BASIC HINTS FOR INTERACTION WITH A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY

PERSON WITH A PHYSICAL DISABILITY

BLIND & PARTIALLY SIGHTED PEOPLE

Wave or touch the person’s shoulder to draw the person’s attention

Do not lean on, or touch a person’s wheelchair - it is part of their personal space.

Address a blind person directly and not through a third person.

Keep sentences short and use proper sentence construction.  Rephrase, rather than repeat phrases that the person does not understand.

Always speak to the person with the disability and not to the person accompanying them.

Allow a blind / partially sighted person to take your arm (at the elbow).  This will enable you to guide them rather than propel them.

Speak clearly so that the person can see and read your lips.  Use a normal tone of voice when having a conversation with a person experiencing hearing loss, unless otherwise indicated by the person.

When talking to a wheelchair user, sit on a chair in order to sit at their eye level.  If you have to stand, stay at a distance so that the person does not strain his/her neck.

Do not be afraid to use the word ‘see’ in phrases like ‘see you later’.  Blind people talk to each other in the same way.

Do not smoke, chew gum or let your hair cover your face whilst in conversation with a person experiencing hearing loss.  Do not shout at them.

Never ask a wheelchair user to hold items, e.g. coats.  Do not put your drink, for instance, on the desktop attached to someone’s wheelchair.

When greeting a blind person, wait for him / her to extend his / her hand before shaking it.  Say something like ‘take my hand’.  This will prevent uncertainty and embarrassment for both parties.

Use facial expressions to correspond with the topic and mood of discussion.  Keep eye contact and talk to the person rather than the interpreter.

Do not push a person’s wheelchair without their permission.

When speaking to a blind person, always identify who you are.

Be patient when either you or the person experiencing hearing loss have difficulty understanding or transferring a message.

Be prepared to offer assistance to persons with limited hand, wrist or arm function.

Always say goodbye when leaving a room so that the blind / partially sighted person is not left speaking to no one.

Do not change the subject or change your language in mid-sentence.

People using canes or crutches need their arms to balance themselves, so never grab the person.

DO not leave a blind / partially sighted person in a strange environment without orientating him / her to it.

Use basic signs to transfer your message.

Place items within a wheelchair users reach.

Do not distract or interact in any way with a blind person’s guide dog.

Indicate unforeseen happenings, e.g. sudden loud music or dogs fighting.

Pulling out or pushing in a chair may present a problem.  Always ask before offering help.

Do not grab the end of a blind persons cane in trying to guide him / her.

If you are standing with your back to a light source, such as a window, the glare may obscure your face and make it difficult for the person experiencing hearing loss to speech read.

Put out mats on slippery floors for persons using canes or crutches, although people using wheelchairs prefer floors without mats.

Do not hesitate to laugh when a blind person tells a joke about blindness.  This is quite common among blind people.

BASIC HINTS ON USING CORRECT TERMINOLOGY

AVOID

REASON

Persons with disabilities Disabled people

Differently abled

The disability rights movement of South Africa accepts both these terms

“Johnny” is a child with cerebral palsy

“Johnny” is a victim of cerebral palsy

All 3 cast disabilities as negative. "Suffers from" indicates ongoing pain and torment, which is not the case for most people with disabilities. "Afflicted with" denotes a disease, which most disabilities are not. "Victim of" implies that a crime is being committed on the person who has a disability.

‘uses a wheelchair’

‘wheelchair bound’ or ‘confined to a wheelchair’

People see their wheelchairs as a convenient mode of transportation, not prisons, and the "bound/confined" phrase belies the fact that many people with motor disabilities engage in activities without their wheelchairs, including driving and sleeping.

‘disability’

‘Physically / mentally challenged (who isn’t?)

The word "handicap" derives from the phrase "cap in hand", referring to a beggar, and is despised by most people with disabilities.

‘people without disabilities’

‘whole’

These terms are inappropriate and inaccurate.

‘customer’

‘patient’

Most disabilities are not a disease. Do not call person with a disability a "patient" unless referring to a hospital setting. In an occupational and physical therapy context, "client" or "customer" is preferred.

Person with diabetes

Some diseases by legal definition are considered disabilities. Victimization imagery or defining the person by the disease is inappropriate.

Deaf

‘Deaf and dumb’

People who consider themselves as part of Deaf culture refer to themselves as "Deaf" with a capital "D". Because their culture derives from their language, they may be identified in the same way as other cultural groups, for example "Shangaan".

‘congenital disability’

‘birth defect’

A person may be "born without arms" or "has a congenital disability," but is probably not defective.

‘person with epilepsy’

‘epileptic’

Hint : Always refer to the person first, and then the disability

"person with an intellectual disability", or "person with a psychiatric disability"

 ‘brain damaged’