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    A Guide to Working with Persons with Disabilities

Mobility Disability (Uses Wheelchair)

Things to Know:

• There are many reasons for someone to use a wheelchair besides being paralyzed.
• People who use wheelchairs possess a wide range of physical abilities and may require different degrees of assistance.
• Some people do not use wheelchairs exclusively.  They may also use canes, leg braces, and in some cases no assistive devices at all for short periods.
• All wheelchairs are not the same. They come in different sizes and shapes to meet different needs. Just because one employee can access an area in his or her chair, that does not mean that everyone with a wheelchair will be able to do the same.

Things to Do:

• If you are asked to fold, carry, or store a wheelchair, treat it with the same kind of respect you would show if you were holding someone's eyeglasses. They are similar in many ways. They can break, they are difficult to have repaired on short notice and weekends, and it is extremely disruptive to the user when they are out of commission.
• When speaking to someone who uses a wheelchair, remember to give the person a comfortable viewing angle of yourself. Having to look straight up is not a comfortable viewing angle.

Things to Avoid:

• Do not come up to someone who is using a wheelchair and start pushing them without permission.
• When communicating, do not stand too close to the person in the wheelchair. Give them some space.

Things to Consider:

• It is very common for people who use wheelchairs to be told that some place is accessible when, in fact, it is not. Listen carefully when anyone who uses a wheelchair tells you that some area you thought was accessible is not.
• Do not assume that a person using a wheelchair needs assistance. Ask them if there is anything special you can provide.

Speech Disabilities

Things to Know:

• There are many reasons for having difficulty with speech. Deafness, cerebral palsy, stroke, head injury, physical malformation of speech mechanisms, and general speech impairment are just a few.
• It is not unusual in stressful situations for someone's speech to become harder to understand.

Things to Do:

• If you do not understand what the person is saying, bring it to their attention immediately and ask them how the two of you may better communicate.
• If you are in a stressful situation, try to stay calm. If you are in a public area with many distractions, consider moving to a quiet or private location.
• Consider writing as an alternative means of communication.
• If no solution to the communication problem can be worked out between you and the person with the disability, consider asking if there is someone who could translate or interpret what they are saying.

Things to Avoid:

• Do not pretend to understand them when you really do not.
• Do not become impatient or exasperated with them.
• Do not finish their sentences for them.

Things to Consider:

• Many speech impaired people find themselves in situations where others treat them as if they were drunk, retarded, or mentally ill. They are often avoided, ignored, and even hung up on by phone. This type of reaction is completely unacceptable.  Having a speech disability says nothing about the person's worth as an individual nor the importance of what they may have to say.

• Accessibility for a person with a speech disability lies within your power. Your understanding, patience, and communication skills are as important to someone with a speech disability as a ramp or grab bar is to someone who uses a wheelchair.