Disabilities Liasion Unit

Etiquette

Meeting and working with disabled people

Insignificant details of our behaviour and language  can offend disabled people. For instance addressing them as ’abnormal, cripps, cripple etc’.  We don’t want to be too perceptive, but it helps if you can think about your actions and language.

 

Meeting and greeting

 Don’t lean on their wheelchair, if they have one

 Don’t make assumptions—remember that anybody may have a hidden impairment.

Treat people as individuals and treat adults as adults

Talk to the disabled person—and not to their assistant or dog

Don’t ask medical or personal questions

 

Meeting people with hearing or speech impairment

Don’t shout at ‘deaf or hard of hearing’ persons; do position yourself in their vision and attract their attention with a light touch or a wave if you need to

Do ask how a person wants to communicate—they may want to lip-read for example

Lip-reading is tiring and not totally reliable; speak slowly and clearly; try and provide emphasis with gestures and facial expressions; face the light and don’t cover your mouth

Be patient with people with speech impairment; don’t correct them; don’t finish their sentences; if you don’t understand don’t pretend you do, so do ask them to repeat if necessary, and tell them what you have understood so far

 

Meeting people with visual impairment

Tell a visually impaired person who you are; introduce other people who are there and say where they are

Don’t grab a person to guide them—let them take your arm; do ask them if they wish to be warned about steps, doors and other obstacles

Do say clearly where their seat is, or place their hand on its back or arm

You can use a common saying like ‘see you tomorrow” with a visually impaired person

Remember a visually impaired person may miss out on gestures or facial expressions and so appear to respond inappropriately—it may seem that they do not gat a joke, for example, when in fat it is not properly communicated to them.