Disability Etiquette

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Disability Etiquette
Tips on Interacting with Employees with
Disabilities
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Important things to think about

• There is ability beyond disability.
• In fact, disabilities, impairments, and chronic
  health conditions are a natural part of being
  human. We may be born with them, or cycle in and
  out of disabilities through injury and recovery.
• The disability community is the worlds most
  inclusive minority community. Disability is the
  one diversity category that crosses gender, race,
  ethnicity, religion, age and socioeconomic class.

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Our Purpose Today

• Examine stereotypes and misconceptions about
  persons with disabilities.
• Improve attitudes and behaviors that prevent
  growth and success of a work unit or agency.
• Develop skills that help to effectively
  communicate and work with people with
  disabilities.

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Executive Order 13548

• On July 26, 2010, President Barack Obama signed
  Executive Order 13548. President Obama stated
  that, as the Nation's largest employer, the
  Federal Government must become a model for the
  employment of individuals with disabilities.
  Executive departments and agencies must improve
  their efforts to employ workers with disabilities
  through increased recruitment, hiring, and
  retention of these individuals.

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What is a Disability?

• A person with a disability has a physical or
  mental impairment that substantially limits one
  or more major life activities has a record of
  such an impairment or is regarded as having such
  an impairment.

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Strategies for Communicating with People with
Disabilities

• We all communicate in various ways with or
  without a disability.
• Pay attention to cues from the person you are
  communicating with.
• Dont be afraid to say that you do not
  understand, if you have trouble understanding the
  persons speech or request.

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The Basics

• Just because someone has a disability, dont
  assume s/he needs help. If the setting is
  accessible, people with disabilities can usually
  get around fine.
• Adults with disabilities want to be treated as
  independent people.
• Offer assistance only if the person appears to
  need it.
• A person with a disability will oftentimes
  communicate when s/he needs help. If s/he does
  want help, ask how before you act.

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Etiquette

• Relax. Dont make assumptions based on appearance
  alone. The best resource for information is the
  person, so Ask!
• Never touch, lean on, or move a person's mobility
  device or wheelchair without consent.
• Do not touch, play with, distract or feed a
  service animal without permission.

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Etiquette continued

• Maintain natural language and tone when
  interacting with people whom have disabilities.
• Professional behaviors such as active listening,
  a service-minded orientation, and a results-focus
  work equally well with people with disabilities
  as with all other people.

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Communication Tips (Non-Verbal)

• Be considerate of the extra time it may take a
  person with a disability to walk, talk, write or
  perform a task.
• Extend your hand to shake if that is what you
  normally do. A person who cannot shake hands
  will let you know.
• Sit down when speaking for more than a few
  minutes with a person who uses a wheelchair so
  you are at eye level.
• Look directly at people with disabilities when
  you are talking with them even if they are
  accompanied by a sign language interpreter or a
  personal assistant.

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Communication Tips (Verbal)

• Use People First Language (e.g. person with a
  disability, person who is blind, individual with
  Cerebral Palsy)
• Use language that the person to whom you are
  referring is comfortable with.

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Positivity Please

• Preferred phrases
• Person with intellectual/cognitive disabilities
• Person who is blind, person who is visually
  impaired
• Person who is Deaf, person who is hard of hearing
• Person with Epilepsy
• Person who uses a wheelchair
• Unable to speak, uses synthetic speech
• Person with a disability
• Successful, productive

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Negativity No more

• Antiquated and offensive phrases
• Retarded, mentally defective
• The blind
• A hearing loss, the deaf
• Afflicted/Stricken by/Victim of
• Crippled, lame, deformed
• Confined or restricted to a wheelchair
• Dumb/mute
• Crazy/nuts/abnormal

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Disability Myths and Facts

• Myths
• People with disabilities cannot be productive in
  the workplace.
• People with disabilities dont want to work.
• People with disabilities always need help.

• Facts
• People with disabilities have a variety of skill
  sets and abilities that make them very productive
  in the workplace.
• 2 out of 3 unemployed people with disabilities
  (67) said they would prefer to be working.
• Many people with disabilities are very
  independent and prefer to be responsible for
  themselves.

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Situations and Solutions

• Im working to create a more inclusive work
  environment. What should I do?
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• Focus on Abilities
• Ask the person first.
• Adaptive Devices and Assistive Technology.
• Communicate Directly with a Colleague with a
  Disability.

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Situations and Solutions continued

• Safety Concerns.  
• Eye Contact, Engage the Colleague.
• Speech Impairment.
• Disability Information is Confidential.

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Situations and Solutions continued

• Communication Preference
• Follow Up Face To Face.
• Learning To Navigate The Office.
• Gaining Attention of Colleague Who Is Deaf.

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Situations and Solutions continued

• Supporting a person with a mental health
  condition
• Stress can affect the persons ability to
  function.
• Treat each person as an individual.
• In a crisis, stay calm and be supportive as you
  would with anyone. Ask how you can help, and find
  out if there is a support person who can be sent
  for.

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Supervision

• I am responsible for supervising a new employee
  with a disability. To be as inclusive as
  possible, what should I do?
• Immediately orient employees with disabilities to
  emergency evacuation procedures.  
• Respect privacy.
• Plain language requests for assistance can open
  discussions of accommodation needs.
• Refer requests for reasonable accommodation to
  your servicing Diversity and Civil Rights
  Officer.

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Meetings and Trainings

• I am planning a face-to-face meeting/training for
  our unit. To be as inclusive as possible, what
  should I do?
• Send out a request for participant accommodations
  in advance of the meeting.
• Know and communicate any emergency evacuation
  procedures to your audience at the beginning of
  the meeting.
• Customize information provided in print.

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Meetings and Trainings continued

• Insure accessibility for PowerPoint
  presentations.
• Describe slides during the presentation. 
• Provide Word and PDF documents in advance.
• One size does not fit all.

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Remember this

• Do your part to dispel myths and stereotypes.
  Speak out when you hear others talk negatively
  about people with disabilities.
• Encourage participation of people with
  disabilities in social, community and workplace
  events by making sure that the meeting or event
  sites are accessible.
• Do not assume a person cannot perform a certain
  task. With the right accommodations and support,
  a person with a disability can be very
  productive.
• People with disabilities are individuals with
  families, jobs, hobbies, likes and dislikes, and
  problems and joys. While the disability is an
  integral part of who they are, it alone does not
  define them. Treat them as individuals.

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Credits and Closing Thoughts

• AbilityOne Program The largest source of
  employment for people who are blind or have other
  severe disabilities in the United States.
  www.AbilityOne.org
• Job Accommodation Network The leading source of
  free, expert, and confidential guidance on
  workplace accommodations and disability
  employment issues. Visit www.askjan.org or call
  JAN at 800-526-7234 (Voice) or 877-781-9403
  (TTY).
• U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability
  Employment Policy (ODEP) Promotes a world in
  which people with disabilities have unlimited
  employment opportunities. www.dol.gov/odep/
• United Spinal Association Disability Etiquette
  Guide. www.unitedspinal.org

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