Etiquette

People with disabilities are individual human beings who want and deserve the same treatment and respect as everyone else. How you refer to people with disabilities can help reinforce this and also educate others. Conversely, you can inadvertently reflect stereotypes and negative attitudes. If you have never really interacted with someone with a disability, you may feel uncertain. These guidelines can help you feel more confident when speaking with or making reference to a person with a disability.

• When talking with a person who is disabled, look at and speak directly to that person rather than to a companion, aide, or sign language interpreter.
  
  
• Respect the person's physical space. It is fine to extend a hand for a handshake to someone who is able, or to wave or gently tap on the shoulder of a Deaf person to get his or her attention. However, it is not okay to touch or grab the person or any equipment or assistive technology they use, for example, that person's wheelchair, walker, computer keyboard, etc. Always ask first before providing any help to the person.
  
  
• Before making any physical contact with a person who is blind, always identify yourself first. Don't touch the person's cane or guide dog without receiving permission first.
  
  
• Put the person first. Say "person with a disability" or "person who is disabled" rather than "disabled person." For specific disabilities, say "person with Down's Syndrome" or "person who is quadriplegic."
  
  
• Avoid outdated terms like "handicapped," "crippled," "suffers from," and "victim of." Be aware that many people with disabilities dislike "politically correct" terms like "physically challenged," "differently abled," and "impaired."
  
  
• Say "wheelchair user" or "person who uses a wheelchair" rather than "confined to a wheelchair" or "wheelchair bound." The wheelchair is what enables the person to get around and participate in society - it's liberating, not confining.
  
  
• Feel free to use common words and expressions. For example, saying, "It was good to see you," and "See you later," to a person who is blind is completely acceptable. They use these expressions themselves all the time.
  
  
• Many people who are Deaf communicate with sign language and consider themselves to be members of a cultural and linguistic minority. They refer to themselves as Deaf with a capitol "D" and may be offended by the term "hearing impaired." Use the term "hard of hearing" to refer to people who have hearing loss but communicate in spoken language.
  
  
• Many people who are blind are offended by the term "visually impaired," preferring to be called a "blind person" or a "person who is blind."
  
  
• When comparing a person with a disability to someone who does not have a disability, that person is not "normal," "whole," or "healthy." Rather, refer to the person as "non-disabled," "a person without disabilities," or "able-bodied."
  
  
• Remember that not all disabilities are apparent. A person may make a request or act in a way that seems strange to you. That request or behavior may be disability-related. For example, you may give seemingly simple verbal directions to someone, but the person asks you to write the information down. He or she may have a learning or memory disability, preferring written communication instead. Or an apparently healthy person may ask to sit, rather than stand, in line. This person may be fatigued from a condition such as cancer, or may be feeling the effects of medication.