Manners Matter
that
An etiquette guide for interacting with people with disabilities
• Togettheattentionofapersonwhoisdeaf,taphimorheron theshoulderorwaveyourhand.Lookdirectlyatthepersonand speakclearly,slowly,andexpressivelytodetermineiftheperson canreadyourlips.Ifso,placeyourselfsothatyoufacethelight
sourceandkeephands,food,andcigarettesawayfromyour mouthwhenspeaking.
RelaxDon’tbeembarrassedifyouhappentouseacommonexpressionsuchas“Seeyoulater,”or“Didyouhearthelatest?”thatseemtorelatetoaperson’sdisability.Youmightbesurprisedtoknowthatmanypeoplewhoareblindsay“Seeyoulater!”Ifyouareunsureofwhattosayordo,don’tbeafraidtoaskquestions.
Further ConsiderationTofindoutmoreabouttheetiquetteofinteractingwithpeoplewithdisabilities,pleaseconsultthefollowingsources:
National Organization on Disabilitywww.nod.org
United Spinal Association www.unitedspinal.org/pdf/DisabilityEtiquette.pdf
U.S. Dept. of Laborwww.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/comucate.htm
VSA artswww.vsarts.org/x523.xml
Agency for Persons with Disabilities4030 Esplanade Way, Suite 380
Tallahassee, FL 32399-09501-866-APD-CARES (1-866-273-2273)
(850) 488-4257apdcares.org
MAY2010
WordsItishelpfultorememberthatapersonwithadisabilityis—firstandforemost—aperson.Thedisabilitydoesnotdefinetheperson.Phrasessuchas“thedisabled,”“theretarded,”or“theblind”areinappropriatebecausetheydonotreflecttheindividualityordignityofpeoplewithdisabilities.Sois“normalperson,”becausethetermimpliesthatapersonwithadisabilityisn’tnormal.Avoidlabels.
Instead,usepeople-first language,whichemphasizesthepersonratherthanthedisability.Examplesinclude“personwithadisability,”“personwhoisblind,”and“personwithanintellectualdisability.”Positivelanguageaffirmsandempowers,whilenegativelanguagelimitsandsegregates.Thereisnoperfectterminology,butasyoureadthetableofphrasesbelow,notehowthepositivephrasesputthepersonfirst.
AFFIRMATIVE PHRASES NEGATIVE PHRASESpersonwithadisability thedisabled,thehandicappedpersonwithcerebralpalsy CPvictimpersonwhohasmultiplesclerosis afflictedbyMSpersonwhoisdeaf,hardofhearing
thedeaf,suffersfromahearingloss
personwhoisblind,visuallyimpaired theblind
personwithcognitivedisabilities,intellectualanddevelopmentaldisabilities,mentalretardation
theretarded,mentallydefective,feebleminded
personwithepilepsy,seizuredisorder epileptic
personwhousesawheelchair confinedorrestrictedtoawheelchair,wheelchair-bound
personwhoisphysicallydisabled crippled,lame,deformedpersonwithpsychiatricdisability crazy,nuts,thementallyillunabletospeak,usessyntheticspeech
dumb,mute,nonverbal,noncommunicative
successful,productive hasovercomeadisabilityshesaysshehasadisability headmitsthathehasadisability
ActionsIfactionsspeaklouderthanwords,it’simportantnottoactinawaythatshoutsyourinsensitivity!Afewsimpleruleswillhelpyoutoshowyourrespectandsupporttoapersonwithdisabilitiesthroughyouractions.
• Speakdirectlytoapersonwithadisability,ratherthantothesignlanguageinterpreterorcompanion.
• Whenintroduced,extendyourhandtoshakehandswithapersonwithadisability.Peoplewithlimitedhanduseorwhowearartificiallimbscanusuallyshakehands.Ashakewithalefthandisperfectlyokay.
• Whenmeetingapersonwhoisvisuallyimpaired,alwaysidentifyyourselfandotherswhomaybewithyou.Inagroupsetting,identifythepersontowhomyouarespeaking.
• Ifyouofferassistance,waituntilthe offerisaccepted.Thenlistentoorask forinstructions.• Treatadultsasadults.Addresspeoplewho
havedisabilitiesbytheirfirstnamesonlywhenextendingthesamefamiliaritytoallothers.Neverpatronizepeoplewhousewheelchairsbypattingthemontheheadorshoulder.
• Leaningorhangingontoaperson’swheelchairisconsideredannoying.Apersonwhousesawheelchair,scooter,orcane
considerstheequipmentaspartoftheirpersonalspace.• Whenspeakingtosomeonewhousesawheelchair,scooter,or
crutches,placeyourselfateye-levelinfrontofthepersonto makeconversation.• Listenattentivelywhentalkingwithapersonwhohasdifficulty
speaking.Bepatientandwaitforthepersontofinish,ratherthanspeakingfororcorrectinghimorher.Ifnecessary,askshort
questionsthatrequireshortanswers,orperhapsanodorshake ofthehead.Neverpretendtounderstand;instead,repeatwhat youhaveunderstoodandallowthepersontorespond.
