Disability Etiquette

1. Disability Etiquette Tips on Interacting with Employees with Disabilities

2. 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 world’s most inclusive minority community. Disability is the one diversity category that crosses gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age and socioeconomic class.

3. 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.

4. Executive Order 13548 On July 26, 2010, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13548. President Obama stated that, “[a]s 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.”

5. 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.

6. 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. • Don’t be afraid to say that you do not understand, if you have trouble understanding the person’s speech or request.

7. The Basics • Just because someone has a disability, don’t 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.

8. Etiquette • Relax. Don’t 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. Disability Myths and Facts Myths • People with disabilities cannot be productive in the workplace. • People with disabilities don’t 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.

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

16. Situations and Solutions continued… • Safety Concerns. • Eye Contact, Engage the Colleague. • Speech Impairment. • Disability Information is Confidential.

17. Situations and Solutions continued… • Communication Preference • Follow Up Face To Face. • Learning To Navigate The Office. • Gaining Attention of Colleague Who Is Deaf.

18. Situations and Solutions continued… Supporting a person with a mental health condition • Stress can affect the person’s 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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