Disability 101

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Disability 101

• Facilitating an Accessible Library
• Carolyn Boone and Khaki Wunderlich
• Tompkins Cortland Community College

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Disability Etiquette (General)

• When talking with a person with a disability,
  speak directly to that person rather than to a
  companion or sign language interpreter who may be
  present.
• When introduced to a person with a disability, it
  is appropriate to offer to shake hands. People
  with limited hand use or who wear an artificial
  limb can usually shake hands. Shaking hands with
  the left hand is an acceptable greeting.
• When meeting a person with a visual impairment,
  always identify yourself and others who may be
  with you. When conversing in a group, remember to
  identify the person to whom you are speaking.
• If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is
  accepted. Then listen to or ask for instructions.
  
• Treat adults as adults. Address people who have
  disabilities by their first names only when
  extending that same familiarity to all others
  present. Never patronize people who use
  wheelchairs by patting them on the head or
  shoulder.
• Leaning or hanging on a person's wheelchair is
  similar to leaning or hanging on a person and is
  generally considered annoying. The chair is part
  of the personal body space of the person who uses
  it.

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Disability Etiquette - General (cont)

• Listen attentively when you're talking with a
  person who has difficulty speaking. Be patient
  and wait for the person to finish, rather than
  correcting or speaking for that person. If
  necessary, ask short questions that require short
  answers, a nod, or a shake of the head.
• Never pretend to understand if you are having
  difficulty doing so. Instead, repeat what you
  have understood and allow the person to respond.
  The response will clue you in and guide your
  understanding.
• When speaking with a person in a wheelchair or a
  person who uses crutches, place yourself at eye
  level in front of the person to facilitate the
  conversation.
• To get the attention of a person who is deaf or
  hard of hearing, tap the person on the shoulder
  or wave your hand. Look directly at the person
  and speak clearly. Not all people who are deaf or
  hard of hearing can speechread. For those who do
  speechread, be sensitive to their needs by
  placing yourself facing the light source and
  keeping hands, cigarettes, and food away from
  your mouth when speaking.
• Relax. It's okay if you happen to use accepted,
  common expressions, such as "See you later" or
  "Did you hear about this," that seem to relate to
  the person's disability.

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Disability Etiquette Blindness and Visual
Impairment

• Introduce yourself to people who are blind or
  visually impaired using your name and/or
  position, especially if you are wearing a name
  badge containing this information.
• Speak directly to people who are blind or
  visually impaired, not through a companion,
  guide, or other individual.
• Speak to people who are blind or visually
  impaired using a natural conversational tone and
  speed.
• Address people who are totally blind or severely
  visually impaired by name when possible. This is
  especially important in crowded areas.
• Immediately greet people who are blind or
  visually impaired when they enter a room or a
  service area. This allows you to let them know
  you are present and ready to assist. It also
  eliminates uncomfortable silences.
• Indicate the end of a conversation with a person
  who is totally blind or severely visually
  impaired to avoid the embarrassment of having
  them continue speaking when no one is actually
  there.

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Disability Etiquette Blindness and Visual
Impairment (cont)

• Feel free to use words that refer to vision
  during the course of conversations with people
  who are blind or visually impaired.
  Vision-oriented words such as look, see, and
  watching TV are a part of everyday verbal
  communication. The words blind and visually
  impaired are also acceptable in conversation.
• Be precise and thorough when you describe places,
  individuals, or things to people who are totally
  blind. Don't leave things out or change a
  description because you think it is unimportant
  or unpleasant. It is also important to refer to
  specific people or items by name or title instead
  of general terms like "you", or "they" or "this."
  
• Feel free to use visually descriptive language.
  Making reference to colors, patterns, designs,
  and shapes is perfectly acceptable.
• Speak about a person with a disability by first
  referring to the person and then to the
  disability. Refer to "people who are blind"
  rather than to "blind people."
• Offer to guide people who are blind or visually
  impaired by asking if they would like assistance.
  Offer them your arm. It is not always necessary
  to provide guided assistance in some instances
  it can be disorienting and disruptive. Respect
  the desires of the person you are with.

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Disability Etiquette Blindness and Visual
Impairment (cont)

• Guide people who request assistance by allowing
  them to take your arm just above the elbow when
  your arm is bent. Walk ahead of the person you
  are guiding. Never grab a person who is blind or
  visually impaired by the arm and push him/her
  forward.
• Guide dogs are working mobility tools. Do not pet
  them, feed them, or distract them while they are
  working.
• Do not leave a person who is blind or visually
  impaired standing in "free space" when you serve
  as a guide. Always be sure that the person you
  guide has a firm grasp on your arm, or is leaning
  against a chair or a wall if you have to be
  separated momentarily.
• Be calm and clear about what to do if you see a
  person who is blind or visually impaired about to
  encounter a dangerous situation. For example, if
  a person who is blind is about to bump into a
  stanchion in a hotel lobby, calmly and firmly
  call out, "Wait there for a moment there is a
  pole in front of you."

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Disability Etiquette Speech Disabilities

• People who have speech disabilities may use a
  variety of ways to communicate. The individual
  may choose to use American Sign Language, write,
  speak, use a communication device, or a
  combination of methods. Find out the person's
  preferred method and use it.
• Be appropriate when speaking with a person with a
  speech disability. Never assume that the person
  has a cognitive disability just because he or she
  has difficulty speaking.
• Move away from a noisy source and try to find a
  quiet environment for communicating with the
  person.
• If the person with a speech disability has a
  companion or attendant, talk directly to the
  person. Do not ask the companion about the
  person.
• Listen attentively when you are talking with a
  person who has difficulty speaking. Be patient
  and wait for the person to finish, rather than
  correcting or speaking for the person. If
  necessary, ask short questions that require short
  answers, a nod, or shake of the head.

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Disability Etiquette Speech Disabilities (cont)

• If you do not understand what the person has
  said, do not pretend that you did. Ask the person
  to repeat it. Smiling and nodding when you have
  no idea what the person said is embarrassing to
  both parties. Instead, repeat what you have
  understood and allow the person to respond.
• When you have difficulty conversing on the
  telephone with the person, suggest the use of a
  speech-to-speech relay service so that a trained
  professional can help you communicate with the
  person. Either you or the person can initiate the
  call free of charge via the relay service.
• If the person uses a communication device, make
  sure it is within his or her reach. If there are
  instructions visible for communicating with the
  person, take a moment to read them.
• Do not make assumptions about what a person can
  or cannot do based on his disability. All people
  with disabilities are different and have a wide
  variety of skills and personalities.

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Building Access Environment

• Are parking areas, pathways, and entrances to the
  building wheelchair-accessible?
• Are doorway openings at least 32 inches wide and
  doorway thresholds no higher than one half inch?
• Are aisles kept wide and clear for wheelchair
  users? Have protruding objects been removed or
  minimized for the safety of users who are
  visually impaired?
• Are all levels of the library connected via an
  accessible route of travel, or are there
  procedures to assist patrons with mobility
  impairments in retrieving materials from
  inaccessible locations?

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Building Access Environment

• Are ramps and/or elevators provided as
  alternatives to stairs? Do elevators have both
  auditory and visual signals for floors? Are
  elevator controls marked in large print and
  Braille or raised notation? Can people seated in
  wheelchairs easily reach all elevator controls?
• Are wheelchair-accessible restrooms with
  well-marked signs available in or near the
  library?
• Are service desks and facilities such as book
  returns wheelchair accessible? (Height of service
  desks no greater than 34 place to put books in
  self-contained drop off return not more than 48)

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Building Access Environment

• Are there ample high-contrast, large print
  directional signs throughout the library? Are
  shelf and stack identifiers provided in large
  print and Braille formats? Are call numbers on
  book spins printed in large type? Is equipment
  marked with large print and Braille labels?
• Are telecommunication devices for the deaf
  (TDD/TTY) available?
• Are library study rooms available for patrons
  with disabilities who need to bring personal
  equipment or who need the assistance of a reader?
• Are hearing protectors, private study rooms, or
  study carrels available for users who are
  distracted by noise and movement around them?

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Library Staff
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Library Staff

• Are staff aware of disability issues?
• Are staff trained in the use of telecommunication
  devices for the deaf (TTD/TTY) and adaptive
  computer technology provided in the library? Are
  there regular refresher courses to help staff
  keep their skills up-to-date?
• Are staff trained in policies and procedures for
  providing accommodations to patrons with
  disabilities? Are staff aware of services
  provided for people with disabilities?

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Library Staff

• Are staff knowledgeable of other organizations,
  such as federally-funded talking book and Braille
  libraries, that provide information services to
  patrons with disabilities?
• Do public services staff wear large print name
  badges?
• If there are staff members with sign language
  skills, are they identified to other staff
  members so that, when available, they can assist
  patrons who are deaf?

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Library Services
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Library Services

• Does the library have a designated staff member
  and/or committee who coordinates services for
  patrons with disabilities, monitors adaptive
  technology developments, and responds to requests
  for accommodation?
• Are people with disabilities included in the
  librarys board of trustees and committees? Are
  people with disabilities included in the
  librarys access planning process?

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Library Services

• Does the library have a written description of
  services for patrons with disabilities, including
  procedures and information on how to request
  special accommodations? These policies and
  procedures should be advertised in the library
  and library publications.
• Are reference and circulation services available
  by phone, TTY/TDD and electronic mail?
• Are resource delivery services available for
  patrons confined to their homes, retirement
  facilities, or hospitals?

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Library Services

• Are large print and Braille versions of library
  handouts and guides available?
• Are applications for the nation-wide network of
  Talking Book and Braille Libraries available for
  print disabled patrons?
• Are reader and research assistants available to
  patrons with vision impairments?
• Are sign language interpretation services
  available by request for library sponsored
  events?
• Are large magnifying glasses available for
  patrons with low vision? Is a CCTV available?

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Adaptive Technology for Computers
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Adaptive Technology for Computers

• At least one adjustable table for each type of
  workstation in the library can assist patrons
  with mobility impairments or who use wheelchairs.
• Large print key labels can assist patrons with
  low vision.
• Software to enlarge screen images can assist
  patrons with low vision and learning
  disabilities.
• Large monitors of at least 17 inches can assist
  patrons with low vision and learning disabilities.

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Adaptive Technology for Computers

• A speech output system can be used by patrons
  with low vision, blindness and learning
  disabilities.
• Braille conversion software and a Braille printer
  can assist patrons who are blind.
• Trackballs can assist those who have difficulty
  controlling a mouse.
• Wrist rests and keyguards can assist some patrons
  with mobility impairments.

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Acknowledgements

• We stole much of this information from
• http//www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/504/disability_primer_4
  .html (Etiquette)
• http//www.washington.edu/doit/UA/PRESENT/libres.h
  tml (Access)
• Other Useful Websites
• http//www.cast.org/udl/ (Center for Applied
  Special Technology)
• http//tc.eserver.org/18601.html (Trace Center)
• http//www.libraries.psu.edu/admin/diversity/confe
  rences/ala03.htm (University Libraries Diversity
  Committee and Universal Design Team)
• http//www.access-board.gov/ (Access Board)
• http//www.rit.edu/easi/itd/itdv02.htm (Planning
  Accessible Libraries)