Here are 3 important disability etiquette tips for creating a comfortable environment when interacting with people with disabilities:
1. Address the person directly when talking to or about them.
Don’t assume they have difficulty communicating. Relax and connect with your colleagues or guests as people and as professionals, not defined by their #disability. Remember to meet and treat disabled people like anyone else and enjoy getting to know the person
2. Do not touch, pat, or grab.
No one wants to be touched without consent. Don’t touch or grab their wheelchair, scooter, or cane. Don’t set things on it or lean on it.
3. Ask before you provide assistance.
Don’t try to accommodate every last need of someone with a disability in order to be respectful. Instead of assuming someone needs help, use open-ended language like, “Let me know if you need anything.” This respects their autonomy. Helping before asking implies he or she is incapable and can offend, especially if they have worked hard to learn how to do it.
Disability Etiquette: The etiquette of eye-level interactions
Interacting with someone who has a disability can be confusing.
One thing to keep in mind when interacting is to consider adjusting posture to be eye-level.
Height differences between people in wheelchairs and those standing can create an unspoken feeling of superiority and inferiority.
If possible, sit or stand at eye-level, because it eliminates any visible differences such as a wheelchair.
Finding a table together is a great way to connect!
Being sensitive around people with disabilities and looking past the disability to speak directly to the person is the way to go!
The most important part of interacting with someone who has a disability is seeing that person for whom he or she is and not what disability that person has.
