How to Interact With a Disabled Person in the Workplace

Modern rehabilitation techniques and accessibility accommodations mean well-trained, capable people with disabilities enter the workplace environment every day. While in the workplace, disabled people want equal treatment rather than special treatment.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Anger-management Counseling
• Stress Management Counseling
• Computer Screen Magnifier
• Computer Screen Reader
• Talking Calculators
• Talking Keyboard
• Text Telephone
• Talking Clocks
• Hearing-impaired Alerting Systems
• Wheelchair Ramps
• Career Counseling
• American Sign Language Computer Program
• American Sign Language Video

1. Relax. People with disabilities incorporate all the human characteristics you expect to see in an employee.

2. See the person rather than the disability.

3. Understand that a disabled person has a legal right to equal access to employment.

4. Treat the person as you would any other worker - as a responsible adult completing employer-assigned tasks.

5. Respect a disabled person's devices such as a wheelchair, cane, or text telephone.

6. Touch a hearing-impaired person lightly on the arm or shoulder to attract his or her attention.

7. Identify yourself and others who are present when meeting a blind person.

8. Involve the disabled person in any effort to make the workplace more accessible.

9. Make offers of help in the same context as an offer of help to any other worker.

10. Allow a disabled person to make his or her own decision concerning his or her ability to do a task.

11. Focus criticism on job performance rather than a person's disability.

Tips & Warnings

• Employment numbers are, unfortunately, low among disabled workers in spite of their greater productivity and lower absenteeism.
• Simple efforts on your part help in interactions - don't shout at a person with a hearing impairment, give simple cues regarding people present or objects involved when talking with a person with a sight impairment, and sit at the level of a wheelchair user during long conversations.
• Handicapped parking spaces are a legitimate accommodation. Leave them open for those who need them.
• Disabled people are not interested in sympathy, pity, or being seen as a role model for "brave suffering."
• Disabled people are interested in access and equal opportunity.
• Remember that what may seem to you to be special treatment is simply accommodation to allow a person with a disability equal access to employment.

[kkeefenj]

on 12/11/2008 Be considerate of those in wheelchairs. When in a group, don't talk over the head of the person in the wheelchair. Make eye contact. Sit down if possible. If pushing someone in a wheelchair, be aware of what they're seeing at their level, and face them toward people if you stop to talk.

on 8/8/2006 As an American Sign Language major, I often run into deaf employees working in a non-deaf environment where the non-deaf employees are eager to learn basic ASL in order to better communicate and make the new employee feel more welcome. These employees, often fronted by the deaf employee, start a weekly or even bi-weekly hour-long group where basic ASL is taught. This study/work group idea could be altered to fit other disabled employees' needs. Another good tip is to be aware of what a "disabled" employee needs - in other words, in the case of a deaf employee, make sure you make eye contact, speak effectively and clearly, enunciate your words and don't mumble!

on 2/4/2008 People with disabilities are just that--people. They also happen to have a disability.

Calling someone a "disabled person" brings attention to what they can't do, rather than what they can. Many people who have disabilities are able to function fully both on and off the job. They are not "disabled" at all.