Disability Etiquette

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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990was conceived with the goal of integrating people with disabilities into all aspects of life, particularly the workplace and the marketplace. Sensitivity toward people with disabilities is not only in the spirit of the ADA, it makes good business sense. It can help you expand your practice, better serve your customers or develop your audience. When supervisors and co-workers use disability etiquette, employees with disabilities feel more comfortable and work more productively. Practicing disability etiquette is an easy way to make people with disabilities feel welcome.You don’t have to feel awkward when dealing with a person who has a disability. This booklet provides some basic tips for you to follow. And if you are ever unsure how to interact with a person who has a disability, just ask!

• Don’t push or touch a person’s wheelchair; it’s part of her personal space. If you help someone down a curb without waiting for instructions, you may dump her out of the chair. You may detach the chair’s parts if you lift it by the handles or the footrest.
• Keep the ramps and wheelchair-accessible doors to your building
  unlocked and unblocked. Under the ADA, displays should not be in front of entrances, wastebaskets should not be in the middle of aisles, and boxes should not be stored on ramps.
• Be aware of a person’s reach limits. Place as many items as possible within their grasp. And make sure that there is a clear path of travel to shelves and display racks. When talking to a person using a wheelchair, grab your own chair and sit at her level. If that’s not possible, stand at a slight distance, so that she isn’t straining her neck to make eye contact with you.
• If the service counter at your place of business is too high for a person using a wheelchair to see over, step around it to provide service. Have a clipboard handy if filling in forms or providing signatures is expected. A business may also want to make sure employees are prepared to angle down or detach a key pad so a person using a wheelchair can sign their electronic signature after making a credit card purchase.
• If your building has different routes through it, be sure that signs direct people to the accessible routes around the facility. People who use canes or crutches also need to know the easiest way to get around a place, but stairs may be easier for them than a ramp. Ensure that security guards and receptionists can answer questions about the most accessible way around the building and grounds, including the location of elevators.
• People who use canes or crutches need their arms to balance themselves, so never grab them. People who have limited mobility may lean on a door for support as they open it. Pushing the door open from behind or unexpectedly opening the door may cause them to fall. Even pulling out or pushing in a chair may present a problem. Always ask before offering help.
• If you offer a seat to a person who has limited mobility, keep in mind that chairs with arms or with higher seats are easier for some people to use.
• Falls are a big problem for people who have limited mobility. Be sure to set out adequate warning signs after washing floors. Also put out mats on rainy or snowy days to keep the floors as dry as possible. (Make sure they don’t bunch up and make the floor impassable.)
• People who do not have a visible disability may have needs related to their mobility. For example, a person with a respiratory or heart condition may have trouble walking long distances or walking quickly. Be sure that your museum, hotel or department store has ample benches for people to sit and rest on.
• Some people have limited use of their hands, wrists or arms. Be prepared to offer assistance with reaching, grasping or lifting objects, opening doors and display cases, and operating vending machines and other equipment.

• u Identify yourself before you make physical contact with a person who is blind. Tell him your name and your role if it’s appropriate, such as security guard, usher, case worker, receptionist or fellow student. And be sure to introduce him to others who are in the group, so that he’s not excluded.
• If a new customer or employee is blind or has low vision, offer him a tour of your facility.
• If you have changed your facility (i.e., rearranged the furniture) notify your customers who are blind of the changes.
• People who are blind may need their arms for balance, so offer your arm—don’t take his—if he needs to be guided. (It is however appropriate to guide a blind person’s hand to a banister or the back of a chair to help direct him to a stairway or a seat.)
• If the person has a guide dog, walk on the side opposite the dog. As you are walking, describe the setting, noting any obstacles, such as stairs (‘up’ or ‘down’) or a big crack in the sidewalk. Other hazards include: revolving doors, half-opened filing cabinets or doors, and objects protruding from the wall at head level such as hanging plants or lamps. If you are going to give a warning, be specific. Hollering “Look out!” does not tell the person if he should stop, run, duck or jump.
• If you are giving directions, give specific, non-visual information. Rather than say, “Go to your right when you reach the office supplies,” which assumes the person knows where the office supplies are, say, “Walk forward to the end of this aisle and make a full right.”
• If you need to leave a person who is blind, inform him you are leaving and ask if he needs anything before you leave.
• Don’t touch the person’s cane or guide dog. The dog is working and needs to concentrate. The cane is part of the individual’s personal space. If the person puts the cane down, don’t move it. Let him know if it’s in the way.
• Offer to read written information—such as the menu, merchandise labels or bank statements—to customers who are blind. Count out change so that they know which bills are which.
• If you serve food to a person who is blind, let him know where it is on the plate according to a clock orientation (12 o’clock is furthest from them, 6 o’clock is nearest). Remove garnishes and anything that is not edible from the plate. Some patrons may ask you to cut their food; this can be done in the restaurant’s kitchen before the meal is served.

• Good lighting is important, but it shouldn’t be too bright. In fact, very shiny paper or walls can produce a glare that disturbs people’s eyes.
• Keep walkways clear of obstructions. If people with low vision regularly use your facility as customers or employees, inform them about anyphysical changes, such as rearranged furniture, equipment or other items that have been moved.

• u When the exchange of information is complex (e.g., during a job interview or doctor’s visit or when reporting a crime) the most effective way to communicate with a native signer is through a qualified sign language interpreter. For a simple interaction (e.g., ordering in a restaurant or registering for a hotel room) writing back and forth is usually okay.
• Follow the person’s cues to find out if she prefers sign language, gesturing, writing or speaking. If you have trouble understanding the speech of a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, let her know.
• When using a sign language interpreter, look directly at the person who is deaf, and maintain eye contact to be polite. Talk directly to the person (‘What would you like?’), rather than to the interpreter (‘Ask her what she’d like.’).
• People who are deaf need to be included in the decision-making process for issues that affect them; don’t decide for them.
• Before speaking to a person who is deaf or has a loss of hearing, make sure that you get her attention. Depending on the situation, you can extend your arm and wave your hand, tap her on the shoulder or flicker the lights.
• Rephrase, rather than repeat, sentences that the person does not understand.
• When talking, face the person. A quiet, well-lit room is most conducive to effective communication. If you are in front of the light source (e.g., a window) with your back to it, the glare may obscure your face and make it difficult for the person who is hard of hearing to speech read.
• Speak clearly. Most people who have a hearing loss count on watching people’s lips as they speak to help them understand. Avoid chewing gum, smoking or obscuring your mouth with your hand while speaking.
• There is no need to shout. If the person uses a hearing aid, it will be calibrated to normal voice levels; your shout will just distort the words.
• People who are deaf (and some who have a hearing loss or speech disabilities) make and receive telephone calls with the assistance of various technologies including a TTY (short for teletypewriter) or a Video Relay Service (VRS). VRS enables a person who is deaf or has a hearing loss to make and receive telephone calls through a communications assistant who is a qualified American Sign Language Interpreter. For many people who are deaf or have a hearing loss, VRS is closer to “functionally equivalent” telephone services than any other form of relay service. For American Sign Language users, VRS conversations flow more smoothly, naturally, and faster than communicating by typing.
• When a TTY user calls a business that does not have a TTY, she places the call through her state’s relay service. Likewise, a business that does not have a TTY can reach a customer who is a TTY user through the relay service. If you receive a relay call, the operator will identify it as such. Please do not hang up; this is the way that people who are deaf are able to place an order at your pizza parlor, call your store to find out what hours you are open, or make a reservation at your restaurant.

• Give the person your full attention. Don’t interrupt or finish the person’s sentences. If you have trouble understanding, don’t nod. Just ask him to repeat. In most cases the person won’t mind and will appreciate your effort to hear what he has to say.
• If you are not sure whether you have understood, you can repeat for verification.
• If, after trying, you still cannot understand the person, ask him to write it down or to suggest another way of facilitating communication.
• A quiet environment makes communication easier.
• Don’t tease or laugh at a person with a speech disability. The ability to communicate effectively and to be taken seriously is important to all of us.

• Be aware of having necessary items within the person’s reach to the maximum extent possible.
• Be aware that persons of short stature count on being able to use equipment that is at their height. Be sensitive about not using lower telephones, bank counters and urinals if they are in limited supply.
• As with people who have other disabilities, never pet or kiss a person of short stature on the head.
• Communication can be easier when people are at the same level. Persons of short stature have different preferences. You might kneel to be at the person’s level; stand back so you can make eye contact without the person straining her neck (this can be hard to do in a crowded room); or sit in a chair. Act natural and follow the person’s cues.

• Many people with CP have slurred speech and involuntary body movements. Your impulse may be to discount what they have to say, based on their appearance. Monitor your responses and interact with the person as you would with anyone else.
• A person who may appear to be drunk, sick or have a medical emergency might in fact have CP or another disability. Get the facts before acting on your first impression, whether the situation is business, social or law enforcement.

• If a person with Tourette makes vocalizations during a conversation, simply wait for her to finish, and then calmly continue.
• The more the person tries to contain these urges, the more the urges build up. It may be helpful for a person with Tourette to have the option to leave the meeting or conversation temporarily to release the build-up in a private place.

• Everyone needs to have a positive self-image to be a fully participating member of society. Be sure that you don’t contribute to stigmatizing people who look different.
• If the situation is appropriate, strike up a conversation and include the person in whatever is going on.

• If a person has a seizure, you cannot do anything to stop it. If he has fallen, be sure his head is protected and wait for the seizure to end.
• When a seizure has ended, the person may feel disoriented and embarrassed. Try to ensure that he has privacy to collect himself.
• Be aware that beepers and strobe lights can trigger seizures in some people.

• Try to avoid spray-cleaning tables, windows or other surfaces while people are in your place of business. If you must use a spray product, spray or pour it closely into the cloth, not into the air. Use less-toxic products when possible. Request that staff that have contact with the public go easy on fragranced body-care products like cologne, hair spray, hand lotion, and after-shave.
• Maintaining good ventilation and indoor air quality will not only benefit your customers who have MCS and respiratory disabilities, it will also help you and all of your employees stay healthier and more alert.
• Second-hand smoke can be particularly harmful to people with MCS or respiratory disabilities. Follow and enforce no-smoking regulations, including in restrooms and stairwells. Discourage smokers from congregating at the entrance to your business. If appropriate, designate a separate smoking area where the door is kept closed and the air ventilates to the outside.

• You can’t catch HIV from casual contact such as shaking hands, so don’t be afraid of touching or being touched by a person with AIDS.
• A person with HIV or AIDS, however, is at significant risk of picking up an airborne infection. Be conscious of not putting someone else at risk. If you have a respiratory infection or any other easily transmittable illness, be considerate of all your customers and employees and stay home, if possible.
• Many people with AIDS feel stigmatized. By simply greeting or shaking the person’s hand, you are letting him know that he is accepted. It will mean a lot to him.

• Stress can affect the person’s ability to function. Try to keep the pressure of the situation to a minimum.
• People who have psychiatric disabilities have varying personalities and different ways of coping with their disability. Some may have trouble picking up on social cues; others may be supersensitive. One person may be very high energy, while someone else may appear sluggish. Treat each person as an individual. Ask what will make him most comfortable and respect his needs to the maximum extent possible.
• 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. If appropriate, you might ask if the person has medication that he needs to take.

• Speak to the person in clear sentences, using simple words and concrete—rather than abstract—concepts. Help her understand a complex idea by breaking it down into smaller parts.
• Don’t use baby talk or talk down to people who have developmental disabilities. Gauge the pace, complexity, and vocabulary of your speech according to theirs.
• Remember that the person is an adult and, unless you are informed otherwise, can make her own decisions.
• People with developmental disabilities may be anxious to please. During an interview, the person may tell you what she thinks you want to hear. In certain situations, such as law enforcement or a doctor’s examination, it can have grave consequences if your interview technique is not effective. Questions should be phrased in a neutral way to elicit accurate information. Verify responses by repeating each question in a different way.
• It can be difficult for people with developmental disabilities to make quick decisions. Be patient and allow the person to take their time.
• Clear signage with pictograms can help a person who has developmental disabilities to find her way around a facility.
• People with developmental disabilities often rely on routine and on the familiar to manage work and daily living. Be aware that a change in the environment or in a routine may require some attention and a period of adjustment.

• People with dyslexia or other reading disabilities have trouble reading written information. Give them verbal explanations and allow extra time for reading.
• Don’t be surprised if you tell someone very simple instructions and he requests that you write them down. Because spoken information gets “scrambled” as he listens, a person who has a learning disability such as auditory processing disorder may need information demonstrated or in writing.
• Ask the person how you can best relay information. Be direct in your communication. A person with a learning disability may have trouble grasping subtleties.
• It may be easier for the person to function in a quiet environment without distractions, such as a radio playing, people moving around or loudly patterned curtains.

• Some of the factors that affect people with learning disabilities also apply to people with traumatic brain injury. People with brain injury may have a loss of muscle control or mobility that is not obvious. For example, a person may not be able to sign her name, even though she can move her hand.
• A person with a brain injury may have poor impulse control. The person may make inappropriate comments and may not understand social cues or “get” indications that she has offended someone. In her frustration to understand, or to get her own ideas across, she may seem pushy. All of these behaviors arise as a result of the injury.
• A person with a brain injury may be unable to follow directions due to poor short-term memory or poor directional orientation. She may ask to be accompanied, or she may use a guide dog for orientation, although she does not appear to be mobility impaired.
• If you are not sure that the person understands you, ask if she would like you to write down what you were saying.
• The person may have trouble concentrating or organizing her thoughts, especially in an over-stimulating environment, like a crowded movie theater or transportation terminal. Be patient. You might suggest going somewhere with fewer distractions.

• While you may inquire whether an animal is a service animal, the person may not have information identifying it as such. This means that in general, you will need to modify a “no animals” policy to allow the person to enter with her service animal. Barring a direct threat to health and safety, this requirement of the ADA is generally thought to take precedence over any health codes, such as those for restaurants, and personal preferences, such as those of taxi drivers, prohibiting pets.
• Service animals are generally highly trained and well behaved. You may ask the person to remove the animal if she does not have the animal under her control. Do not touch the service animal without permission. The animal may be adorable, but it is on the job.

• Compile a voluntary list of people with disabilities who are regulars at your facility, such as employees, students or residents. While you are compiling this list, let people know that even though they may not consider themselves of having a disability, they should be included if they may need help during an emergency. For example, this might apply to someone whose asthma may be triggered by stress or smoke. Keep the list updated to include people who are living with temporary disabilities, such as a pregnant woman or someone with a broken leg.
• Interview each individual on the list to plan the most effective way to assist them in case of an emergency. For example, a person with a cognitive disability may get confused and need assistance in following directions.
• Also develop a plan, including a voluntary sign-in, for an emergency that may affect people who are not attached to the facility, such as customers, theatergoers, patients or other members of the public.
• Practice the evacuation procedures and keep your plans up to date.