descriptive and be sure to tell him or her what's coming up: "Okay, step up onto the curb here," or "There's a garbage can partially blocking us on the left," for example.
- Be specific when giving instructions to a person who has a visual disability: "Then you will turn right and go about a hundred yards," for example.
- You might offer to read printed information for a person with a visual impairment : "There is a bus schedule posted here. Would you like me to read it to you? "
- If asked to carry, fold, or store a wheelchair or other assistive device, treat it with respect and care. These types of equipment are expensive, difficult to get repaired, and cause real inconvenience to their users when they aren't working properly . Try to store mobility equipment as close to its user as possible, in case it's needed in an emergency.
- When you are talking to a person with a disability, address that person, not his or her companion or assistant or sign language interpreter.
- Listen attentively when you're talking with a person who has difficulty speaking . Be patient and wait for the person to finish. If necessary, ask short questions that require short answers, a nod or a shake of the head. Never pretend to understand if you don't--instead, repeat what you understand and allow the person to respond to you. Ask the person to write down a word if you're not sure what he or she is saying.
- When talking to someone who is blind or has a visual impairment, be clear about who you are addressing if there is a third person present, when the conversation is over, or if you've moved from one spot to another.
- When talking to someone who uses a working dog (either a seeing-eye dog or any other type of service dog), keep in mind that if the dog is on its leash or harness , that animal is working and should not be distracted with whistling or petting. You shouldn't approach a working dog as you would a regular pet. If the dog is off-leash , ask the owner first for permission to pet the dog. Don't feel sorry for working dogs--they love what they do, and they get plenty of time off-leash to play and just be a pet!
- When talking to someone who is deaf or has a hearing impairment, you may have to get their attention first with a wave or a tap on the shoulder. Look directly at the person and speak clearly and not too quickly. Use written notes or gestures if necessary, but don't resort to shouting.
- Talking with your mouth full isn't just something your mother said was rude! When talking to someone who lip-reads, don't smoke, chew gum, or eat while speaking, because it makes your speech harder to understand. Don't stand with a window, the sun, or any other source of bright light behind you--the glare can make it difficult to see your face.
- If you talk to a person who uses a wheelchair for more than a couple of minutes , put yourself at eye level with that person.
- For people with hearing impairment or learning disabilities, one-on-one conversation is usually easier than talking with two or more others at once. If you are taking part in a group conversation, lots of interjections and interruptions can be make the discussion hard to follow. If someone asks, "What did you say?" don't answer , "Nothing," or "It's not important" --that is insulting and belittling. Make the effort to fully include the person in the conversation, even if that means taking the time to repeat or explain things.
- Don't feel awkward using common figures of speech like "See you next week" or "I've got to run" --folks with disabilities use the same expressions.
- Don't touch or lean on someone's wheelchair--that's a lot like leaning on someone's shoulder without asking. The chair is part of the personal body space of the person who uses it.
- Relax. Just as in any new situation, everyone will feel more comfortable if you just be yourself
For more information, please visit: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/sub_section_tools_1223.aspx